Portland Improv and Sketch Comedy Shows
No two shows are ever the same. Improv and sketch comedy thrive on creativity, collaboration, and the unexpected, delivering big laughs through quick thinking and smart writing. From completely unscripted scenes to polished sketches, these shows are playful, energetic, and perfect for audiences who love comedy that keeps them on their toes.
Sundays
Curious Playground Family Show
Monthly on fourth Sundays
3:30 pm
Entry - $7
Curious Comedy Theater 5225 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR
Curious Playground is an ALL-AGES interactive comedy show for all ages. IMAGINATION WELCOME!
Curious Playground is a fun and exciting opportunity for audiences of all ages to see live comedy, AND get the chance to jump into the show! Every 4th Sunday IMMEDIATELY AFTER the "Yes-And Family Workshop!"
So, whether you want to join in on the fun or just sit back and watch, Curious Playground is an amazing show for the whole family!!!
Curious Playground happens on the 4th Sunday of every month at Curious Comedy Theater.
The Curious Main Stage offers a full bar and food.: https://www.curiouscomedy.org/about/menu
Curious Comedy Improv Student Showcase
Two shows Sunday, March 1
3:00 pm
7:00 pm
Entry - $7
Curious Comedy Theater 5225 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR
Come and celebrate with the students of Curious Comedy Theater's Training Center as they share their comedy skills, joy, and curious playful nature at the end of their seven week session. Come to one or both, and bring a friend.
Check out classes and shows at Curious Comedy Theater!
The Curious Main Stage offers a full bar and food.: https://www.curiouscomedy.org/about/menu
LGBTQIA+ IMPROV JAM!
Monthly on second Sundays
3:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Entry - Free (Donations appreciated)
Curious Comedy Annex Theater 5225 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR
A FREE LGBTQIA+ Improv Social every 2nd Sunday 3-5PM in the Curious Comedy Annex Theater.
Show up at 3PM to meet new folks and sign up to play fun and social improv games with the support of theater veterans. Play or just show up to watch, and stay for an after-jam social with complimentary snacks and drinks.*
ALL AGES AND EXPERIENCE LEVELS are WELCOME!
This event is facilitated by LGBTQ2SIA+ members for the LGBTQ2SIA+ community.
This is a closed event for LGBTQ2SIA+ only. (We love you allies! Please support us by sharing the event and not attending.)
Please send any questions to Skel Harrington at skel@curiouscomedy.org
*This event does not include alcoholic drinks, but there are a number of bars in close walking distance to the theater for anyone who wants to start the afterparty.
Check out classes and shows at Curious Comedy Theater!
Sunday School: Indie Improv Team Showcase
First and third Sundays
6:00 pm
Advanced Ticket $7.00 ($5 plus $2 fees)
Door Ticket $12.00 ($10 plus $2 fees)
Curious Comedy Theater 5225 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR
An indie team improv showcase - Curious Comedy’s Sunday School.
A longform improv showcase for those truly devoted to improvised comedy, Sunday School is a bi-monthly showcase of the top improv teams from Curious Comedy Theater, the greater Portland area, and beyond! Every show has an exciting mix of student teams, indie teams, special guest teams, and featured performers and Instructors from Curious Comedy Theater!
The Curious Main Stage offers a full bar and food.: https://www.curiouscomedy.org/about/menu
Game Face Short Form Improv Jam
Second and fourth Sundays
5:30 pm
Entry - $7.00 ($5 plus $2 fees)
Curious Comedy Annex Theater 5225 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR
Do you play along to Whose Line games in your living room and want to give it a go in person? Are you already in love with the art and want more time to play? Could you use a bright spot in your week and a good laugh?
Come to Game Face!!!
Game Face is a short form improv jam where anyone can try it out, jump in on the fun, or show up to simply laugh, support, and soak in the joy.
Fast, fun, and super laid back. Come hang out at Curious Comedy Theater!
The Curious Annex has a small selection of beer, wine, cider and non-alcoholic drinks and snacks.
Choose Your Own Musical
February 19, 20, & 21
7:00 pm
Entry - Various, see ticket link below for details
Funhouse Lounge 2432 SE 11th Ave., Portland, OR, United States
You decide which show you see!
Choose Your Own Musical; where you decide which show you see.
Three ambitious producers each have a hot new musical, the title based on suggestions from you, the audience. They will take turns pitching their next big hit to prospective investors (the audience), complete with snippets of scenes, songs, and character arcs. You will then vote on which one cries out to be produced in its full glory, and before your eyes that musical will be imagined, cast, and brought to life just for you.
