Second time at Un-Scripted, second five star review! This time, we saw Swipe Right. Once again I sat in the audience smiling ear to ear the entire time. I don't know how else to tell you that you have to go. If I was your mom, I'd demand obedience and command you to go. The ensemble cast is incredible. Clever, funny, creative...just perfect. You don't even have to clean your room or get your math grade up first - you can just go. read more

My board did a 3-Hour Workshop with Un-Scripted and it was phenomenal. From the beginning, it was clear that Melissa, our instructor, had spent a significant amount of time researching our school and planning activities/games that would meet our unique needs: games that helped improve communication (verbal/nonverbal), teamwork, trust, etc. The games were so much fun, and they were all played in a safe, encouraging environment. Each time we completed a game, we would stand in a circle and debrief how it felt, what we observed, and how that activity could apply to our work. At no time was anyone up "performing" in front of others or feeling pressured to make the group laugh. Rather, we were all up on stage together, collaborating, encouraging, and laughing. I would highly recommend Un-Scripted workshops to anyone looking to strengthen group dynamics and have a ton of fun! read more

Oh man, I can't wait to see another show here!!! Saw "Swipe Right" last weekend and it was the most unique improv show I've ever seen. The premise for the sketches had so many surprises, I laughed the whole time. Improv at a new theater can be a gamble when you're unsure of the quality of the company... but literally everyone in this cast was hilarious! Fear not skeptic. Highly recommend this if you're a person and you enjoy fun. read more

Fantastic. This groups is so creative, funny, and quick. My group saw their long-form improv show, The Play's the Thing, last Friday and was blown-away. The three-act structure worked super well, and was unlike any improv I had seen before. The performers were also super welcoming, and invited everyone to come celebrate with them in the theater's lounge, which was super cozy. Bonus: really affordable drinks that you can bring into the theater! read more

I attended the October 4th Performance not knowing what to expect, and WOW! What a great night! The intimate setting of the theater allowed me to feel involved almost like I was living the experience the actors were defining as they spun the yarn of a crazy tale. I would recommend this evening to anyone. read more

The best!!!! I love coming here to see various improv troupes perform and often visit to see my boss and her husband's shows. The space is a lovely black box theater, although there are many mini theaters throughout the building. They have a bar with snacks, too. read more

Un-scripted swipe right was a hilarious blend of modern dating do's and don't s. The brilliant and animated cast of five brought me to tears with laughter Saturday night! These fantastic talents created characters with bulging muscles, adorable accents, and I even saw a penguin sneak across the stage a couple times. An experience of pure joy not to be missed! read more

My family and I viewed "Passion Noir" yesterday. The show was very entertaining and fun. Improvisers were really good and we completely forgot that it was not scripted! Fun, Captivating, suspensful.... You should go too! read more

Spent another enjoyable evening at the un-Scripted theater Co. - this time catching a new show called "Mixtape" (Saturdays @ 10pm). Mixtape is an innovative idea for musical improvised theater where the cast solicits info/ideas from a random audience member to define an era in music (the 80's, the 90's, the 2000's, etc). Once the era is determined, improvised songs are created and recorded into a mixtape cassette (there's literally a boombox on stage recording the whole show), which is then given back to the audience member. Met friends for dinner across the street at Hogwash and then grabbed a drink at Pacific Cocktail Haven (PCH) before the show. A great night out! read more

I don't like writing unenthusiastic reviews of live theater, especially improv, because it's really really hard to do well. It's a labor of love, not a money-maker. Yet I'm going to criticize the performance (I hope constructively.) There's a lot of good theater and improv out there. Why watch something mediocre? You don't look for perfect. You look for creativity and texture and spontaneity. I didn't see much of that and I was somewhat embarrassed because I talked some good friends into coming along. It was S-L-O-W. Even amateurish. Pauses in the middle of sentences. Gaps and empty silences during conversations, scenes that dragged on even when it was clear they were anemic. You could drive a tractor through all those silences. Blocking. As in, lots & lots of negative responses and "Nos" that "blocked" and stagnated the scenes into gridlock. Repetition. Scenes that repeated the same conflict without progress. ("Let's go! Let's stay!" doesn't merit 4 scenes--we got the message.) Songs that repeated what was just said in prose. Lots of repeated lines as actors tried to get each other to listen & respond. Timid stuttered throwaways instead of vivid declarations. Declarations help paint the scene and give your partners something to work with. Go ahead, call your scene partner a Martian, see what happens, maybe no one wanted to make declarations because of that whole BLOCKING trend. Sloppy, imprecise "unseen object" work. Lack of eye contact and connective response to other actors. Also a dearth of physical interaction & movement. Failure to differentiate characters through voice, posture, movement. Only 1 actor created distinct and vivid characters, and her scenes were by far the most effective. It's hard to understand why the company decided to make this show an improvised musical AND do it as a triptych interwoven stories. The two additional challenges only highlighted the weaknesses. You don't have to have a great voice to do musical improv, but it helps if you can stay on key and sing with confidence. Okay. I HATE TO DIS THESE PERFORMERS AND THEIR SHOW but I went because of the "good" views and my experience wasn't particularly great. The company members have talent but a lot more practice is needed. read more

