Performing Arts❯Comedy

Meet the Tokyo Kanpai Boys, Japan's funniest stand-up comedians bringing brand-new material and a wildly entertaining look at life & comedy through Japanese eyes.

Featuring Kansei Yasuda, Daniel Wilson, Shota Saimu and Daisuke Muramoto.

Whether they're explaining Japanese dating culture, exposing everyday misunderstandings between East and West, or simply proving that awkwardness is universal in every language, Tokyo Kanpai Boys delivers a show that's packed with laughs.

Don’t miss this unforgettable night of international comedy that bridges cultures through laughter. Cheers ("Kanpai!") to that. 🍻

Featuring:

Kansei Yasuda

Originally from Tokyo and now based in Toronto, Kansei is one of the fastest-rising international comics working today. A Golden Ticket winner on Kill Tony, he has toured throughout North America and Asia, earning acclaim for his energetic storytelling, sharp cultural observations, and brilliantly unpredictable style.

Daniel Wilson

A Japanese-American comedian based in Tokyo, Daniel has built a massive global following through his viral "Let Me Teach You Some Japanese" videos, earning over200,000 Instagram followers and 5.5 million TikTok likes. Trained at Japan's prestigious Watanabe Comedy School, he combines Japanese and American comedy traditions into a style that's both insightful and endlessly relatable.

Shota Saimu

Known for his deceptively quiet stage presence and devastating punchlines, Shota has become a favorite among audiences in both Japan and the United States. Performing in both English and Japanese, his dry delivery, understated confidence, and viral online clips have made him one of Japan's most exciting emerging comedic voices.

Daisuke Muramoto

One of Japan's most recognizable comedians, Muramoto first rose to fame as half of the legendary manzai duo Woman Rush Hour, appearing on hundreds of television programs before reinventing himself as one of Japan's boldest stand-up voices. His acclaimed documentary I Am a Comedian chronicles his journey from mainstream celebrity to internationally touring performer whose fearless comedy tackles politics, culture, and identity.

Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

Portland Art Museum invites the community to join a Free First Thursday event, offering free admission to the museum for all, plus a Live Wire event as part of the Literary Arts Portland Book Festival. Visitors can take in the afternoon gallery pop-ups, the evening show, or both!

4:30 – 6 p.m. — Free, pre-show, pop-up performances will take place throughout the Museum’s galleries. Performers are poet and rapper Dessa, bestselling children’s author Mac Barnett, Pulitzer Prize Finalist Ed Park, and Portland comedian Mx. Dahlia Belle.

Free First Thursday tickets can be reserved online one week in advance and are also available at the door.

7 p.m. — Enjoy a fully seated, ticketed Live Wire taping hosted by Luke Burbank with announcer Elena Passarello, featuring a blend of interviews, comedy, and music performed live for the audience, then edited into an episode for broadcast to over 200 public radio stations nationwide. Performers are poet and rapper Dessa, bestselling children’s author Mac Barnett, Pulitzer Prize Finalist Ed Park, and Portland comedian Mx. Dahlia Belle. Doors will open at 6:30pm.

GA Tickets are $15. Preferred Seating is $40. Discounts available to Portland Book Festival passholders.

Dessa is a singer, rapper, and writer who fell in love with language as a toddler—and just never got over it. Now, she works in fields that traffic in words: she’s recorded rap bangers as part of the fiercely independent Doomtree collective, released a live album with the Grammy-winning Minnesota Orchestra; contributed to The New York Times and National Geographic Traveler; delivered a TED Talk on the intersection of romance and neuroscience that’s notched more than 4 million views; hosted 2 seasons of behavioral science podcast Deeply Human (BBC/American Public Media); and published a memoir recounting most of the above called My Own Devices (Penguin Random House).

Mac Barnett, the 2025–2026 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, is a New York Times bestselling author of stories for children. Mac’s books have won many prizes, including two Caldecott Honors, three New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book Awards, three E. B. White Read Aloud Awards and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, as well as several international prizes. He lives in Oakland, California. His latest book, illustrated by X. Fang, is Tom Nancy: The Sheep Who Swapped Brains with a Boy. From two of the most exciting picture book makers today comes a hilarious trickster tale and Freaky Friday switcheroo story: a sneaky, cheeky sheep named Tom Nancy has a brain swap proposal for an innocent farm boy named Felix that will change both of their lives forever. Laugh-out-loud, subversive, and totally unexpected.

