UCB’s ‘Shitty Jobs’ Turns Your Nightmare Job Into Comedy

Alysia Gonzales

Blending the borders between real life and the stage, “Shitty Jobs,” a sell-out hot new improv show from Los Angeles’ long-standing Upright Citizen’s Brigade (UCB) Theater, takes real testimony from the night’s audience about their worst jobs and creates a scene, complete with annoying water-cooler banter and office gossip to turn those stories into comedy.  

The improv group features a rotating cast, including Eric Appel, Sean Clements, Dominic Dierkes, DC Pierson, Ben Rodgers and Ben Schwartz, who collectively boast an impressive amount of experience on the comedy scene, both locally in Los Angeles and beyond via TV and YouTube. From writing for “Saturday Night Live,” to directing shows like “The Office” and “New Girl” to accumulating over 200 million views on YouTube, the cast uses their finely tuned comedic chops and lets loose a few times each month in this interactive improv experience.

The show begins with an interview of someone in the audience about their worst job ever, and then the magic happens as decades of comedic experience get to work to bring the crappiest old jobs to life on stage. Characters emerge, romance blooms and betrayal arises, and all the other insane things someone’s old “shitty job” might have begin to take shape.

UCB Theater was founded by Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh in New York City in 1996, focusing on “Chicago-style” long form improv. Since then, both UCB’s improv shows and training classes have expanded to Los Angeles, with theaters at 5919 Franklin Ave. and 5419 W Sunset Blvd.

On a Sunday afternoon, “Shitty Jobs” will turn the nightmares of past jobs into comedy fodder for a one of a kind show that only improv theater can create.

“Shitty Jobs” takes the stage on Sundays through Feb. 18 at the UCB Franklin Theater. Tickets can be purchased at the UCB website.