The Laff Staff

From Austin Improv Community Wiki


The Laff Staff was an improv troupe that had a run at Cap City Comedy Club in the late 80s and early 90s.

Summary

The troupe specialized in short-form games, though they did try out longform (Harolds) in rehearsal.

History

After the Austin Comedy Workshop closed its doors, most of the performers from Esther's Follies drifted away from improv. But a few performers moved on to The Laff Stop. Actor Rodney Rincon ran a series of improv workshops there in late 1986, after which Chris Bonno and Angela Davis founded the troupe, which debuted in 1987. They were given a were 45-minute pre-show slot in the Lounge at Cap City (on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays) until 1993.

They headlined the Comedy Workshop in Houston for a week, which may have been the first professional gig for an Austin improv troupe outside of their home city.