Each show performed for one night only. Every night is opening night! And closing night! So come on down to Funhouse Lounge and be part of creating what could very well be the Greatest Musical Ever!
The Gauntlet - Season 7 FINALE
Sunday, March 8
7:30 pm
Advanced Ticket $17.00 ($15 plus $2 fees)
Day-of Ticket $22.00 ($20 plus $2 fees)
Curious Comedy Annex Theater 5225 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR
Fifteen improvisers—only one champion.
Fifteen improvisers enter, but only one will be crowned CHAMPION OF THE GAUNTLET.
The Gauntlet is a survivor-style improv tournament. The audience decides, and players must compete for their affection while navigating out-of-the-box challenges and surprises. As the show goes on, players will fall and the challenges will only get more outrageous.
As if Whose Line Is It Anyway and American Ninja Warrior had a hilarious love child—hold on to your seats, it's going to be a wild ride at Curious Comedy Theater!
The Curious Annex has a small selection of beer, wine, cider and non-alcoholic drinks and snacks.
Mondays
An Evening of Improv
Monthly on fourth Mondays
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Entry - Free
Covert Cafe 803 SE 82nd Ave., Portland, OR, United States
Covert Cafe is proud to include An Evening of Improv in the lineup of amazing performance art they promote in SE Portland! The show has rotating improv groups doing their thing on the Covert stage, come grab some great food and enjoy the show!
Wednesdays
Open Court
Weekly on Wednesdays
9:30 pm
Entry - $7
Curious Comedy Theater 5225 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR
Portland’s longest running improv jam, Open Court is beloved, fun, supportive, and open to all!
What happens when improvisers of all levels of skill and experience, from all different theaters and troupes, from Portland and beyond, come together to perform long-form improv comedy for each other and the audience? FUN!
Everyone is welcome to play in Open Court whether you have been playing for years or have never been on a stage before in your life. Teams are picked randomly and coached by supportive, experienced improvisers from the Curious Comedy Company. We warm up in our teams and then perform for each other and the audience.
Just want to watch? That’s great! No pressure to play - not ever!
Curious Comedy’s longest running show, Open Court is close to our hearts. A great place to play, to meet people, and to see what Curious Comedy is all about!
The Curious Main Stage offers a full bar and food.: https://www.curiouscomedy.org/about/menu
Thursdays
The Velodrome
Weekly on Thursdays
7:00 pm
Entry - Click for purchase details
Kickstand Comedy 1006 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR, United States
Velodrome is a weekly improv showcase of Portland's best and brightest indie teams!
Every week at Kickstand Comedy you'll see 3 different teams, each bringing their unique forms, flavors, and a whole lot of funny. Check out upcoming lineups and prepurchase tickets here!
The Harold - An Improv Class Performance
Thursdays March 5, March 12, and March 19
7:00 pm
Advanced Ticket $9.50 ($7.50 plus $2 fees)
Door Ticket $12.00 ($10 plus $2 fees)
Curious Comedy Annex Theater 5225 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR
Three stories in three acts. Enjoy this classic improv format presented by Curious' Harold class in the Annex Theater!
The Curious Annex has a small selection of beer, wine, cider and non-alcoholic drinks and snacks.
Aardvark Improv
First and third Thursdays
8:30 pm
Entry - Click for purchase details
Kickstand Comedy 1006 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR, United States
30 of Portland's best improvisers, 1 totally secret guest host twice monthly at Kickstand Comedy! Every show rearranges the performers into brand new teams and features a special character host. You won't know who it is until they step out on stage! No two shows are the same, and it's always a surprise!
Past guest hosts have included David Lynch, High School Theater Students, a baby, Tinder Dracula, Waluigi, and many more...who will it be this week? Come and find out!
***This show is free to current students who present a student ID card at the door***
Fridays
Small Fruits – Queer Comedy
First and third Fridays
7:00 pm
Entry - Click for purchase details
Kickstand Comedy 1006 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR, United States
A comedy variety show ripe for the picking. Small Fruits serves you big laughs, queer joy, and a splash of mischief!
Hosted by No Sex and the City
This duo cracks open your stories and turns them into improv about love, friendship, and everything in between.
Improv by The Fruit Basket
A rotating mix of queer comedians who squeeze everyday moments into bold and flavorful worlds.
And always featuring comedy bits & characters from Portland's best queer performers! Wild surprises that pop like citrus zest. Sharp, silly, and just the right amount of unhinged.
