DI F Shows

CatBomb! presents Atomic Gas

Atomic Gas is improvised science fiction in the style of classic 1950’s SC-Fi. Inspired by audience input, we create a fully formed improvised “movie” which follows the protagonists as they encounter strange forces, otherworldly happenings, etc. and hopefully save civilization.

Bingewatch

Our show is all about what you love and why you love it! Where the TV multiverse comes to you. Bingewatch takes two of the shows you’re binge watching, and mixes them together to give you something wholly new yet delightfully familiar. Chock full of your favorite binge worthy goodness, Bingewatch, it’s your favorite TV from an alternate reality. Watch what you love!

Benanca presents My Bad

Earnest people try so hard to be "good" that everything they touch turns awkward, offensive, or just hilariously bad. But can they open their hearts and get the love and acceptance they so desperately want? Join Bianca Casusöl (Magnet Theatre, Second City) and Ben Zolno (New Zealand's Improv Connection) for this grounded, edgy, relatable ride through hell on their way to redemption!

Ben & Tom

Important life moments are the catalyst for this one act improvised play. Choices and the consequences of those choices drive and shape this one journey onstage. Tension, connection and impulse mix as the characters experience a true human experience as the story unfolds.

The Kensingtons

Showcasing an improvised style family dramedy. Laugh, cheer and gasp as billionaire rival families The Kensingtons and The Wentworths plot, scheme, slap and sleep their way through each improvised episode. Dynasty? Revenge? Scandal? Indulge in your soap opera fantasy with… The Kensingtons!

But of Mind- an Improvised Twilight Zone

But of Mind explores the territory perused by 50s television Hollywood thrillers such as The Outer Limits, The Veil, and The Twilight Zone as performed by veteran improvisors from across the United States. Be prepared for a faithful and spine-tingling improvised reinterpretation of these classic shows.

The Newlydeads

The Newlydeads (Tony Lazzeroni and Heather Marie Vitale) are a Chicago-based duo born in an audition in Washington, DC. They offer you a glimpse into the life of a married couple: the (mostly) ups and (sometimes) downs of a married couple, told in one long scene. Tony and Heather Marie are not married.

DIF Insta-team

The DIF insta-team has been rehearsing for HOURS! Yes, we just met today. Yes, we made up this show structure this afternoon. No, we can’t tell you anything about it. You’ll just have to see what it’s all about!

Partners in Crime

This first of its kind fully improvised serial production follows the exploits of “Sam” and “Bo”, descendants of Sam Spade and Miles Archer, who use audience suggestions to help create their evolving characters and decide where the next investigation will lead them. Murder, blackmail, jewel heists and kidnapping are just a few of the cases these two private eyes might be sent to solve. Not a comedy, it’s a mystery. Come out and see what one reviewer called “an improvisational film noir journey somewhere between Castle and Moonlighting.”

The BisiBeleBois present Once Upon A Time In Bangalore

It is a long-form improv comedy show inspired by over-dramatic commercial Bollywood movies. The show recreates a typical "masala" movie; but it's done all on the spot with the audience deciding the narrative. It's going to have everything - a mother's tears, childhood romance, villainous gangsters, and nonsensical songs. Never before, never after, this is a movie that you'll never forget!

Jackie Bass

While known for their comedic improv, Jackie Bass can also do drama. Not only do we have experienced and skilled improvisors, we also have very proficient actors, with the ability to create realistic characters that have depth, emotion, and connection. We have performed dramatic mono-scenes, but may change it up as the improvisational spirit moves us.

Theatre Momentum presents The Porch

The Porch is an instant drama in one act. Improv actors are instant playwrights, and this production draws on that skill to create complex interweaving lives and storytelling with depth and honesty. Elements of comedy and drama are folded into the story in equal measure.

Rook

Award-winning improv troupe Rook reunites for a one-night-only performance of a modern one act play. Known for their emotional depth and character-driven storytelling, Rook captivates audiences with unscripted moments that are as raw and surprising as they are heartfelt. This dynamic ensemble blends extensive improv expertise with theatrical skill, creating an authentic and daring performance that resonates deeply. Don’t miss this unforgettable evening of unscripted theatre.

ImprompTwo presents From Dawn to Dusk

ImprompTwo returns to its dramatic roots with From Dawn to Dusk, an improvised play steeped in the tension, passion, and desperation of a changing world. It’s the 1960s—a time of antiwar protests, countercultural movements, and a widening generation gap. Set in the American Midwest, where hard work feels futile and dreams have slipped away, American Gothic explores what keeps people going when the familiar no longer feels like home.

