HEADLINERS

bluebird improv

LOS ANGELES, CA

  • Tim Meadows, Matt Walsh, Joe Canale, Marc Evan Jackson

  • Bluebird is a collective of some of the best improvisers on the planet.

    The show is inspired by conversations with the audience and what follows is an evening of never before (and never again) scenes and characters that cascade into a hilarious and freewheeling improvisation.

  • This program is presented in partnership with support from Visit Williamsburg

  • Tickets are required for this show and can be purchased here.

charm scene LIVE!

CHICAGO, IL

  • Lily Ludwig, Austin Packard, Sam Scheidler

  • Chicago's fully improvised musical podcast - LIVE! Join Lily Ludwig, Austin Packard, and Music Director Sam Scheidler as they create a brand new musical — completely on the fly — in a music improv experience unlike any other. Come be a part of our live taping!

    Collectively, the Charm Scene team can be seen across Chicago and beyond as members of Baby Wants Candy and Shamilton at The Second City, Phony Award Winning Musicals at iO Theater, Tuesday Musical Improv at Annoyance Theatre, RIFF, Lost Realms, and more. Members of Charm Scene have performed with Off Book: The Improvised Musical, the Second City Touring Company, Jackbox Games, and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

    Want a sneak peek? We've got new episodes every Tuesday – wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to The Scene!

  • This show is included with the purchase of a festival pass.

cupid’s corner

  • Cupid (God of erotic love and affection)

  • Calling all hopeless and hopeful romantics! Cupid, The god(ess) of desire, erotic love, and TikTok interviews will be at The Last Word Comedy Festival for a one night only comedy event: CUPID'S CORNER! We're about to enter Valentine's season so get into the romantic spirit with your favorite cheeky cherub and some of the festival's most charming improvisors!

    The show features short form improvised scene work followed by some crowd work and love advice by Cupid herself! So whether you're as single as a pringle or madly in love with your heart's desire, Cupid's Corner is the perfect show to warm your heart.

  • This show is included with the purchase of a festival pass.

improvised chicago: the musical

CHICAGO, IL

  • Brady Barrow, Jessica Joy, Lily Ludwig, Austin Packard, Sam Scheidler, Heather Scholl, Brandon Michael Thomas

  • Created by Whose Line is it Anyway's Laura Hall and Annoyance Theatre's Lisa McQueen, Improvised Broadway presents Improvised Chicago! Complete with improvised songs, dances, and all that jazz, Chicago's best music improvisers will razzle dazzle you, all based on your suggestions and performed in the style of the Kander and Ebb classic.

    Born out of Chicago's iO Theater, Improvised Broadway was entertained audiences for years with improvised parodies of popular Broadway shows - including Wicked, Chicago, A Chorus Line, Little Shop of Horrors, Guys & Dolls, and Company. Members have performed with The Second City, Baby Wants Candy, Shamilton, ANARCHY: The Improvised Rock Opera, Charm Scene, and more.

  • This show is included with the purchase of a festival pass.

improvised wicked Feat. Laura Hall

CHICAGO, IL

  • Brady Barrow, Laura Hall, Jessica Joy, Lily Ludwig, Austin Packard, Heather Scholl, Brandon Michael Thomas

  • Created by Whose Line is it Anyway's Laura Hall and Annoyance Theatre's Lisa McQueen, Improvised Broadway presents Improvised Wicked! Performed in the style of the iconic Broadway hit, Chicago's best musical improvisers will take you to a fantastical world just over the rainbow, and beyond! Complete with improvised songs, dances, and more, these wickedly talented performers will leave you changed - for good!

    Born out of Chicago's iO Theater, Improvised Broadway has entertained audiences for years with improvised parodies of popular Broadway shows - including Wicked, Chicago, A Chorus Line, Little Shop of Horrors, Guys & Dolls, and Company. Members have performed with The Second City, Baby Wants Candy, Shamilton, ANARCHY: The Improvised Rock Opera, Charm Scene, and more.

