ZMACK is Shanghai's longest-running professional comedy brand.

Much like Jesus, Superman, or Mao; Zmack emerged from humble beginnings. Zuloo Productions, a local community theater organization in Shanghai, offered several classes and workshops to the public. One of these was Improv Comedy.

Local celebrity and playboy Karl Dominik asked the improv workshop to provide some entertainment for his Shanghai Actors Association 'StarLink" nights at Mural Bar on Yongjia Lu.

An impromptu show a la 'Whose Line Is It Anyway' was thrown together, and these monthly performances continued with the improv group becoming the regular feature.

An off-handed joke in an e-mail from Zuloo's founder inspired the group's original name, Zuloo Smack. Eventually, as Zuloo Productions ended its activities in Shanghai, the name was shortened to Zmack!

Zmack's improv lab continues weekly, every other Wednesday night at 7pm.
Zmack's Original Comedy show takes place the second Saturday of each month.
Zmack is not only about improv comedy, though.

Future plans include a talent show, short films, sketch comedy, our own autonomous province in central China, and a really nice brand of tequila.

ZMACK! It's not just a funny-sounding name, it's just FUNNY.

Keep checking back to this website for times, dates, and details.

What is Improv comedy, you may ask?

Improv is comedy made up right before your very eyes. No scripts, no memorized dialogue, no rehearsed scenes: just crazy ideas, tons of energy, and your suggestions.

The audience doesn't get to sit back and watch quietly. We want your suggestions! Come to think of it, We also want your cheers and your boos! And your oooooohs and ahhhhhhhhs!

And your laughter! We want you, the audience, to participate in the show and not sit back with your hands folded in your lap! So that's comedy improv: the players make up stuff on the spot with your ideas.

No audience ideas, no comedy. (We could leave the Zmackers to their own devices, but that could be painful for all involved.)

So bring out your friends, too: the more ideas we have, the more fun we'll have!