Ed Park is the author of the novels Personal Days and Same Bed Different Dreams. He is a founding editor of The Believer, and has worked in newspapers, book publishing, and academia. His writing appears in The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, Harper’s Magazine, The Atlantic, and elsewhere. Profound, wily, and beautifully wrought, his new book Three Tenses: A Transmission from the Nineties is a meeting of memory and myth, confession and obfuscation, coalescing to offer a singular picture of creativity in action.

The princess of Portland comedy, best known for her breakout performance on the popular Netflix special Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda, Mx. Dahlia Belle has been compared to a Swiss Army knife—different tools to extract sharpness, softness, vulnerability, hope, and wicked wit. She’s been declared one of “11 Trans Comedians… Funnier Than Dave Chappelle” by Out Magazine, repeatedly featured on NPR, and has written for Cosmopolitan Magazine, The Guardian, The Stranger, and Portland Mercury. Her live performances have included NW Black Comedy Festival, Upper Left Comedy Festival, SF Sketchfest, and an awkward conversation with John Waters and Piers Morgan. In the upcoming live taping of her comedy special Affirmed at Polaris Hall on November 22nd, Mx. Dahlia Belle delivers 60 new minutes of stand-up to celebrate and affirm being human in the modern world through a combination of the wholesome and mundane, anecdotes about house cats, liscivious foibles of the LGBT community, and an unapologetic account of her personal journey with gender-affirming care, all delivered with her trademark free form wit.

Free First Thursdays at the Museum and PAM CUT’s Tomorrow Theater aligns with the revitalization of the long-standing Portland art galleries’ tradition of opening their doors for openings, receptions, and events on the first Thursday of each month. In recent months art and culture organizations have joined to bring back this popular activity, including the Pacific Northwest College of Art and the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education in the North Park Blocks.

Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.

It took Cam all of 3 weeks to drop out of college at FAMU to pursue comedy full time at the age of 19. Cam recently appeared on Season 16 of ‘America’s Got Talent’ receiving a “Yes” from all 4 celebrity judges, Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Sophia Vergara, and Howie Mandel. In 2019, Cam Bertrand became the youngest comic to win the 'Florida's Funniest' competition, beating out over 300 comics, previous winners include Daniel Tosh, Bert Kreischer, Preacher Lawson and JB Ball. In that same year, Cam also became the youngest comedian to record his own half hour comedy special with DryBar comedy, his special 'Sophisticated Ignorance' which has garnered over 140 million total views since its release. Cam has built up a social media following of nearly 1 Million Followers on TikTok, 176k on Instagram, 270k on Facebook, and 47k on Youtube. He has also worked with some of the biggest names in comedy today including: Joe Rogan, Andrew Schulz, Matt Rife, Bert Kreischer, Pete Davidson, Hannibal Buress, Michael Che, Josh Blue, and Mike Epps. Couple's Package includes: - 2 premium seats - $90 food & beverage credit ($45 per person)- Gratuity - Ticket Protection Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

Review our venue FAQ here

From humble beginnings 50 years ago busking on the streets of Philadelphia, to acclaimed sold–out runs on Broadway and renown as the longest-running and one of the most-beloved resident headline acts in Las Vegas history, magic’s legendary duo — Penn Jillette and Teller — continue to defy labels (and at times physics and good taste), by redefining the genre of magic and inventing their own very distinct niche in comedy.

The current hit series Penn & Teller: Fool Us! for The CW Network, on which up-and-comers and magic veterans try to fool Penn & Teller for a chance to star in the pair’s hit Las Vegas stage show, was nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award and has been renewed for an unprecedented 12th season. The show is the longest continual American magic television series in history, introducing the art to new fans and cultivating new generations of innovators within the craft.