We were one of a crowd of 8,that's a clue. Of the four "actors" only 1 seemed to have had any experience. One rarely spoke and the other two had more pauses than creative lines. It also was obvious they were struggling when they started dropping F bombs to garner a laugh. Tacky! It was a grueling hour of trying to find a reason to laugh read more

I hate to write a bad review, but this was bad. Really bad. I have seen and performed a lot of (long form) improv in my day, which seems to be what this group was trying to attempt, and it was bad. Did I say bad? I mean bad. I support people embracing the arts, but when you start charging people money to watch, it is assumed a certain level of skill will be evident. There was none. This was like a student show and the class just met four days ago and they have never studied improv before. Actors did not listen to each other, and seemed more bent on making funny jokes than discovering what was interesting about the scene. Characters actually apologized for unfunny lines - what? If you are looking for a good improv show, then wait for SketchFest or the Improv Fest when you can see groups from NY or LA. This is terrible theater. read more

We saw them perform their current production, " Shakespeare Un-scripted," last night. First of all, I loved the fact that is was performed in a small, intimate venue with seating for around 50, in the frenzied Union Square neighborhood. The company has a range of talents, but all performers are enthusiastic and love what they are doing. A simple stage setting and no props still convinced the audience that we were back in the days of yore and that Shakespeare had written the script. The cast wore authentic costumes and spoke in semi-Old English with plenty of "fore-sooths" and "yays" and "yonders'" Other pluses: FREE bowl of organic popcorn for everyone! Warm freshly baked delicious chocolate cookies at Intermission ($1 each). Large bottles of water, beer and other drinks for sale at reasonable prices. FANTASTIC staff, crew, actors--all friendly and welcoming--not even a smidgen of snobbery. Affordable tickets! $15 or less. I got my tickets for 1/2 price through goldstarevevents.com When our 4th person couldn't make it a staff person told us, " Oh, you can use this for another performance, Here's my email, just let me know when you'd like to come back." Wow--sweet! read more

I came here with the mister to watch his friend perform on a Friday night a few weeks ago. The show started around 9 pm and ended around 11 pm. The building is a bit small and there were times that I couldn't breathe when we were still in the mingling room. We got to meet with his friend beforehand to let us know which act he'll be in. It was about 8:50 pm so we've decided to go inside and take a seat before it gets really packed. Glad we did because it really got crowded five minutes later. There were about three parts of the show. It was a musical, improv type of performance. The first act happened to be a guy from NYC that explained that everything that we will be seeing and hearing are all on the spot. He asked the audience about certain things and he made an act and song about it. He was quite hilarious. The second act was when my bf's friend and group performed. Same concept where they asked people about place and food. Japan and Sushi were the pick. They made a song which from what I remember goes, "SUSHIIIIII OR DIEEEE" which my bf's friend was actually singing. They also did a drinking game where a specific member of their group was honking a small horn to signal it's audiences to drink. Lol. It was quite fun. The last act is the one I don't remember much of it since I was a bit buzzed, haha. The show ended about 11 pm, we waited for my bf's friend to chit chat and congratulate him on a fantastic performance. we left about 11:10 pm since it's getting late and we were pretty tired. Don't dress to thickly going into this place since it's a bit small and you'd have a hard time breathing like me. read more

