The Upfront Theatre

Not really impressed with the local improv staff. We have been to the Upfront Theater a few times, some for their regular improv shows, and other times for private parties.
The best show I have seen there was put on by an improv group visiting from Seattle. Perhaps I am spoiled after seeing some really great improv in Vancouver BC.
After several visits there has been no sighting of Ryan Stiles. The show may be completely different when he is there.
They boast the longest running improv theater in Bellingham. That is probably true, but that claim has nothing to say about the quality of the show. It is certainly the best improv show in Bellingham.
As others have pointed out improv can be very hit and miss. Perhaps I have just missed the best performances. I will probably go back, but so far its just OK. If I happen to hit a spectacular show, I will update my posting with additional details.

The Upfront Theater is one of those places that makes you proud to be from Bellingham. I’ve been to improv spots in San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, but we are so lucky that live improv of this caliber is available in a city of our size. It’s not the fanciest, or the glitziest, but you can always count on a fun time, generally for ten bucks or less.
I’ve laughed myself silly to Hellingham and The Good, Bad, and the Ugly, but my favorite events are the Thursday nights, which are the most interactive of the improv shows, involving a lot of audience participation. At only five bucks to get in, you’ve got a better than even chance of an appearance by Ryan Stiles (one of the founders of The Upfront) if he’s in town.
They don’t have much in the way of food (snacks, chips, and candy), but they do have beer and wine at reasonable prices.
Whether you’re just passing through Bellingham, or a long time resident, the Upfront Theater is the best entertainment value in town!

Voted «Best Date Night» by Whatcom Talk, this live improv theater will get you, your date and your wallet smiling.
Tickets can be bought for around $ 8 – 30 online based on who is gracing the stage. For a few bucks more, you can arrive early at the box office and buy your tickets at the door… assuming they haven’t sold out! Weekend events or shows with special guests like stand-​up comedian Ryan Stiles from Whose Line is it Anyway will cost a bit more and sell out quickly.
You’ll want to arrive early and queue to ensure you get inside for a good seat. First stop inside is the register for buying or picking up tickets. Cash, Mastercard and Visa are accepted.
Second stop is the concessions. Food options are limited to candy bars and packaged chips. You can also buy bottled beer, wine, and soda.
Third stop is showing your ticket/​reciept and getting your hand stamped for re-​entry in case you need to leave the main room. This is your opportunity to find a table near the stage that seats your party. The chairs are movable, so you can cram 5 around a table if needed.
There is no table service during the show, but there is usually an intermission so you can load up on snacks, refresh your drink or head to the bathroom to refresh your look. But hey, no one is going to see you anyway. The lights are dimmed low and little electronic candles found on each table emit just enough light for you to see where you placed your drink on the table not enough to see the imperfections in your looks.
The shows often involve some audience participation, but nothing too earth shattering. For instance, during the Hellingham mystery thriller show, you get to vote «who dunnit». Other shows, actors will sometimes ask audience members for improv ideas to be written on papers and pulled during the show to add fun dynamics.
If you want to give improv a try, you can enroll in the improv classes offered by the theater to hone your craft. If you are good enough, you just might be selected to join the cast some day.
There is street parking and a small private lot next to the venue. The bridge construction in front of the theater is finally complete, so you can easily circle the block if needed to find that coveted spot.

I love improvisational theater, and having spent the last 20 years in the cultural wasteland of Silicon Valley, I was eager to experience all the theater my new home in B’ham has to offer. What a fun night at the Upfront! It was a poet/​improv evening, and the creativity was off the hook. We arrived a little early and got up front parking, great seats and there was even a half decent choice of beers and wines to enjoy during the show. It’s affordable entertainment that will be different every time, and my friends and I really enjoyed ourselves.

I absolutely LOVE the Upfront. I have never been disappointed yet in my many visits. Tickets are a great price, the bar menu is perfect, and the shows are top notch. I feel like I am getting a NYC level performance, right here in Bellingham. I wish there were shows more nights of the week!

