Theatresports at Mopco

Every Saturday night | 8:00 PM | Schenectady, NY

A stern-looking referee with glasses and a whistle in his mouth faces the camera, with a colorful background showing a group of people on each side. The left side shows a woman with glasses in a polka dot shirt and a woman with a plaid shirt, both appearing surprised and expressive. The right side features a woman with curly red hair wearing sunglasses and a plaid shirt pointing, and another woman with red hair in sunglasses and a blue shirt, with a man with curly black hair and a man with a beard giving thumbs-up.

The Most Exciting Comedy Competition in Town

Two teams of crack improvisers face off in a high-energy contest, battling for points, glory, and your laughter. They perform scenes based on challenges, and a panel of judges scores them on narrative, technique, and entertainment — but watch out, judges can hand out penalties for boring scenes too.

All the thrill of a sporting event. All the hilarity and unpredictability of live improv. Your laughter helps decide the winner. Fast, funny, and completely unscripted — no two shows are ever the same.

This week’s Judges

This Season's Team Sponsors

Learn more about our Sponsors or becoming a sponsor

A promotional graphic. The background features a gray and white abstract design, with colorful, playful text and a sun and hammock illustration. The text reads "The Hammocks Sponsored by Hammock of Life" and includes a website link: https://hammockoflife.com/. There is also a logo with a running figure
The image features a green and white logo for Nine Pin cider company, with the slogan 'New York's First Farm Cider.' To the left, there is text that reads 'The Nine Pin Apples Sponsored By' above the MOPCO TheatreSports logo, which shows a black silhouette of a runner catching a flying apple. The URL 'https://www.ninepincider.com/' is at the bottom.

Standings

Four teams are competing for the championship this season. Follow along — the standings update every week.

  • Team Wins Losses
    Hammocks 6 1
    Perishables 3 4
    Apples 2 4
    Queen Bees 2 4

Standings updated weekly. Check back every Sunday.

An advertisement for The Refrigerators, a team sponsored by MOPCO Theatresports, featuring a logo of a person catching a chicken, and a website link to www.the-refrigerators.com/home/.
A promotional graphic. The graphic includes large text reading 'Queen Bees' and 'Sponsored by Mr. Bumbles Cafe.' There is a logo at the bottom left with a silhouette of a person running circled by the words 'MOPCO THEATRE SPORTS.' A bee illustration appears next to the text 'Mr. Bumbles Cafe,' and a website URL is included at the bottom.

Recent Results

March 29: Perishables 76, Hammocks 83 March 21: Perishables 73, Hammocks 80 March 14: Queen Bees 85, Apples 75 March 7: Queen Bees 86, Perishables 96
Feb. 28: Apples 62, Hammocks 78
Feb. 21: Queen Bees 80, Hammocks 82
Feb. 14: The REMATCH — Apples 95, Perishables 94
Feb. 7: Queen Bees 88, Perishables 98
Jan. 31: Hammocks 106, Apples 107
Jan 24: Bees 110, Hammocks 111
Jan 17: Apples 98, Perishables 98 - Perishables won the tie breaker
Jan 10: Perishables 77, Hammocks 87
Jan 3: Bees 108, Apples 103

Upcoming Shows

Meet our Judges for this week

Colleen Franchini

Colleen Franchini

Colleen E. Franchini is the current President of the Eastern New York Coalition of Automotive Retailers, also known as ENYCAR.

In her executive position she leads a team that serves and supports the car dealership community in and around the Capital Region of NYS. She spearheads and oversees the many events, trainings, and partnership opportunities that support dealerships, their employees and their many partners across the region.

 

She holds a BA from Siena University and an MBA from The College of Saint Rose.

 

To learn more about the many upcoming events ENYCAR has planned for the road ahead visit www.enycar.org

Jennifer Lavenhar

Jennifer Lavenhar

Jen began her improv studies in Manhattan, under the mentorship of one of Chicago’s original Compass Players (Nancy Ponder). For several years, she performed in Nancy’s NYC group, Without Annette, before taking a break to raise a family.

She now continues to perform and teach around the world, but since 2016, the Mop & Bucket Company has been her improv family and home. She is a founding cast member of the Mopco shows Bollix Manor, The Book Club, and The Signpost Up Ahead, and is always eager to experiment with new formats and different genres.

Jen is also a ballet teacher, actor, dancing clown, event organizer, and mom to her two sons, two cats, and a dog.

Alex Shapiro

Some claim he is a myth whispered by old crones to keep unruly children in their beds at night. Others say Alex Shapiro is a legend, defeated in his quest to rid the known universe from unknown peril, gone from this earth too soon, but sworn to rise again in earth’ darkest hour.

To be honest, we found him caught in a glue trap that was left in one of the MopCo bathrooms. As payment for saving his life (we never mentioned it was our glue trap), Alex now performs weekly at MopCo and when necessary pulls thorns from our mighty paws.

How It Works

Theatresports is a structured improv competition format invented by Keith Johnstone and performed by comedy theatres around the world. At Mopco, here's what to expect:

  • Two teams take the stage and compete head-to-head

  • Judges score each scene on narrative, technique, and how hard you laugh

  • Penalties can be issued for scenes that don't land — no coasting allowed

  • You're part of the show — your reaction matters and the audience energy shapes every performance

  • Shows run approximately 2 hours with an intermission

A group of people on stage engaged in a theatrical rehearsal or performance. An older man in a suit appears to be explaining or directing, while a younger man holds a script. Others stand listening attentively in the background, with a whiteboard or scene chart visible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Theatresports appropriate for kids? Yes! The show is family-friendly. We recommend it for ages 10 and up. Younger kids may find the pacing a bit fast, but it's all clean fun.

Do I need to know anything about improv to enjoy it? Not at all. If you've never seen improv before, Theatresports is one of the best introductions . The competitive format makes it instantly easy to follow.

Can I come every week? Absolutely, and many people do. Each show has a completely different matchup and set of scenes, so it never gets old.

Where do I park? Mopco is located at 10 North Jay Street in downtown Schenectady. We have a lot next to the theatre. See our Plan Your Visit page for details.

What if my team loses? There's always next week.