Not funny. Not entertaining. Not worth the student discounted price paid. A Tale of two Genres would imply that there would be a mash up of two different genres but alas, it was Alice In Wonderland and a lot of talk about becoming hats. Brought a friend along for his first Improv show and I was so embarrassed. I would have walked out or not come back after the intermission like some other patrons if not for my poor friend. I think, he was waiting for it to get better. Sadly, it did not. I am a fan of live theater.. .Two stars for being a nonprofit show, cheap concession prices and effort. I was fooled by the high star rating on yelp. I've seen improv when it is well done. This was soooo not it. read more

I have been doing improv for well over 15 years. I have performed at some pretty impressive places, with some pretty impressive people. As an audience member, I have seen some pretty impressive improv troupes. I think that The Un-Scripted Theater Company consistently does some of the most engaging, tightest and funniest improv in San Francisco. And, I am one judgmental audience member - I am an improv snob - so for me to say "five stars" means that for the average audience member that they will want to give The Un-Scripted Theater Company ten stars... that is how good they are. That is how good they are. Currently they are running an improvised puppet musical (which I saw tonight) and sometime this summer they will be doing their annual improvised Shakespeare production. They have a variety of other shows throughout the year - it always seems like those kooky kids are up to something. This makes it convenient for you, Yelper -- to get off your bum, log out of Yelp for a bit and go laugh until your sides ache and you snort beer out your nose at some of the most talented improvisers in the city. Did I mention they have cookies? They do. Every show. Hot, fresh, melty cookies. It's a meal and a show. What are you waiting for? Get thee to Un-Scripted Theater Company's next show. Seriously. Go. Now. Well, not now - it's 10:45 on a Thursday nite - but, tomorrow. Or, the next day. You won't regret it. I promise. read more

I came here for music improv with only a slight idea of what this is about. Although I have attended improv shows in the past, but music improv was new to me. But I'm glad we came! Improv group was very talented and the story flowed very fluidly with only minor hiccups (and even those seemed cool). Musical accompaniment was awesome. Pianist and the group worked their magic without communicating. Very impressive! I will certainly come again. read more

Un-Scripted Theater Company - Performing Arts Near Me - San Francisco, California

I watched the improv show 'A Tale of Two Genres' here on December 18th. Charles Dickens London was mixed with a theme that the audience helped select. The theme they took up was Alice in Wonderland. The laughs were few and far between. I expected much more having read all the rave reviews. Some of the actors were impressive but the others were quite a pain to watch and listen to. Maybe, it was an off day for the group. Thumbs up for the great price and free popcorn. read more

Really amazing improv. Great attention to detail and great improvisers ! Would highly highly recommend it ! If you like good long form improv like BATS or something you would like this. read more

I attended 2 of their 10 pm Saturday "Dash" shows. First one was very enjoyable, but lacked some cohesiveness / teamwork (it's improv, so it can be uneven). Second was AMAZING (4/19). It's a great night for very little money. It's rare to say this in improv, but it felt too short!!! Stockton / Sutter garage was the best deal for parking... $5 for about 5 hours on a Saturday night! read more

I went with some friends last night to see Un-Scripted's current show "Swipe Right." To say the cast was creative, humorous, and a delight would be a vast understatement. The show was amazing...funny, inventive, and supremely entertaining. As in all of Un-Scripted's productions, the players were some of the best improvisers I've seen. Each cast member portrayed several "looking-for-love" characters, all of whom were unique and engaging. A show not to be missed, and a troupe of improvisers at the top of their game. read more

I've done improv for ten years. Believe me, I've been forced to see some shows that were just terrible. I'll sip my beer and hope the scenes are cut early, but such is the nature of improvised comedy nights. Sometimes they're awful, sometimes they're fine, and sometimes they're magical. Un-Scripted is the most consistent improv venue I've come across in the whole Bay Area. I never, ever worry about inviting people to shows. I've seen shows that have made me cry with laughter. I've guest performed in shows that were the highlight of my improv career. Audience members who insist that they hate improv come out of the theater glowing and chattering about how amazing it all was. Trust me when I say that this place is full of talented ensemble members who craft beautiful live theater. You are most likely to catch that rare magical improv show here... Top all that with fresh popcorn and good cheap beer (2 bucks for a Blue Moon? Oh, yes, please!) and you have a pretty kickass sundae. read more