  • This show is included with the purchase of a festival pass.

my best friend is black

CHICAGO, IL

  • Mike Atcherson, Marcus Banks, Chloe Mikala, Daryn Robinson, Arlieta Hall

  • Recently voted Best Comedy Show by The Chicago Reader for the second consecutive year - My Best Friend is Black is an all-Black comedy variety show based in Chicago that focuses on providing a platform for Black comedic performers. Our shows consist of stand-up, sketch, improv, games, and music. The show takes place every 4th Thursday of the month at The Lincoln Lodge at 8pm. Members of our group have performed on various stages and festivals  such as Laugh Factory, Zanies, Flyover, Limestone, SF Sketchfest, Laughing Skull, Lil Rel’s What’s Funny, Second City, and have also contributed to The Onion. Even though we celebrate Blackness, we encourage people of all backgrounds to come out and laugh with us!

  • This show is included with the purchase of a festival pass.

standup HEADLINERS feat. luke null

HEADLINER SHOWCASE

  • Randolph Washington Jr. (Richmond, VA), Brett Kline (Richmond, VA), Heather Joyce (Fredericksburg, VA), Randall Davis (Toano, VA), Joyce Lim (New York, NY), Luke Null (Los Angeles, CA)

  • Luke Null began performing comedy the moment he picked up a guitar in Chicago. During his stay in the Windy city he developed his signature musical comedy style, blending witty humor with catchy earworms. This unique approach garnered the attention of Lorne Michaels and earned him the chance to perform as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. After a year in New York as a featured player on SNL, Luke moved to LA and is now a regular at the Hollywood Improv. He performs standup comedy at clubs and colleges across the country. In 2025, Luke released a live standup special entitled Pretty Songs, Dirty Words through 800 Pound Gorilla Records, now available on YouTube.

  • This show is included with the purchase of a festival pass.

tj & dave

CHICAGO, IL

  • TJ Jagodowski, David Pasquesi

  • TJ Jagodowski and David Pasquesi have been performing together as TJ and Dave for over 20 years. Starting at the IO Theater in Chicago they have performed all over the U.S. as well as Poland, Italy, Ireland, the UK, Denmark and Austria. In Chicago, they have also gotten to play at The Steppenwolf, The Goodman, The Annoyance and at The Old Town School of Folk Music opening for their friend Ike Reilly.

    David and TJ co-authored a book along with Pam Victor called Improvisation At the Speed of Life. They have also been the subject of a documentary directed by by Alex Karpovsky entitled Trust Us, This Is All Made Up. They have promised to perform together until they get one of these shows right and still hold to that.

    The show TJ and Dave is a two-person completely improvised performance that sometimes resembles a one-act play. They likely will play multiple characters as the story unfolds.

  • This show is included with the purchase of a festival pass.

trike

NEW YORK CITY, NY

  • Peter McNerney, Nick Kanellis

  • "Reliably one of the best improv performances in the city."
    - The New York Times

    Peter McNerney & Nick Kanellis have been performing their unique blend of fast paced physical transformations and thoughtful scene work at the Magnet Theater in New York City since 2009. Trike is an upbeat and impressively layered improv that is always worth checking out.

  • This show is included with the purchase of a festival pass.

whose live anyway?

TOURING COMPANY

  • Scheduled to appear: Greg Proops, Jeff Davis, Joel Murray, Gary Anthony Williams, Chip Esten, Laura Hall

  • The current cast members of the Emmy-nominated TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway? are proud to present their new improv tour: Whose Live Anyway?, a 90 minutes of hilarious improvised comedy and song all based on audience suggestions. Cast members Ryan Stiles, Greg Proops, Jeff B. Davis, and Joel Murray will leave you gasping with the very witty scenes they invent before your eyes. Audience participation is key to the show so bring your suggestions and you might be asked to join the cast onstage! Whose Live Anyway? showcases some of the improv games made famous on the long-running TV show as well as some exciting new ones, featuring musical direction by Laura Hall.

    The following cast members are scheduled to appear: Ryan Stiles, Greg Proops, Jeff B. Davis, Joel Murray, Charles Esten, and Laura Hall. Please note the final cast is subject to substitutions due to potential TV and film commitments.

  • This program is presented in partnership with Arts at William & Mary.

