KML

KML was founded in 1997 by a group of comedians who were looking for a home to create insightful comedic work they were not seeing produced in San Francisco. 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 500 Bay Area artists to create exciting original work for local audiences and national outlets. KML has been hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as “the closest thing we have to Second City” and heralded as “an orgy of comic genius” by Comedy Central. 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.  

In 2014, KML switched its focus from larger scale productions a few times a year, to more technically simplified productions happening more frequently. 2015 saw the first year of KML producing live shows once a month at the freshly opened PianoFight venue in the Tenderloin, including the beloved 826+KML=BFFs, a collaboration with 826 Valencia with all sketches written by children ages 8-11, and performed by professional actors. 

In 2016, the company added some two weekend run productions, and in 2017 will produce exclusively two and three weekend run productions from February through December. 

In its 19th year, KML is as large and consistent as it has ever been, with over 80 active collaborators writing, directing, performing, and choreographing live shows all year long, the future is brighter than ever.