TWO NEW Longform Teams Debut This Month!
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Improv Double Feature 7 Premieres August 7
Fans of our Longform Teams on Friday nights should get themselves pumped up for the 7th iterations of our Double Feature presentations. We’re proud to present The Hot Seat and The Next Big Thing. CSz Philadelphia sat down with the directors/creators of these new shows to find out all about them.
The Hot Seat is directed by Keane Cobb, who’s no stranger to the ComedySportz Philadelphia stage or other teams and projects at CSz Philadelphia. He describes the show as a longform Harold set that’s based off an interview with an audience member. The audience member will volunteer to talk about “a time when they got away with something - nothing criminal. Think 90’s sitcom, teen hijinks…” That truthful admission becomes the basis for a whole set made up by the improvisers. Cast for The Hot Seat includes Amber Barnes, Noga Baruch, Matt Charles, Olivia Kram, Alex Levitt, Siobhan O’Hara, Kiran Pandey, and Joe Wendrychowicz.
THE HOT SEAT DIRECTED BT KEANE COBB
Cobb has been doing improv for just about 10 years, but performing almost 20. Aside from being a CSz company member, he is also a member of the all POC comedy troupe NYTEShift, the comedic trio known as Black History Monthly, the improv team Not Yet Rated, and is currently coaching a few other teams as well. He was in an episode of Albie’s Elevator on PBS. Cobb states, “My favorite projects were the sketches and shows that I did with NYTEShift, my very first team, as well as all of the festivals that I have been able to perform on with my teams.”
The promise Keane Cobb brings to this team and to the audiences who see The Hot Seat is that everyone can expect an infectious energy from the team. He called his team “a cheat code, like an NBA All-Star Team,” combining the players’ unique comedic styles and ability to shine in any situation.
The other half of the programming for Season 7 of our Improv Double Feature is The Next Big Thing, which starts with a simple question to the audience - what is a modern problem you have that there isn't currently any solution for? The cast quickly workshops a new groundbreaking invention to solve the problem - this becomes their "Next Big Thing". Director Michael Levine says, “There are so many simple, mundane little inventions that over time have had a profound effect on humanity, and that butterfly effect of innovation is what we're looking to capture.”
The Next Big Thing, directed by Michael LEvine
Levine continues to speak highly about the skills required for this concept, and the performers who are bringing them to the table: “Our show is always moving forward in time (literally). Every scene jumps ahead in the timeline; at first a few days or weeks, but eventually whole decades or centuries are passing. In these rapidly changing worlds we're showing the audience the "next big thing" becomes a catalyst of change, with a focus on the people and the relationships affected. Expect a descent into (and often an eventual recovery from) a very silly dystopia. It's campy, it's quirky, and very satisfying to watch unfold.” The improvisers are “smart performers capable of inventing the sprawling timelines and rapidly accruing historical events, while still bringing those big character choices to populate out the world and make it so much fun to watch - an embarrassment of riches to be sure. I've had such a great time watching this group learn to work together and mold this show into what it has become.”
The cast of The Next Big Thing is comprised of Solomon Hess, Masha Makarova, Sofya Piro, Mark Quien, Michael Poltronieri Tang, John Thompson, Ross Weisman, and Tristan Wolfe.
Levine’s no stranger to the Philly improv and comedy scene. “I have been improvising in Philadelphia for about nine years - and became a member of the CSz company about a year ago. I spent a lot of my early years performing in the indie improv scene with the (slightly notorious) team Daddy Issues. Over the years I have had the opportunity to be part of many amazing teams and shows, including (but not limited to) the former PHIT house team Remain Dog, the short form group The N Crowd over at Sawubona, and more recently in the CSz shows Puppets Here and There and Improvised Star Wars.”
Levine has “also had the great opportunity to perform in previous years' Double Feature shows But Wait, There's More! and Teschmacher! (so many exclamation points). I think the Longform Double Feature is a very important part of the Philadelphia Improv scene currently, as one of the few places where newer and seasoned improvisers alike can get together and have the opportunity to be experimental and do some good old fashioned longform improv comedy. I'm so excited to have a chance to direct a show in this run.”
CSz Philadelphia is delighted to present the debut of these new teams and concepts for Improv Double Feature 7. The shows are running at 9 PM on the first two Fridays of the month, August through December 2026. Tickets can be purchased by clicking HERE. We can’t wait to see you when we show The Hot Seat and The Next Big Thing!