  • Tickets for the Saturday performance are available at this link.

    Tickets for the Friday performance have sold out.

IMPROV

BABE

RICHMOND, VA

  • Anthony Brazeau, Elizabeth Byland

  • Two weirdos who travel through space and time to deliver you an inter-dimensional improv show that will have you on the edge of your seat, asking yourself, "what the hell is going to happen next?!"

BARDALICIOUS

RICHMOND, VA

  • Guy Winterbotham, GeGe Beall, Susan Scoven, Kate Simonsen, Chip Marshall, Jacob Horowitz

  • You suggest, we jest! Shakespeare, Improvised. Armed with Shakespearean wit and a flair for utter buffoonery, our players seize upon the Bard’s high drama and twist it into a hilarious tangle of modern jest and antique verse. Prepare for belly-aching laughter that shall surely leave thee with a sore cheek and a spirit wonderfully lightened.  

BIANCHI & BYLAND

RALEIGH, NC & RICHMOND, VA

  • Jenn Bianchi, Elizabeth Byland

  • Imagine a unicorn. Now forget about it. Imagine a tornado. Now forget about it. Imagine if a unicorn of comedy ran into a tornado of good time.... NEVER FORGET ABOUT THAT... or about Bianchi & Byland!

blueballs & Casserole

NEW YORK CITY, NY & RICHMOND, VA

  • Josh Bluabaugh, Bianca Casusol

  • Josh Blubaugh and Bianca Casusol are long time long distance improv friends and this weekend THEY ARE ACTUALLY IN THE SAME PLACE AT THE SAME TIME! Watch them explore a special friendship between two very silly people. Josh Blubaugh is co-artistic director of the Coalition Theater and got his start at the Magnet Theater in New York. Bianca Casusol is an instructor at Second City New York and was the Mega Watt Director at the Magnet Theater. Two people with unpronounceable names, one show. Blueballs & Casserole.

CAN’t hardly date

RICHMOND, VA

  • Connor Doyle, Kimberly Nario, Casey Searles, Ryan Dondero, Josh Wright, Michelle Murgia, Jesse Hill Jr, Madeline Smith, Bob Nickles

  • Swipe right on Can’t Hardly Date! This improv team tackles the wild world of modern romance, turning dating disasters into big laughs. Awkward? Absolutely. Hilarious? Sure!

Commonwealth comedy

NORFOLK, VA

  • Dustin Noack, Erin Lindstrom, Ed Phillips, Matt Holeman, Austin Priest, Jeff Beaulieu, Erika Guess, Kenzie Fisher, Trip Rumble

  • Commonwealth Comedy is a comedy collective that experiments with a variety of improv styles, long and short form. They have a monthly show at The Annex in Norfolk, VA and have produced shows for The Generic Theater. With a large cast of minds from many backgrounds that have been working together for many many years, Commonwealth Comedy know how to bring the funny while thrilling any improv enthusiasts.

Dad company

MOBILE, AL

  • Chip Goff, Steven Castle, Barney March, Lesley Roberts

  • The baddest, daddest improv comedy troupe around, Dad Company is a quartet of improvisational comedy veterans that have performed live comedy in Mobile, AL for decades. Dad Company uses audience input to make one-act comedic plays with no planning, no preparation, no rules, and no filter, which means every single show is completely unique.

DOG EATS GOD

CHICAGO, IL

  • Brady Barrow, Adam Cox, Li Angarola, Peyton Baisden

  • Dog Eats God is a four person improv troupe from Chicago, IL. What started out as four enemies stayed four enemies who decided to do improv together. We have performed at many incredible comedy venues including the Annoyance Theater, The iO Theater, Second City, and in comedy festivals such as Mud City Improv Fest and The Last Word Comedy Festival. Come watch us battle it out with love and anarchy through the intricacies of the Dog Eats God form.

ephemera

NEW YORK CITY, NY

  • Rick Beck, Max Feldman, Jackie Ferro, Ilya Khodosh, Maria Nally, Sonia Nam, Jenny Shaw, Curry Whitmire

  • Formed in October of 2022, Ephemera is a Musical Improv house team at the Magnet Theater in New York City, where they recently celebrated their 100th show. Ephemera is known for their cohesive narratives, strong characters, theatrical choices, and well-balanced harmonies.

