Our Mission
KML’s mission is to make fast, smart, inclusive, and fearless sketch comedy that makes people laugh.
Our Vision
KML’s vision is one in which the Bay Area is known worldwide as a destination for comedy created by artists who represent our surrounding community. We know that the funniest and most authentic comedy happens when all people have a seat at the table, and we want everyone to have a seat at ours.
Our Core VAlues
- We are creative
- We find joy in being funny
- We work as a team
- We involve our community
- We are dedicated to building equity within our creative pools
- We consider the greater impact of our choices
- We intentionally welcome people into our spaces
- We compensate artists for their work
KML’s History
The Lobster Theater Company, DBA Killing My Lobster (KML), was formed in 1997 filling a creative need for insightful comedic work in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since KML’s first show in a 25-seat converted Mission District office space on Valentine’s Day 1997, the group has worked with over 1000 Bay Area artists to create exciting original work for local audiences and national outlets.
KML is recognized as the Bay Area’s premier sketch comedy company, drawing comparisons to Chicago’s Second City and New York’s Saturday Night Live (SF Weekly and SF Chronicle). KML has grown to serve more than 4,500 audience goers, 150 Professional Artists, and 35 faculty annually. KML has created original work for HBO, is a two- time winner of the “Best of the Fringe” Award at the SF Fringe Festival and was voted “Best Comedy Group” by the San Francisco Bay Guardian. The group founded and produced the long-running Hi/Lo Film Festival. KML has also created numerous award-winning short films and taken home the Golden Spire Prize at the SF International Film Festival. KML has received 26 Theatre Bay Area Award nominations, and in 2019, was awarded has 3 wins. KML’s 2019 season ensured our Bay Area communities a comedic outlet on relevant topics from mental health and therapy (our TBA Award winning production "How Does That Make You Feel"), to an all Asian-American exploration of the term “Model Minority” ("Model Minority Report"), to an all female perspective on the action adventure genre ( “Don’t You Die on Me”), to life through the eyes of young sketch writers ("826+KML=BFF").
We are committed to building the best and most diverse pool of writers and actors available in the Bay Area and providing an environment for them to consistently create original and innovative shows. In 2014, KML developed the New Voices in Comedy Fellowships, intentionally increasing access to professional comedy training and opportunities for historically excluded communities. We have since had over 40 fellows come through our classes. By consciously inviting diverse voices into our artistic community, we are able to create ultra-relevant content that speaks to audiences from a wide variety of backgrounds, and portraying and honoring their specific experiences through comedy.
In its 28th year, KML is as large and consistent as it has ever been, with over 150 active collaborators writing, directing, performing, and choreographing live shows all year long, the future is brighter than ever.
KML’s FAQ
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"Basically we were all playing this game at a party called
Celebrities," said Marc Vogl, co-founder of Killing My Lobster.
"One thing lead to another, and somebody started talking about
Lauryn Hill and The Fugees. Then Paul just yelled out, ‘Killing my
lobster!’ We think he meant something else."Paul Charney, another co-founder and inspiration for the curious
name, said, "Every time someone did something to bum you out,
you’re just like, ‘Oh, dude, you’re killing my lobster.’ And we’re
all from the East Coast, so it was nice that we invented our own
West Coast lingo."Originally formed in Brown University out of an amateur comedy
troupe called Out of Bounds, the five original cast members
migrated to San Francisco, where they threw themselves into the
fertile comedy scene.After booking their first gig on Valentine’s Day in 1997, the
fledgling performers – without a name or a definite plan – settled
on using their personal catch phrase to represent themselves."It just stuck," Vogl said. "But it wasn’t a premeditated,
what’s-going-to-hook-in-all-the-seafood-lovers kind of thing."And we’ve been having to explain it ever since. Thanks, fellas.
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Sigh. While we do use improv skills in our work (fast and funny collaboration, “Yes, And” of ideas) and occasionally work improv into our show formats, all of our shows are scripted and rehearsed, more like a play. Think “SNL,” “Key & Peele,” or “Monty Python,” rather than “Whose Line Is It Anyway” or “Ben Schwartz and Friends.”
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We operate out of our headquarters in the Mission District of San Francisco for rehearsals and classes, but we rent performance space for our shows.
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All of our sketches are written specifically for that particular show, and by writers from our pool, who have been through a vetting process. Unfortunately, we don’t consider sketches that have been submitted outside of our process.
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It’s mostly about connotation. A “skit” implies kids performing around a campfire; a “sketch” connotes adults doing it with a modicum of dignity and professionalism. (We know, it’s a stretch.)
Does it make sense? Not really, but our egos appreciate the coddling.