I had a great time last night watching Un-Scrpited Theater's, "History-The Musical". Ancient Athens like never before. Move over Kevin Sorbo. History continues marching on through December 22nd with a new time period covered each show. Improvised music, comedy, drama, and just about anything in between. Sure it's the holidays and everyone's busy, but in the words of George Santayana: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." So check out the link below and treat yourself to History-The Musical. Unlike so many other gifts this year, you won't have to exchange it or find some place in the house to put it. And if that isn't incentive enough, fresh baked cookies for sale at intermission. http://www.un-scripted.com read more

Swipe right. I don't usually snort unless something is extremely funny. I snorted. It burned from the Mexican Coke I was drinking that got in my nose a little when a cast member was pretending to kill a bull in front of her new bull fighter boyfriend, took the invisible blood from it's wounds, smeared it on her face and yelled "OLE!" Thank you for your hilarity! Looking forward to seeing you again. read more

I love taking classes at Unscripted. Melissa's 'Dash' class was dash'ah'blee exciting. Their music workshops leave you crooning for more. Andy S's smiling face/knowledge is illuminating. and just lately jumped in to Long Form with Christian (as well as got 2. !! performances). This class taught me bundles and showed me many new ideas/concepts. read more

Dickens, the Musical. Plus one other genre suggested by the audience; in this case, James Bond. I still can't believe they pulled it off. Evil mastermind Godric Nobgobbler is poised to take control of the entire spice market, thereby destroying the British population's access to puddings and forcing them into cannibalism! White, Jeremiah White, to the rescue. Will femme fatale and spice ship captain Paprika Forkworthy aide White in his attempt to thwart Nobgobbler, or is she still seeking revenge for the pet monkey accidentally killed during her last tryst with White in Burma? How can White escape from the ingenious, unnecessarily complicated execution (suspended over a vat of molten cinnamon) devised for him by Nobgobbler? This is the sort of ridiculous brilliance you can expect from the ambitious players of Un-Scripted. They do not make it easy on themselves: long-form is inherently challenging. Tying it down to a period and an accent is crazy. By adding music, it ups the ante. Then throwing in a last minute additional thematic element - whoah. I'm glad it wasn't me on stage. It was quite a ride. There were several stellar, memorable moments, the kind that can only happen spontaneously when a great cast that works together well finds just the right moment and angle and mood. Even some of the *yikes* moments when a flop seemed inevitable were pulled valiantly out of the fire for major laughs. The singing was even very good. I don't think you can go wrong with one of their shows. You might even find yourself singing along, even though you don't know the words. Hell, neither do they. read more

This was a great surprise! I have done improv and know how hard it is!! Add in a musical and a pre-set theme that changes every show - and is chosen by the audience and that is the amazing talent of the Un-Scripted Theater Company!! They did Alice in Wonderland set to Charles Dickens. Really entertaining, fun, and enjoyable to watch such great talent unfold on stage! I would recommed to anyone. Even my 13 year old son enjoyed it - his first 'live' theather experience! read more

Last night we watched the 2-hour improv musical in the style of Shakespeare and, again, a great performance for the bargain price of admission. I haven't been disappointed with a show yet and have impressed date after date (until I found one to keep!) at how they "magically" put together an entire show as they go along! I can't wait until they have another puppet or Bollywood themed show...though the Shakespeare was so impressive we might go back to see how different the shows are from each other. read more

These guys are amazing! This isn't your typical improv show with people playing improv games. These guys are masters of long-form improv. Each show is like going to a play. I try to catch their shows everytime I am in San Francisco. read more

I wish I was as funny as these guys. I amuse myself regularly, other people occasionally, and a whole roomful of folks every once in a blue moon. UnScripted does it every night. Let's be honest: sometimes improv comedy is not very funny. Those times are not when you are watching UnScripted. I've seen a number of their shows, and they consistently are inventive, clever, and make you laugh your pants off. read more

My friend and I circled a couple times before deciding on the $10 parking lot about a block and a half away. We were a little confused with the line downstairs (to another show), but made our way upstairs to Un-Scripted and commented on how much better the attitute was on the second floor!! $4 hard cider, free bags of popcorn, seats with my name on it, and a fun show with friendly, funny, actors and company. I would definitely go back. read more

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Best ab workout in the city. I laughed until I had to be hospitalized, which turned out to be lucky because while I was having my abs stitched back together they found this growth that would've killed me within a month. So I laughed, I cried, and I survived cancer, all thanks to the Un-Scripted Theater Company. If you don't come see one of their shows you're not just missing out, you're putting your life and the well-being of your family at risk. And do you love your family, or are you some kind of monster? If like me you're a monster, escape your god-awful family by seeing a show at the Un-Scripted Theater. read more