Festival favorites

RICHMOND, VA

  • Roxi Jara, Laurel George

  • Festival Favorites is a two woman Improv team that transforms the audience suggestion of their favorite song and a bustling location into a fully-improvised world populated entirely by Roxi Jara and Laurel George. After building the two main characters, they cue the song and the audience witnesses the character’s memories through a brief moment of dance/silent movement. Once a memory has run its course, it dissolves back into the previous scene. Festival Favorites’ shows are funny, surprising and rich with characters!

GIRass!

WASHINGTON D.C.

  • Aimee Imundo, Alissa Platz, Armin Haracic, Devon Grams, Jake Boggs, Jason Fliegel, Javi Calderon, Stacey Pelika

  • Every Girass! show is a once in a lifetime experience. These talented improvisers use your suggestion to create an all-new comedy show right on stage.

girlprov

NORFOLK, VA

  • Hannah Sabo, Sydney Plackett, Cristina Rose, Cherise Pack, Cheyenne Walters, Erika Guess, Kayla Helmkamp

  • GirlProv is a Norfolk-based all-women improv house team founded in 2017 that performs with full girls’-night energy: wild, warm, and willing to follow the chaos wherever it leads. We take one audience story and blow it open into a long-form set full of crawling-on-the-floor physicality, high highs, patient lows, and the kind of choices you only make when you trust the people beside you. It’s creative, a little subversive, extremely fun, and feels like a slumber party where absolutely no one is supervising us.

goat rodeo comedy co

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA

  • Deborah Arenstein, Jordan Breeding, Keaton Ray, Marjory Ruderman, Kevin Sawyer, Rachel Showalter, Robin Smith, Teja Vadlamudi

  • Goat Rodeo Comedy Co. is eight smart, playful grownups with kids and mortgages, who love make-em-ups and supporting the crap out of each other.

HOT COMPUTER

RICHMOND, VA

  • Jessica Brooks, Chandler Brooks, Madeline Smith, Mikaela Uricheck, Nolan Hicks, Nick Tenaglia, Wes Parker, Chris Nelson

  • Insane, intimate, and iconic: that's Hot Computer. Hot Computer is an independent improv team primarily based in Richmond, Virginia. Since their debut in 2023, HoCo has performed in shows and festivals up and down the east coast, including Baltimore, Charlotte, Williamsburg and their hometown of Richmond.

just fine dining

RICHMOND, VA

  • Addie Stevens, Z Seliquini, Emma Bailey

  • You are invited to attend a decadent three-course meal hosted by Emma Bailey, Addie Stevens, and Z Seliquini. Entertainment will be provided; please BYO suggestions.

LEMON PEPPER & SAZÓN COMEDY

NORFOLK, VA

  • Loriah Nichols, Robert Torres, Erika Hill, Jessica Wright, Angel Sanchez, Daijreous Poole, Christina Cagle, Ernestine Powell, Tré Porchia, Lisa Powell

  • Lemon Pepper & Sazón Comedy is a POC (Person of Color) centered improv collective based in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Rooted at Push Comedy Theater, our ensemble brings high-energy improv driven by culture, character, and community. We highlight diverse voices and perspectives while creating fast-paced, unscripted comedy that’s bold, clever, and full of flavor.

Live. laugh. murder.

DALLAS, TX

  • Lynsey Hale, Elizabeth Robinson, Shenelle Peart, Alida Liberman, Melanie Robinson, Sarah Worsham

  • Live. Laugh. MURDER is a Dallas-based, all-female improvised murder mystery troupe. They perform an interactive crime procedural that lets the audience identify and interrogate suspects, posit theories with the detectives, and vote for who they think is the killer.

JUST ONE BED

WASHINGTON D.C.