This is an interesting little improv theatre in Bellingham.
We caught a show here on a lazy Saturday night, and for $ 12 it wasn’t bad.
It was a little different from other improv shows I’ve seen. There was very little audience participation. At the start of each half of the show, they got a suggestion from the audience, and ran with that for 40 min or so with the players switching out every couple min.

First visit, enjoyed Hellingham show with 7 improv actors who drew their characters and roles (killer, victim, other) at random. Performances overall were good to very good, and the 75-​min show moved along well.
Venue was not bad, 4 seats per small table, and visibility seemed good. Set was plain, not that improv needs much. No mics were used, avoiding tech problems and relying on actors to project, which 6 of 7 did well.
We look forward to returning for a different production in the future!

The upfront always delivers on providing good entertainment. I took my girlfriend here to entertain ourselves before going out for the night and we had a great laugh and time!

This is a must when looking for a good time in B’ham!
They have a small offering of beer and wine. But if you don’t like their choices, bring your own bottle of wine for a $ 5 corking fee.
Don’t bring the kids either. The humor is defiantly adult.

From the mouth of my sister, a Bellingham resident, «Bham is a sleepy, creepy place.» And it is! Of course it can also be lovely and picturesque for people looking to escape the chaos and noise of Seattle. But this town can be a little… err… boring at times. I’ll visit her 10−15x a year and we can only go to Rumors, to Mallards, or go bowling so many times.
One night we discovered Upfront Theatre and caught an improv show. What an awesome event! Totally packed with happy, howling people, this theatre features awesome entertainment that’s different each night. No one show is exactly the same so it’s a great opportunity for locals and visitors to check out something unique and fun. Definitely a favorite place of mine in Bellingham!

The Upfront Theatre experience is fantastic. We went for two shows on the same night — their GBU show (Good, Bad, and the Ugly), and their «Project» show. The GBU show was hilarious. The show started with some of their students (by the way, the Upfront Theatre also serves as an improv school). It then continued with some of the regulars. Finally, ended with the pros. including Ryan Stiles! It’s great that he is staying involved with this place and he really does seem like a cool guy. Absolutely hilarious improv. The second «Project» show included stand-​up comedy from a handful of performers. For me, this wasn’t nearly as good as the improv part — the subjects were primarily marijuana and sex… fine, but the incessant raunchiness got old after awhile.
I must say, for the price, the whole experience is an absolute steal and makes for a good cheap date. Tickets for GBU were $ 7, Project, $ 4. They have a variety of snacks and drinks (beer, wine, energy drinks, sodas, etc.) that are all very reasonably priced.
As far as the venue itself, it’s not huge, and it fills up quickly — get there early if you want a close seat! The good news is, no seat is particularly bad, even if you are further back. The place is very clean and the photography on the walls give it a nice cozy vibe.
Overall, it’s a great place for some very good and clever entertainment. Well worth the price of admission. Looking forward to coming back for another show!

I’ve been here a few times and it’s either a hit or miss. Some shows really don’t seem worth the money and others are hilarious. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt though because it IS improve and that’s bound to happen. Some of the people there are really great at what they do but I also feel like some just get on stage and do it only because it’s just another show to do. I think over-​all its a great place especially if you want something cheap but fun to do. You can always order some snacks here and they serve alcohol. Sometimes you even get to see Ryan Styles (he sat right behind me during a show one time) so that’s pretty cool. My only advice is to get there early if you want a good seat and they can and do sell out fast!

Likes:
I saw «Hellingham» over the weekend, and the format was very interesting. It was long-​form improv, that involved about 7 players, who took on a special role for that evening, set in the community of «Hellingham». There were at least 2 players on stage, and a player gets tagged out to get replaced by a different character to be set in a different scene.
A character dies mysteriously after a few minutes. During intermission, audience members are to write their name on a piece of paper, and cast their vote on who they think is that evening’s «killer».
I like how even though it is not as interactive as other improv formats, the audience are still very engaged as they have to determine who the killer is that evening.
The players were very committed to their characters, and they had a lot of fun onstage! They were very funny and clever — I really enjoyed the show!
The food and drinks were affordable, and could be brought inside the theatre. You needed a minimum of $ 10 to use credit/​debit.
The price was also very affordable. The most you would pay is $ 10, for adults. Top-​notch entertainment!
Dislikes:
–The «stage» was way less fancy than other theatres.
–The website needs to be more user-​friendly. I didn’t know how long the shows would be.
Go to this theatre!!! Support the arts!!! Fall in love with improv.