Good troupe. Just saw my 2nd of their shows last week (saw Act 2, Scene 1 last year or the year before -- oh, wait! looking at their website, I remember now that I also saw Tale of 2 Genres years ago.). Last time I saw them I remember loving it -- at least enough to want to come back. This time . . . eh. A Murder Most Unscripted was entertaining. And there is obviously a lot of talent in the group. Having seen a reasonable amount of improv in my day, I feel that they should get the benefit of the doubt that it was just not a home-run night. I think that happens to any troupe. I mean, heck, they're making stuff up on the spot. And I love the fact that they are trying to blend broader theater styles with improv. kudos on that. very cool That said, I felt that they didn't really take this genre anywhere very interesting. There were some missed offers that I really wanted to see develop, and if they had been a little more risk taking and bold, I think this would be a 5 star review, because i like what they do in general. But, anyway, if you like improv, these guys have clever long form structures and enough skill that it's worth checking out their innovative stuff. Just hope (like with any improv) that you catch them on a good night. read more

I heard about Un-Scripted for the first time through Home Run. The had a deal and I thought this could be a fun date night for hubby and me. We saw a preview of their new show "A Tale Of Two Genres" - a Dickensian musical where the audience provides the genre. They actually picked our suggestion to go with Stephen King (horror/suspense). The performance turned out to be so much more than I expected: fun, thorough, entertaining, well-acted and 100% improvised. They were actually singing songs that they made up as they sang! This group of talented improv actors managed to perform a musical-style play that had a beginning, a climax and a powerful ending. And all of that without a script. I am impressed and will come back for another show. Tickets can be purchased for bargain prices through their box office, half-price-ticket booth (is somewhere downtown) and several of these websites that offer local deals. Worth every penny! read more

Fantastic show - especially for the price. Plus, where else would you find a live mash-up of Charles Dickens' London, The Matrix and West Side Story?? Dickens for the holidays was fun, and they do it up. Singing, improv, playing along with the audience. It was great. I'd say it was ok for kids. no "adult" content, but they pack so many references in that younger kids may miss the enjoyment. read more

Great night out in S.F.! I loved the show! The audience gives them an idea for a world, and they create a whole show out of it! Fun, fun, fun! And all for $20 - what a deal! Right near Union Square, so a whole night can be planned around it! Well done! read more

Have seen this troupe perform many times. I've enjoyed every show, but Swipe Right in particular is a gem. The theme is the Tinder app, and they present a dizzying array of potential couples, some of whom end up in relationships. There are lots of happy and sad and "Awww..." moments, lots of laughter, all of course improvised. No one who has ever been on a date, or broken up, or struggled with a relationship or had a great one, should miss this. read more

Fun live entertainment! Swipe Right was a creative concept and very cute show. I loved the variety of characters and interactivity of the whole cast to bring a scene to life, a hundred different times in one hour. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it. read more

We saw Shakespeare the Musical a few weeks ago, on closing night, and it was amazing! I have been to a lot of improv shows in San Francisco and so many times the audience is laughing out of shared pity with the performer for not being able to figure out how to make a scene or story work. THIS show was a huge exception. We felt like we were watching a play. There was no anxiety about how they were going to make it work out. The performers were so professional and they didn't hint that they were struggling at any point. I didn't expect them to keep up with a Shakespearian speech and in fact I probably would have hated it. There were one or two who had the right sentence structure and it worked when they used it, but it wasn't necessary. There were some amazing song plays that really worked well. These guys deserved all the applause they received. My only critique is for the theater itself. It got extremely hot in there and by the intermission I had to bolt for the hallway to get fresh air and then we missed the cookies! I think I would have noticed the heat more if the performance were poor, and I wouldn't have stayed through the second Act if it weren't so good. Great job Un-Scripted! read more

I went to see the Unscripted show last friday 8/22/08 with a friend and it was Amazing!! I am an spoiled actor that has always had helped from Makeup, clothes and sound effects, and this team of 5 took our imagination far away with only 2 chairs and 2 doors!! My highest applause!! For real !!! That's what I called real actors!! Good job to those guys. **One of the funniest things, it was when I could tell they wanted to laugh. LOL read more