Hello! My name is Mike Marbach and I’m the founder of Crossroads Comedy Theater. I wanted to take a minute to introduce myself and tell you how we got here and where we might be going.
The short bio is that I have always been in love with comedy. In college, I got involved in improv and sketch, and after graduating, I moved to Chicago, where I trained at the now-shuttered iO Theater (Improv Olympic) and The Annoyance Theater. I had the great fortune of studying with the people that literally defined the art and / or wrote the books – including Charna Halpern, Mick Napier, Susan Messing, Jason Chin, and just about every member of The Reckoning. Five years later, I moved back to my hometown of Philadelphia. I quickly got involved with Philly Improv Theater where I served as Education Director (2011 – 2017), Artistic Director (2017 – 2020), instructor, director, and performer. Philly Improv Theater closed its doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic in March of 2020 laying off staff and leaving many without a channel for their creative energies, including myself.
Not being one to give up on the things that bring me joy, I convinced the people I most enjoy working with to find the funny during a global pandemic. We adapted Study Hall: Comedy Inspired By Lectures for the online stage in March 2020 and have had over 20 performances. In October, we set our sights on Not Yet Rated: An Improvised Movie. This would have been the first Halloween in a decade that I had not directed an improvised horror comedy show and that wasn’t going to happen. Since our initial successful run, we have performed an additional 16 shows. There was also a very fun Holiday Special of The Sideshow, a variety show I have produced for years. These shows all had their own websites, social media, ticketing system, etc. Add in the podcast network I ran at WooderCooler.com, and it became clear the best move was to consolidate everything under one roof. Enter Crossroads Comedy Theater.
Today, Crossroads is exactly that – these creative projects under one roof. One ring to rule them all. (Although if we were a streaming service, I would probably add a “plus” or “max” to that.) Additionally, we’re debuting Extree! Extree! Improv Inspired by News, adding occasional live podcast recordings where listeners can join us, welcoming guest performances from The Future and other projects I’ve had my hands in, and offering private shows and workshops for everything from anniversary parties to big corporate retreats. The online element, first born out of necessity, has become one of our greatest strengths. We’ve been able to welcome lecturers to Study Hall guests from far outside the Philly area (Canada, England, and Japan among them) and we’ve been able to welcome back former cast members that had moved away from Philly. That’s where we are today and tomorrow and for a little while to come.Â
To speak to long-term plans, I’ll answer two questions I’ve been asked. 1) Is Crossroads going to be doing live, on stage shows? Yes, when it’s safe to do so. If trends continue, it seems we could start to find some normalcy by fall. When live theater is back in some capacity – Study Hall and Not Yet Rated will be as well. Fingers crossed, we can perform a Halloween run of shows on stage again this year. 2) Will Crossroads be offering classes? Not anytime soon, except for occasional workshops. Before more substantial offerings are considered, at least on the scale of othe comedy theaters, other changes will need to be made so that Crossroads is more prepared. I am ok with taking things slow if it means we are more equipped to deal with whatever the next steps may be.
So that’s who I am, who we are, and who we might be in the future. If you are discovering our shows for the first time – welcome! If you are a long time fan – thank you for making the journey with us. We would not be able to do this without your support over the years. And if you are performer, composer, graphic designer, writer, animator, copy editor, technician, or web designer that is or has been involved in my projects over the years – THANK YOU! None of what Crossroads is or will be could exist without you.
Sincerely,
Mike Marbach
Founder, Crossroads Comedy Theater