  • Ahsan Butt, Betty Yu, Bradley Galvin, Garima Singal, Jared Leute, Kenneth Bender, Michael Lawernce

  • Just One Bed is a DC-based high-energy indie improv team that builds a fast-paced montage from a single audience suggestion. Expect goofy characters, playful relationships, and plenty of tag-outs and walk-ins as they follow whatever strange paths the scenes take them down. They're never quite sure where the show will go —and that's exactly how they like it.

MATchbox cartoons

CHICAGO, IL

  • Mackenzie Wright, Adam Rozak, Delaney Sterling, Leo LaCamera, Corson Lewarne, Brian Huther

  • Matchbox Cartoons formed through the Annoyance Theatre's Musical Improv program and featured show "Tuesday Musical Improv," now in its 7th season. The Toons are a bunch of musical theatre nerds based in Chicago who love getting silly, playing with joy, heart, and a hell of a lot of musicality.

METTLESOME TOURCO

DURHAM, NC

  • Jack Reitz, Ashley Melzer, Jess Bowers, Matthew Schmitz, Megan Myers, Meredith Biechele, Miles Amiri, Mira McMahon, Marmiss Khosravi, Sam Cripps

  • The Mettlesome TourCo consists of teachers and performers from the award-winning Mettlesome Theater in Durham, NC. Mettlesome produces weekly improv and sketch comedy. Come check out Durham's best!

MAGAZINE DAIRY ANNOUNCEMENT

WASHINGTON D.C.

  • Katie Garbart, Julia Marcus, Fred Gilbert, Jason McPeak, Joel Larin, Ali Cheraghpour, Kate Gilbert

  • Magazine Dairy Announcement is a group of friends and enthusiastic improvisers who have been performing together for two years. They are ready to milk the laughs! This long-form team specializes in silly, friendly scenes full of unforgettable weirdos. Come for the bovine name, stay for the joyful chaos!

NYTEshift

PHILADELPHIA, PA

  • Tia Kemp, Jabari Saeed, Tanya Morgan, Marcely Jean-Pierre, Keane Cobb, James Knight

  • NYTEShift is an all POC comedy troupe performing improv and sketch in Philadelphia for over 10 years. The "NYTE" in NYTEShift stands for "Not Your Token Entertainers" - NYTEShift takes pride in being a beacon for representation within the improv community in Philly. Composed of dynamic and multi-talented comedians, NYTEShift brings their unique voices into a high-energy and thought-provoking show.

mouth stuff

BALTIMORE, MD

  • Topher Darragh, Daniel Costa, Sarah Madrid, Lisa Perrin, Lindy Rhodes, Genevieve O'Keefe, Noelle Davis

  • Mouth Stuff comes in many forms. This one is long-form improv. Might be talking animals. Might be science fiction. One of us will probably die. Only one thing is for sure—these hot, hip Baltimore improvisers will use our personal (sometimes traumatic) stories to take you on an epic improv journey. Mouth Stuff has brought their weird and wonderful brand of comedy to stages across the country, including performances at the Out of Bounds Comedy Festival in Austin, TX, XL Festival in Happy Valley, PA, 2nd Best Festl in Richmond, VA, and the Uptown Improv Festival in Utica, NY. You can regularly catch Mouth Stuff performing at the Highwire Center and the Baltimore Improv Group in beautiful downtown Baltimore, MD.

tacklebox

SAVANNAH, GA

  • Chelsea Jensen, Shaylyn Mackey

  • Gone fishin? Tacklebox is an improv comedy duo based out of Savannah, Georgia consisting of Chelsea Jensen and Shaylyn Mackey. They focus on scene painting, object work, and living in a created space on stage. Their goal is always to bring joy to the people of the audience with trust, connection, and surprising call backs. Time to break out the ol' rods and lures cause Tacklebox is here to catch the big one!

teen angst

BALTIMORE, MD

  • Millie Hoffman, Misty Letts, Jessica Robey, Brian Shea, Justin Yaquiant

  • Teen Angst is an improvised teen movie with all the trappings and tropes of those classics (from whatever era means classic to you).

the beavers

NORFOLK, VA

  • Kenzie Fisher, Ana Elezovic, Erin Lindstrom, Erika Guess, Molly Graham, Marcella Nicotra