The Upfront is a great place for a great laugh, relaxed evening, and meet awesome people. I started going there when I was in high school and still enjoy now after graduating college. It’s super affordable ($ 4 on Thursdays!) and a great way for local comedians to show off their talent.
They serve a variety of refreshments, including alcohol. No matter where you sit in the room, you can see and hear perfectly fine. It’s a positive environment all around (clean, great photography on the walls, friendly staff).
I have been fortunate enough to even see Ryan Stiles there twice (once unexpected) which is great to see him taking pride in his establishment.
They also offer improv classes at an affordable rate which is a great opportunity for locals!
Overall, it’s a fabulous place and you are definitely missing out if you haven’t gone!

I go here every weekend, it’s one of the best places for minors (under 21) to hang out. The venue is always clean, the workers and volunteers are are always nice and helpful and it’s super affordable ($ 10 or less depending on the day and time). They serve drinks also for those 21 and older. Sometimes the jokes are inappropriate for people under high school age, the comedians usually scan the audience and perform accordingly but the 10 show is always somewhat explicit. You can also sign up to volunteer to see shows for free. I would recommend this place to everyone.

This is my favorite spot to start off the weekend! It’s only $ 10.00 ($ 8.00 for students with I.D.) for an hour and a half of live improv! I would much rather spend my $ 10 here than at a movie Theatre. I have been here numerous times and yes some shows are better then others (It IS improv here people) yet there has never been a time that I have not thoroughly enjoyed myself.
There are many different performers and yes some are better than others but I feel like they always try to pair some of the better performers with the newbies which makes for a great show! The performers also always try to get the crowd involved which makes it even more fun for the audience. They have 2 shows every Thur, Fri, and Sat at 8 and 10. Just a word of advice the 10 PM shows can sometimes be a little more explicit than the 8 PM shows. Also, be sure to check the website if you want to know what the show format will be like and that way you can check out what they will be doing for the night.
Oh YES, and one last thing, they DO serve drinks and snacks up at the front. They do serve alcohol and have a small selection of beer, mikes hard lemonade, and you can also order a cup of wine or a bottle of wine which makes the show that much better !!

I liked visiting this place, tbt. :)
The venue’s easy to locate, clean, and professional. :)
The show, Hodgepodge, on 9÷30÷11, was hilarious, and free! :) I liked that they wanted students to come give them a try, in a positive, and safe atmosphere.
It’s a great place to spend the night, to summarize.
It’s bedtime, now — the roommate’s trying to sleep, I think. :)

The Upfront is a great local theatre. It’s a good idea to check the website to see who is performing or what show there is. Some are more popular than others, which may affect how long the line is and what time you should get there if you want to get a seat.
I think the employees are friendly and helpful and seem to really enjoy working there. As a fan of comedy, I’m really glad to see a place like this in our fine city.

Comedy improv shows are hit and miss! Sometimes it’s hilarious and others it’s crickets. .. . it’s pretty easy to determine how good it will be by who the actors are for that night.
It’s a lot of fun and I recommend going as great way to support local talent, and for something different from your usual scene.

What?! No one’s Unilocaled The Upfront? Okay. I’ll bite.
I visited the theatre just yesterday and I absolutely loved it. Unlike the grimy comedy clubs in Seattle that vainly attempt coolness, the Upfront Theatre is a clean and classy joint with great comedy. I was impressed with the attention to detail and the wonderful staff. I went on a poetry night. I could have done without the poetry but the improv was so great (and the poetry inspired the improv) that I didn’t mind the awkward bits of poetry. My fiancée and I are certainly likely to come back the next time we’re in town. I really wish there was a place like this down in Seattle.