Queer or straight, you will want seconds of this sweet and tangy show!
Follow @small.fruits
The Astrolo-Show
Monthly on second Fridays
7:00 pm
Entry - Click for purchase details
Kickstand Comedy 1006 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR, United States
What’s your sign? The answer to this question can tell you a lot about your fellow Portland dwellers. For one magical evening a month, Kickstand explores the astrological side of comedy, bringing Portland their first ever planet-based improv extravaganza.
Starring:
- Oscar Abbott
- Nate Ayers
- Matt Berger
- Mack Lee
- Murf Meyer
- Maddie Patrick
- Lauren Sinner
- Randy Smith
- Jamison Wolsborn
Created and hosted by Naomi Dixon & Diana Kolsky
Follow @the_astrolo_show
Curious Comedy Showdown
Weekly on Fridays
7:30 pm
Livestream $12.00 ($10 plus $2 fees)
Advanced Ticket $22.00 ($20 plus $2 fees)
Door Ticket $27.00 ($25 plus $2 fees)
Curious Comedy Theater 5225 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR
Welcome to the Hunger Games of Comedy. Six players enter the stage at Curious Comedy Theater. Only one will survive. Curious Comedy Showdown pits Portland’s finest comedians against one another in a competitive improv comedy cage match that will make you laugh until you cry.
Armed only with razor-sharp wit and your suggestions, the players must create fast-paced and hilarious scenes on the spot to win audience votes – round after round – in hopes of living to see another day. Finally, you decide which player is left standing. If you like Whose Line Is It Anyway, then you’ll love this show!
You can watch our long-running flagship improv show in person at our beautiful cabaret-style main stage venue in Northeast Portland, Oregon – or – watch the slick-as-hell livestream from home with your dog on your lap. Either way, you’re going to have a good time.
If you’re looking for an alternative to the same old options – like bars, bowling, or a movie – then you’ve found it! Curious Comedy Showdown is a Portland favorite for first dates and date nights, birthday parties, bachelorette parties, company events, team bonding, and girls-night-out! Without a doubt, this show is one of the most fun and unique things to do in Portland.
Delicious food. Full bar. Big laughs. In a word? Joy.
The Curious Main Stage offers a full bar and food.: https://www.curiouscomedy.org/about/menu
Mosaic Improv
Monthly on fourth Fridays
8:00 pm
Entry - Click for purchase details
Kickstand Comedy 1006 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR, United States
Portland's Premiere Black & Brown Improv Showcase. Kaleidoscopic comedy from the heart of the Kickstand BIPOC Comedy Program.
Featuring a rotating cast of comedians of color, come see Portland improv veterans blend with up-and-coming stars—turning radiant stories into illuminating laughs. Brilliant.
CAST
Napoleon Benito
Jamiel Brown
Afrita Davis
Stefan Joseph
Sumita Mukund
Brianna Nunez-Webb
Eric Simons
Mithra Lee Vankipuram
This show is Certified Mosaic—produced, starring, and enriched by comedians of color.
Friction
Weekly on Fridays
8:30 pm
Entry - Click for purchase details
Kickstand Comedy 1006 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR, United States
An improvised comedy about complicated people.
The ones we love and value the most are also the ones that can frustrate the most: our family, friends, coworkers. We’ve all got flaws, and how those flaws collide determines how we get along...or don’t.
Friction deconstructs the people we are, the people we know and what happens when we spend a little too much time together. Drawing inspiration from your favorite "Dramedies" like The Holdovers, A Real Pain, Lady Bird, or Banshees of Inisherin, the show finds humor in the the most challenging relationships.
Cast: Breezy Nunez-Webb, Eric Simons, Jamiel Brown, Jo Nichols, Lauren Long, Natalie Haddad, Nick Condon, Sawyer Hudson
Directed by Adam Trabka
Friday Night Fights
Weekly on Fridays
9:30 pm
Advanced Ticket $12.00 ($10 plus $2 fees)
Door Ticket $17.00 ($15 plus $2 fees)
Curious Comedy Theater 5225 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR
Friday Night Fights is a tournament-style show at Curious Comedy Theater where each team gets 17 minutes to win your hearts, minds, and VOTES. Fight Promoters Dave Pinson and Lauren Russell pit improv teams head-to-head. Afterwards, enjoy a variety act while your votes are tallied and then find out which team has won the chance to advance to the next round for a shot at the championship.
