Laugh your way into spring at the 4th annual NYC Improv Festival, with a combination of FREE and ticketed events with up-and-coming comics, play readings, workshops and more. There are multiple events scheduled each day between March 19 and 23.
Tickets are $10 per event, or $60 for an unlimited all-access pass and guaranteed entry.
The NYC Improv Festival is organized by The Peoples Improv Theater (The PIT), and include improv competitions between the PIT’s house teams and improv teams from around the country.
Shows are 6pm to midnight Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and 1pm-midnight on Saturday and Sunday.
The Improv Festival includes a Super Free Wednesday performance of Geoff Grimwood’s celebrated FAKE CHURCH, a show that will challenge your expectations of improvised comedy theater. Then an opening night party at The PIT’s Love Bar, with specialty festival drinks and an all-theater improv jam in the Underground theater.
Click here for the full NYC Improv Festival schedule. Highlights include:
Thursday, 3/19:
2pm: FREE reading of a new play by Tony Award winning playwright, Greg Kotis (Urinetown)
7pm: Collegehumor’s Drawfee Live!, the live version of the improvised drawing show, whose YouTube channel has more than 100k subscribers.
11pm: G.U.S., the improvised play about three men in a Generic Underground Shelter after the apocalypse
Friday, 3/20:
8pm: Musical improv pioneers Baby Wants Candy
9:30pm: NYC Improv legends Centralia
10:30: Doppelskope improv puppet show, SHRINK.
Saturday, 3/21:
Noon – FREE Mental Health in Comedy panel, with panelists Jenny Jaffe (MTV’s Nikki & Sara Live, Collegehumor, Founder of Project UROK), Mike Bleijer (Malignant Brain Humor podcast), and others TBA.
4pm: Raving Jaynes performance joins improv and modern dance
6pm: Ladies of The PIT – a classic long-form show featuring The PIT’s most talented female players
7pm: Jimmy Carrane’s IMPROV NERD with special guest Ali Farahnakian (SNL, Founder/Caretaker of The PIT)
7pm: The PIT’s regular political debate/improv show, Electoral Dysfunction does a very special festival edition
8pm: North Coast, the hip hop improv team
10pm: Ali & Friends (Ali Farahnakian plays a set with some of his old Second City/SNL buddies TBA)
11pm: World’s Fair, a chaotic mix-up of players from all over the country!
Sunday, 3/22:
Noon – FREE preview screening of Compass Cabaret ’55, a new documentary about the founding of the Compass theater, which went on to become the Second City.
7pm: Your Love, Our Musical, the improv musical based on the true love story of a couple in the audience
8pm: Micah Sherman’s People Improvising, a showcase for simple, quiet, different improvisation from some of NYC’s most veteran players.
NYC Improv Festival workshops are run by Jimmy Carrane (IMPROV NERD, Second City, WBEZ Chicago) and Mark Beltzman (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Billy Madison, Pretty Little Liars, Founding member of Improv Olympic,).
What do you think about this? We welcome your comments.