Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre Los Angeles
UCB Theatre Los Angeles (UCB LA) is the Los Angeles location of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, opened on 2 July 2005 at 5919 Franklin Avenue in Hollywood by Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh. Offering Harold-based long-form improv training and nightly performances, UCB LA expanded to a second venue at 5419 Sunset Boulevard in 2014 before the pandemic forced both locations to close in 2020. UCB LA reopened at the Franklin Avenue address in September 2022 under new ownership.
History
Opening (2005)
The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre opened its Los Angeles location on 2 July 2005 at 5919 Franklin Avenue in Hollywood, the second UCB venue after the original New York City theatre (opened 1999). The 120-seat Franklin Avenue space presented the Harold and other long-form improv shows alongside a structured training curriculum, establishing the same house team and training pipeline model as UCB New York.
Expansion (2014)
In 2014, UCB opened a second Los Angeles venue at 5419 Sunset Boulevard (UCB Sunset), an 85-seat theatre with a training center, an Inner Sanctum café and performance space, and video production offices.
Closure and New Ownership (2020–2022)
In March and April 2020, both LA locations closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In December 2020, UCB sold the Sunset Boulevard location, unable to meet mortgage payments during the shutdown. In March 2022, former Onion CEO Mike McAvoy and talent manager Jimmy Miller, backed by Elysian Park Ventures, acquired UCB. UCB Franklin Avenue reopened in September 2022 under the new management.
Artistic Identity
UCB LA operates in the same Harold-centred tradition as UCB New York, training performers in the long-form ensemble structure developed by Del Close at iO in Chicago. The ASSSSCAT format (long-form improv with a monologist) became the signature show at UCB LA, building a loyal audience for regular sold-out performances. UCB LA's position as the second major Harold training institution in Los Angeles (alongside iO West) shaped the city's long-form improv landscape from 2005 onward.
Key Events
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre Opens Its Los Angeles Venue in Hollywood
In 2005, the Upright Citizens Brigade opened its Los Angeles operation at 5919 Franklin Avenue in Hollywood, extending the UCB training and performance model to the West Coast. The Franklin Avenue venue offered shows and a training centre, establishing UCB's presence in the entertainment industry's primary market. The Los Angeles operation became one of the most prominent improv institutions in the city and a major employer of UCB-trained performers in the television and film industry.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre Los Angeles. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/companies/ucb-la
The Improv Archive. "Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre Los Angeles." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/companies/ucb-la.
The Improv Archive. "Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre Los Angeles." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/companies/ucb-la. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.