Back to School, Back to the UCB

For me, going back to Fordham at the end of August for the new school year means a whole new year of going on exciting adventures around New York City, which includes waiting in line for a free comedy show. So on the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend, my friends and I took the subway down to Chelsea to get standby tickets at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre for their most popular long-form improvisational show.

The Upright Citizens Brigade logo

Founded by Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh, Matt Besser, and Amy Poehler in the late ‘90s, the Upright Citizens Brigade offers arguably the best comedy in the city for the cheapest price – the perfect situation for college students. Top-notch improvisers train and perform at the UCB, and many have gone onto have great successes in television and film. Even the most successful graduates of the UCB return to perform constantly, so you never know who will pop in at your show!

Waiting for standby tickets towards the front of the line!

On this Sunday, we saw an incredibly talented group of improvisers, including Saturday Night Live alum Horatio Sanz, at the free 9:30PM show. You cannot book your tickets in advance for this particular performance, and it draws a very large crowd, so we had to get there hours before to secure our spots in the standby line. Our wait was long and rainy, but the show was hilarious as usual and so worth the wait.

My ticket for the show. Being 13th in line is a success!

Being able to hop on the D-train or the Ram Van on a Sunday to see some of the best comedy in the country for a reasonable price is one of the many reasons I love Fordham so much. New York is truly my campus!