The Curious Main Stage offers a full bar and food.: https://www.curiouscomedy.org/about/menu
Saturdays
Complete Non-Cents
Monthly on third Saturdays
7:00 pm
Entry - Click for purchase details
Kickstand Comedy 1006 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR, United States
Complete Non-Cents with Leave A Penny is your one-way ticket to a rollercoaster of improv comedy. This team of comedians promises a rotating funhouse of outrageous characters, high-energy thrills, and twists and turns you’ll be begging to ride again and again.
Leave a Penny is Jamiel Brown, Matt Berger, Maddie Patrick, Napoleon Benito, and Nicola Fleming
Opening sets by our rotation of Saturday house teams: Hopes'n'Prayers, Oprah's Book Club, and Sardine
Every 3rd Saturday of the month! (subject to change, view full show calendar for more details)
Follow @leaveapennyimprov
Kickstand Comedy presents the best improv teams in Portland every Saturday night at 7pm! Our rotating house teams (click for upcoming team details) bring you a brand new laugh out loud show each week, made up completely on the spot. Witness the magic of improvised comedy with our diverse lineup of unique voices!
Sardine
Catch a Live One
Monthly on fourth Saturdays
7:00 pm
Entry - Click for purchase details
Kickstand Comedy 1006 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR, United States
You’re cordially invited to open up and lean in for a night of improv comedy with your local bottom dwellers. Sardine takes you on a character-based exploration of loserdom as we turn your familiar mishaps into a cathartic display of comedy. Misery loves company — all are welcome in the tin.
Sardine is Aleah Liebenau, Hannah Dulaney, Jo Nichols, Meg Kausch, Mo Merrill, and Sophie Thorsen
Opening sets by our rotation of Saturday house teams: Hopes'n'Prayers, Oprah's Book Club, and Leave a Penny
Every 4th Saturday of the month! (subject to change, view full show calendar for more details)
Follow @sardine_improv
Kickstand Comedy presents the best improv teams in Portland every Saturday night at 7pm! Our rotating house teams (click for upcoming team details) bring you a brand new laugh out loud show each week, made up completely on the spot. Witness the magic of improvised comedy with our diverse lineup of unique voices!
Curious Comedy Showdown
Weekly on Saturdays
7:30 pm
Livestream $12.00 ($10 plus $2 fees)
Advanced Ticket $22.00 ($20 plus $2 fees)
Door Ticket $27.00 ($25 plus $2 fees)
Curious Comedy Theater 5225 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR
Welcome to the Hunger Games of Comedy. Six players enter the stage at Curious Comedy Theater. Only one will survive. Curious Comedy Showdown pits Portland’s finest comedians against one another in a competitive improv comedy cage match that will make you laugh until you cry.
Armed only with razor-sharp wit and your suggestions, the players must create fast-paced and hilarious scenes on the spot to win audience votes – round after round – in hopes of living to see another day. Finally, you decide which player is left standing. If you like Whose Line Is It Anyway, then you’ll love this show!
You can watch our long-running flagship improv show in person at our beautiful cabaret-style main stage venue in Northeast Portland, Oregon – or – watch the slick-as-hell livestream from home with your dog on your lap. Either way, you’re going to have a good time.
If you’re looking for an alternative to the same old options – like bars, bowling, or a movie – then you’ve found it! Curious Comedy Showdown is a Portland favorite for first dates and date nights, birthday parties, bachelorette parties, company events, team bonding, and girls-night-out! Without a doubt, this show is one of the most fun and unique things to do in Portland.
Delicious food. Full bar. Big laughs. In a word? Joy.
The Curious Main Stage offers a full bar and food.: https://www.curiouscomedy.org/about/menu
Dropped Notes
Third Saturdays March through August
7:30 pm
Advanced Entry - $15
Door Entry - $20
Curious Comedy Theater 5225 NE Martin Luther King Blvd, Portland, OR, United States
Outrageous musical improv where anything can happen.
A box of audience suggestions sits on the stage and the cast has no idea what the night has in store, but it's guaranteed to be hilarious, surprising, and at least as bold as you are.
Featuring a fully lgbtqia2s+ cast of extraordinary singers, improvisers, and storytellers, Dropped Notes is a show for the theater-gay in all of us (allies welcome!) Come ready to hold your breath and lose it with laughter as the cast tackles your new topics every night at Curious Comedy Theater.
Want to bring the family? Check out the Dropped Notes Family Friendly Show on June 20th.