Inspired by the great American playwrights, ImprompTwo crafts a story in real time, where every silence speaks volumes, every glance carries weight, and every moment brims with raw emotion. A play that is never the same twice—deeply human, achingly beautiful, and entirely unscripted.

A one-of-a-kind theatrical experience. Fleeting, intimate, and unforgettable.

The Apartment - A Solo Improv Show

You’re invited into The Apartment, a solo improvised show featuring one performer bringing to life a community of quirky, lovable, and bizarre tenants—all inspired by your suggestion of someone you loved or hated from your childhood.

With just a name and a memory, Tanya transforms into every resident, neighbor, and hallway whisper in a whirlwind of scenes that unfold under one roof.

Welcome to The Apartment.

Contact Blendses Improv presents Improvised Shakespeare

Performed in (our best shot at) Elizabethan language, Contact Blendses’ Improvised Shakespeare show follows the structure of a Shakespearean comedy- everyone is pining for someone they cannot be with, people start creating plots and plans to get what they want, hijinks ensue, and then at the end everyone ends up in the same place at the same time and there is at least one wedding.

Streaky Bacon presents disturbed

A narrative thriller based on audience suggestions of an interaction that has been uncomfortable. The primary idea behind our company is that we have both light and dark in our shows. The name Streaky Bacon comes from a Charles Dickens quote that states "It is the custom on the stage... to present the tragic and the comic scenes, in as regular alternation, as the layers of red and white in a side of streaky, well-cured bacon." We hope to leave audiences satisfied, both having laughed and been unnerved!

Cascade

Since April of 2014, Sarah Marie and Cat have used their knowledge and experience of theater, stagecraft, acting and narrative improv to present an improvised domestic drama. Cascade explores the dynamic bond between two unique and complex characters by showing the darkest and lightest moments of their relationship, often travelling to different key events and times in the characters' lives. Their shows can be heartfelt, playful, sad, and thought-provoking-- all in one show.

Outside In Theatre presents Chekhov High School

Our show is an improvised play in the style of Anton Chekhov that is set in a small Russian town, starring "teens" reminiscent of those featured in Capeside (of Dawson's Creek). Being a teen was hard in the 90's...the 1890's! We play the truth of the scene every step of the way throughout our narrative, which results in a wide variety of emotional responses from the audience.

Landry & Summers

Social and Political Longform Improvisation

Basketball Crush presents Replay

Basketball Crush has just received the green light to create a full length movie, but we are improvisers, not scriptwriters so we need their help coming up with things like the premise, a major celebrity, and a location. We try a few rounds of scenes, each time going back to the audience for more suggestions, until we've finally figured out the secret sauce to make a Blockbuster hit. From there we present a series of scenes from that movie.

Thrice The Drama

Drawing from our backgrounds in dramatic theater, Thrice The Drama crafts intricate one-act plays entirely through improvisation. Our performances explore deep themes, complex characters, and meaningful narratives- all created spontaneously on the spot. This unique style allows us to blend the thrilling unpredictability of improv with the emotional depth of scripted drama. Our audience will be captivated not just by our skilled improvisers, but by the compelling story that organically unfolds before their eyes. We showcase an innovative improv format that expands the boundaries of what live theater can be.

Cul-De-Sac Improv presents The Neighborhood

The Neighborhood explores how people act behind closed doors and how they act in public.

Charmers Duo

A member of Charmers Duo tells a true story based on a word of inspiration from the audience, which is then used to inspire a relatable grounded that highlights the everyday quirks of ourselves and people as a whole.  We don't force, but find, the funny and the connection between each other and the audience.

Soda Impro presents Played Out

Buckle up for a rollercoaster ride of laughter and emotion as a previously nonexistent theatre masterpiece is brought to life before your very eyes! Slow and steady makes a play. SODA Impro's approach to improvised plays is heavily character-driven and prefers a chaos theory approach to plot development, which elevates the importance of theme over structure. Played Out begins with long scenes for organic discovery, and allows characters' emotional truths to drive the narrative and get them into trouble. Characters and relationships are allowed to be complex and contradictory, because they serve no other purpose than to exist as who and what they are. Oliver Georgiou, Matt Baram, and Naomi Snieckus’ passion, trust, and unique blend of experience and styles makes for an unforgettable experience every live theatre fanatic will appreciate.

Pillow Talk Improv

This modified deconstruction includes a queen bed which creates unique scenes on stage full of intimacy and drama.

The Free For All

The teachers jam! This is where all the teachers who are still at the festival get a chance to take the stage and jam out together. See your festival instructors put their skills to good use and close out the festival in style!