  • The Beavers are an all-female improv comedy group based in Norfolk, VA. These fiercely funny women light up the stage with big energy, bold choices, and plenty of unhinged scenes.They have performed in several comedy festivals including iO Fest, the Last Word Comedy Festival, Baltimore Improv Festival, and more. Get ready to have a damn good time with these babes!

the short straw

DURHAM, NC

  • Charles Letizia, Amanda Brosseau, Jared Reed, Ethan Burch, Laura Walton, Daphne Hoover, Claire Blandin, Molly

  • The Short Straw is a Harold house team for Mettlesome Theater in Durham, NC! Sometimes they organically form into a giant bird on stage, and they always try to make their coach proud.

Thelma & Louise

WILLIAMSBURG, VA

  • Brendan O'Brien, Haley Parker

  • Thelma & Louise are a duo act consisting of improvisers Haley Parker & Brendan O'Brien. Originally from the suburbs of New York in the Hudson Valley, Haley and Brendan met in 2019 while performing with the musical improv troupe Duly Noted. During this time, they discovered their chemistry with one another and became immediate kindred spirits with the same shared sense of weirdness. Brendan and Haley moved to Williamsburg, VA in 2023 and have performed together at CSz Richmond, Bridge 9 and Coalition Theater. They've been together for 6+ years, sharing a love of improv comedy, professional wrestling, film noir and their canine and feline daughters Sally & Grayce O'Malley.

Tiptoe

NEW YORK CITY, NY

  • Jenna Barron, Bridget Holmes, Chrissie Gruebel, Daniel Lempert, Fu Goto, Aaron LaRoche, Morgan Phillips, Will Jacobs

  • A group of funny and absurd people, some may say trolls, who have the energy of an entire bar scream-singing the song of summer, and are as supportive and caring as they are sick and nasty. Eight absurd minds, one hilarious heartbeat.

Twig!

BALTIMORE, MD

  • Drew Hatter, Nancy Jin, Lee Synkowski, Ian Cameron, Todd Wade, Melissa Eagen, Johanna Alonso

  • Twig! is a Baltimore-based improv troupe started by a crew of silly, silly gooses (geese?) that love comedy and at some point decided they didn’t mind each other so much, either. And what’s with all this Twig! business, you ask? Well… that’s “The Wednesday Improv Group,” of course!

Wolf night

RICHMOND, VA

  • Ryan Dondero, Z Seliquini, Josh Wright, Brandon Beswick, Casey Searles

  • Wolf Night is an improv team at the Coalition Theater in Richmond, VA. Their show is a cavalcade of weirdo characters from all eras of history.

wolf town

CHICAGO, IL

  • Ashley Whitehurt, Eric Pedersen, Jordan Reichardt, Kaya McCaffrey, Marino Korellis, Sam Huff, Selim Ozden

  • Fresh off performances at the Boom Chicago Comedy Festival in Amsterdam and Edinburgh Improv Fest, WolfTown is jazzed to continue their 2026 festival fun! WolfTown was formed in 2023 at iO Theater as part of New Team Smell Season 6, coached by Creamboy’s Matty Vergun. The team’s signature form features 20-25 minutes of long form improv. Part La Ronde, part Goon River, all chaotic high energy, the cast teases the frayed edges of grounded scenes and surreal experiences. What unfolds is a romp of montages, tag-out runs, sweep edits, and call backs all occurring within the confines of WolfTown: a fictional town in the middle of nowhere. WolfTown features players of diverse backgrounds and performance experiences and is a well-balanced team of heart, head, and x-factor playing.

1-800-FIREDEPARTMENT

WASHINGTON D.C.

  • Chris D’Silva, Madeline Dozier, Mikail Faalasli, Svend Larsen, Ryan McCloskey, Eli Okun, Bethany Stokes

  • 1-800-FIREDEPARTMENT is a DC-based indie improv team that formed in 2020. They're a group of friends who love pushing their improv skills to the limit. From the quirky chaos of Spokane to the intricate layers of Deconstruction, this team dives headfirst into a variety of formats to keep their audience and themselves on their toes. Get ready for a blazing good time!

STAND-UP