The Curious Main Stage offers a full bar and food.: https://www.curiouscomedy.org/about/menu
One Free Refill
Saturday, February 28
8:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Entry - Click for purchase details
Kickstand Comedy 1006 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR, United States
An Improvised Movie digitally mastered for The Stage.
Do you love watching movies? Then, an Improvised Movie is a live show for you!
From an audience suggestion, a fully improvised movie is made up and created on the spot by the ensemble, One Free Refill.
Complete with camera angles, character descriptions and location settings. You never know what genre of movie you might see at any given show - Action, Crime, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Suspense. Long form narrative storytelling, twists, turns, and comedic moments. Press play, immerse yourself and see what unfolds.
One Free Refill is:
Nick Beaird
Jhordan Blumenberg
Tony Cohen
Stefan Joseph
Lauren Long
Catherine Retica
Dakota Strickland
John Taylor
Chris Williams
Directed by Paul Stein
FREE Popcorn and Movie Trivia prizes at every show!
Slutty Food
February 28, March 28, & April 18
8:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Entry - Click for purchase details
Kickstand Comedy 1006 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR, United States
Welcome to the wild, unhinged, and undeniably horny world of HONK. Once a month, we dive headfirst into the deepest recesses of our desires—laughing, learning, and dry humping along the way.
Whether it’s whipped cream between the sheets or an oyster aphrodisiac, food is getting us horny this month and who better to stir the pot than For Ginger and their infamous Dinner Party!!
To make matters crispier we have the celery king himself Bui serving up some sexy-food-storytelling and to join in on our horny improv!
Don’t miss this sloppy, delicious, & downright decadent night of sexy comedy.
Each month HONK invites some special guests to get down on our level and unleash their sexy side. Expect steamy surprises and deep dives into themes like Sex & Dr*gs, Virginity, and Where is the line between fingering and rubbing?
“You made me feel young again” - Horned Up Audience Member
HONK has been soaking stages for over three years. They are the winners of Kickstand’s 2024 Cage Match, have performed at the Vancouver Improv Festival, RISE Improv Festival in Denver, MILF festival in Los Angeles, iO Fest in Chicago, and their performers have guested with UCB’s Holy Shit Improv.
See (lots) more at @honkprov
Oprah's Book Club
Monthly on first Saturdays
7:00 pm
Entry - Click for purchase details
Kickstand Comedy 1006 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR, United States
What’s your favorite book? Oprah’s Book Club features three bold, hilarious Black women with undeniable chemistry. Their shared perspective shapes the tone, blending sharp wit with real-life insight. Every show is playful, smart, and full of surprises.
Oprah's Book Club is K Marie, Natasha Baptiste, and Afrita Davis
Opening sets by our rotation of Saturday house teams: Hopes'n'Prayers, Leave a Penny, and Sardine
Every 1st Saturday of the month! (subject to change, view full show calendar for more details)
Follow @oprahsbookclub.improv
Kickstand Comedy presents the best improv teams in Portland every Saturday night at 7pm! Our rotating house teams bring you a brand new laugh out loud show each week, made up completely on the spot. Witness the magic of improvised comedy with our diverse lineup of unique voices!
Comedy for the End of the World with Hopes'n'Prayers
Monthly on second Saturdays
7:00 pm
Entry - Click for purchase details
Kickstand Comedy 1006 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR, United States
It’s cold out there. Come bask in the unhinged sun of the Hopes ‘n’ Prayers comedy experience. This deranged improv trio turns your late-stage bucket list into an unhinged comedy show that will make you forget the horrors for about an hour.
Hopes'n'Prayers is: Blade Weedman, Diana Kolsky, and Lauren Sinner
Opening sets by our rotation of Saturday house teams: Hopes'n'Prayers, Oprah's Book Club, and Sardine
Every 2nd Saturday of the month! (subject to change, view full show calendar for more details)
Follow @hopes_n_prayers
Kickstand Comedy presents the best improv teams in Portland every Saturday night at 7pm! Our rotating house teams bring you a brand new laugh out loud show each week, made up completely on the spot. Witness the magic of improvised comedy with our diverse lineup of unique voices!
The Do-Over
Saturday, April 4
8:30 pm
Entry - Click for purchase details
Kickstand Comedy 1006 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR, United States
Comedy duos inspired by your bad decisions.
Rough first date? Hit reply-all? One too many kids? You can’t change the past. But you can make fun of it. Pack your baggage. In The Do-Over, Portland’s funniest duos use your biggest regrets, mess-ups, missed connections and could-have-beens as inspiration for a night of improv comedy at Kickstand Comedy.
Follow @timandbradford