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SAK Comedy Lab facts for kids

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SAK Comedy Lab is a super fun theater in downtown Orlando, Florida, where performers make up comedy on the spot! This is called Improv. It's a place where actors create scenes, characters, and stories right in front of your eyes, often based on ideas from the audience. SAK has about 250 seats, so it's a great size for a lively show.

One of the most famous people who used to perform at SAK is the actor Wayne Brady. He became very well-known from TV shows like Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Let's Make a Deal. Even after becoming famous, Wayne sometimes comes back to perform at SAK shows, which is really cool! The regular performers at SAK are called the SAK Ensemble.

SAK also has a special training school called SAK University (SAK U). Here, people can learn how to do improv comedy through different levels of classes.

Awesome Improv Shows

SAK Comedy Lab has many exciting shows where performers create comedy on the spot.

The Main Event: Duel of Fools

The most popular show at SAK is called Duel of Fools. Imagine two teams of three improv performers battling it out with jokes and scenes! There's also a host who acts like a referee and a piano player who adds music to the show. The audience gives ideas, and the teams try to be the funniest.

Other Cool Shows

Besides Duel of Fools, SAK often has other special shows, especially on Friday and Saturday nights. These shows might have different formats than the usual "Duel."

Over the years, SAK has put on many unique shows:

  • Rub a Dub Dub (2007): In this show, performers would make up funny lines to go along with old health films or silent movies.
  • The Lost Comedies of William Shakespeare (2006): This was a funny take on Shakespeare's plays. The actors would create a whole five-act play from audience suggestions! It even got good reviews from the Orlando Sentinel newspaper.
  • Fourplay: The Improvised Musical (2006): During the summer, performers would create a full Broadway-style musical right there on stage, making up songs and stories as they went.
  • You Bet Your Asterisk (2006): This was an improv game show where performers played games and made up comedy.
  • SAK Request Live (2006): Another fun show from that year.

Seasonal Fun

SAK also celebrates holidays with special versions of Duel of Fools:

Developing New Talent

SAK has ongoing programs to help new improv talent grow:

  • Lab Rats: This show features graduates from SAK's improv training school who are invited to perform.
  • Generation S (Gen S): This show highlights the best performers from Lab Rats and other special guests who are training to join the main SAK Ensemble.
  • The Thursday Show: This show uses classic improv styles but features talented students from SAK University's development program. These students, along with a few professional performers, create comedy on the spot based on audience ideas.

SAK's Journey: A History

SAK Theatre started a long time ago in Buffalo, Minnesota, back in 1977. It began with four performers who had experience with street theater. They started performing at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. As they became more popular, they had chances to perform at many festivals at the same time. The original group trained more performers, and SAK grew from four people to twelve!

Moving to Florida and Disney

In 1982, while performing at a festival in Largo, Florida, people from the Walt Disney Company saw them. Disney was looking for entertainment for the new Epcot Center that was opening soon. SAK Theatre Company officially became a business and moved its main operations to Florida.

For seven years, SAK created, performed, and managed live comedy shows for Walt Disney World. They performed in places like the United Kingdom Pavilion at Epcot and Italy Pavilion at Epcot, as well as other areas around the parks. SAK also kept performing at festivals, expos, and fairs all over the world into the 1990s. At its busiest, SAK employed over 30 full-time performers and staff!

Opening the Comedy Lab

After their contract with Disney ended in 1991, SAK Theatre Company opened the SAK Comedy Lab on Church Street in downtown Orlando. This was their first dedicated theater, with 99 seats. It was a place for original comedy plays (many made up through improv) and improv shows. This is also when the "Duel of Fools" improv comedy competition began. For over 30 years, two teams of improvisers have been battling every Friday and Saturday night to see who can create the funniest scenes, sketches, and songs based on audience suggestions.

Today, SAK Comedy Lab entertains over 30,000 people each year! They also work with local organizations like the Orlando Magic, Florida Hospital, and Darden Restaurants, providing team training and corporate comedy shows.

Where SAK Has Been

SAK Comedy Lab has moved a few times to find the perfect home:

  • The first SAK Theater was on Church Street in downtown Orlando.
  • They quickly needed more space and moved to 380 W. Amelia Ave. This spot sometimes had parking problems because it was near the Amway Arena.
  • In early 2010, SAK moved to 29 S. Orange Ave. in Downtown Orlando.
  • SAK opened its current location in 2024. It's back on Orlando's historic Church Street Station area, inside the 55 West complex in downtown Orlando.

Famous Performers from SAK

Many performers who started at SAK have gone on to have amazing careers in acting, film, and other performance roles. Some of these talented people include:

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