Melanie PennStaff
Thursday, April 2, 2026
Happy April, Improv Shop! 🌦️ And happy birthdays to Cassie Ema, Sloane Kirsch, our belated March birthdays Holly Basom, Luke Harris, Rich Ledbetter, and everyone else celebrating birthdays this week! 🎂🎂 Here's a rundown of what's happening in and around the theater: NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION is tonight, Thursday April 2nd, 6:00-6:45 in sidestage. You can RSVP here or simply show up anytime during that frame if you'd like to participate in a Q&A - remember: grads and returning students are encouraged to attend 'cause it's great to have a variety of voices in the room! THURSDAY PROGRAMMING - Oh so many teams tonight: House Team Night at 7:00 in mainstage with 2zin Tarandon, Sophie Tucker, and D.I.C.K. The Menagerie at 7:00 in sidestage with Going Down?, Good Platoon, Whatever This Is, and Intrusive Thoughts 💭 The Jam at 8:45-ish in mainstage ~ Tristan Sommer will be hosting a Serendipitous Pastiche-inspired jam with signups posted up in mainstage throughout House Team Night for anyone who'd like to play in a lottery-style show; come watch, then play - or come watch and not play and cheer your friends on! 🤸 The Merry-Go-Round at 9:00 in sidestage with I. Coli, Bored Meeting, Plot Twist, and Wild Bill 🤠 FRIDAY PROGRAMMING - Tomorrow, Friday April 3rd, is another busy night: THE ASTERISK* at 7:00 in mainstage ~ this week's theme is fool me once Chaos Gremlins at 7:00 in sidestage with Floorplay, Celibate, and Whatever ➕ their respective coaches Josh Slobe, Scott Leeker, and Andy Sloey playing alongside them as agents of chaos Cagematch at 9:00 in mainstage with returning champions Manifesto vs. new challenger D.A.D. Tiel's Show-A-Palooza at 9:00 in sidestage featuring standup, improv, and a musical guest 🎤 QUEER IMPROV JAM - It's the first Saturday of the month this Saturday April 4th, so time for another Queer Improv Jam, hosted by our friends of Yas And! Queer Jam is a free dropin workshop at 5:00-6:15 in sidestage, open to any LGBTQIA+ participants regardless of improv experience, so tell your friends! 🌈 SATURDAY PROGRAMMING - After Queer Jam, keep the celebration rolling into shows this Saturday night: Yas And Friends at 7:00 in sidestage with the eponymous Yas And and their friend team No Helmet ~ also, this month's show the teams will be organizing a donation drive for Metro Trans Umbrella Group - any gender-affirming items (i.e., clothes, shoes, accessories, makeup) and/or non-perishable shelf-stable food items are welcome! NATURAL 7 at 7:00 in mainstage ~ it's an improvised D&D-inspired quest in two acts ⚔️ 80085 4 U at 9:00 in mainstage ~ it's a show that celebrates honesty, vulnerability, and getting something off your chest Turdy-Too: A Cassie Ema Birthday Show at 9:00 in sidestage ~ it's a multiteam event featuring Kissing Booth, TEN!, Whatever, Intrusive Thoughts, and "a super surprise one-night-only team" celebrating the 32nd birthday our wonderful Cassie Ema! MONDAY JAMS - Come out this Monday April 6th for more miniworkshops, both 6:00-6:50-ish: Student Jam with Elle Morgan in sidestage! Grad Jam with Bailey Kepford in mainstage! Come flex, play games, make friends, and hang out before showcases. Speaking of which... MONDAY PROGRAMMING - This Monday April 6th is week #2 of this eight-week cycle of student showcases - that's two Teams Level 1 classes at 7:00 in sidestage plus two Teams Level 2 classes at 7:00 in mainstage; this is an extra special week because after the Teams Level 2 showcases will be a very special showcase by students of last session's Shotgun Workshop! 🚗 Come cheer on all their hard work, and then keep the momentum going into School Night at 9:00 with three more teams. Do like me on a school night in 1999, stay up too late writing fantasy novels on your dad's P.C. except instead of writing fantasy novels you're watching improv and instead of your dad's P.C. it's The Improv Shop sidestage. Okay that's a wrap for now, team. Remember to check back on the website this weekend for classes opening up for registration, and HMU if you have any questions at all. Thanks for everything! With gratitude, Melanie Penn