Twice named “Magicians of the Year” by the Academy of Magical Arts, the equivalent of the Oscars in magic, they were named the 2024 Masters Fellowship recipients, the highest honor the Academy bestows. The pair live in Las Vegas, where they are engaged in their community, acting as honorary chairmen for AFAN (Aid for AIDS Nevada), raising and donating nearly $2 million and serving as grand marshals for AFAN’s annual Las Vegas AIDS Walk for the past 23 years. Through their involvement with Opportunity Village, which assists in employment placement and lifestyle betterment for those living with intellectual disabilities, they have raised over $1 million. The annual blood drive, Penn & Teller’s 13 Bloody Days of Christmas, has resulted in over 85,000 donors since its inception. In 2023, they took part in the USO’s annual Christmas tour, entertaining thousands of servicemen and servicewomen in bases across Europe.

In 2025, the pair celebrated 50 years as innovators in combining smart, edgy comedy with their unique magical style.

From humble beginnings 50 years ago busking on the streets of Philadelphia, to acclaimed sold–out runs on Broadway and renown as the longest-running and one of the most-beloved resident headline acts in Las Vegas history, magic’s legendary duo — Penn Jillette and Teller — continue to defy labels (and at times physics and good taste), by redefining the genre of magic and inventing their own very distinct niche in comedy.

Their Off-Broadway debut in 1985 electrified New York with a stage show the likes of which had never been seen. Combining magic, comedy, and social commentary in a theatrical event the New York Times said was a “A witheringly funny…Brazen assault on the temple of magic,” the show moved to Broadway in 1987, the first of three eponymously titled Broadway runs. Their efforts in New York have been awarded an Obie and a Lucille Lortel Award. Their most recent return to Broadway, hailed as “Deliciously Demented” by USA Today, was the highest-grossing non-musical for the entirety of its run, even out-grossing Hamilton for one week.

Performing nearly 300 live shows every year from the stages of America’s greatest performing arts venues as well as the Sydney Opera House and London’s Apollo Theatre, their record-breaking Las Vegas show at The Rio Hotel & Casino has an amazing 10 wins, including 2025, as “Las Vegas Magicians of the Year” and was called “The single best show in Vegas,” by the Los Angeles Times.

The current hit series Penn & Teller: Fool Us! for The CW Network, on which up-and-comers and magic veterans try to fool Penn & Teller for a chance to star in the pair’s hit Las Vegas stage show, was nominated for a Critic’s Choice Award and has been renewed for an unprecedented 12th season. The show is the longest continual American magic television series in history, introducing the art to new fans and cultivating new generations of innovators within the craft.

Hundreds of outrageous appearances on everything from Fallon to Friends, The Simpsons to Colbert, Modern Family to Big Bang Theory, Dancing With The Stars to The Masked Singer, plus their own specials for NBC, ABC, PBS and Comedy Central have garnered them an Emmy, a Writers Guild Award, and their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The controversial Showtime series, Penn & Teller: BS! was nominated for 13 Emmys and was the longest-running series in the history of the network. The show highlighted the pair’s ardent skepticism by tackling the fakes and frauds behind such topics as alien abduction, psychics, and bottled water.

In recent years they have become acclaimed documentarians with the BAFTA-nominated Sony Pictures Classic release, Tim’s Vermeer, which follows Texas-based inventor Tim Jenison on his quest to discover the methods used by Dutch Master painter Johannes Vermeer. Their other films, the critically-lauded feature The Aristocrats and the Showtime short The Gambler’s Ballad, were met with wide praise.

The Olivier-nominated Magic Goes Wrong, written and created in collaboration with Mischief Theatre (creators of the Tony-nominated The Play That Goes Wrong), played at London’s West End Vaudeville Theatre, setting a box office pre-sale record. The Daily Mail hailed it as a “Spellbinding romp,” while The Sun theater critic raved, “I’ll be laughing into next week.” In 2024, they had two shows running Off-Broadway as creators and producers: the Magic Goes Wrong spin-off The Mind Mangler, which returned to London’s West End in
March, and the technology/magic/thriller Stalker.

As individuals, they are just as prolific. Teller directed versions of Macbeth and The Tempest which toured to raves from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, co-wrote and directed the Off-Broadway thriller Play Dead and has written two books. Penn has written five books, including the New York Times Best Sellers “God No!” and “Presto”. For his role in this year’s critically acclaimed Oscar-nominated film, Marty Supreme, he was nominated for an Actor Award (formerly the SAG Awards), alongside co-stars Timothee Chalamet and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Twice named “Magicians of the Year” by the Academy of Magical Arts, the equivalent of the Oscars in magic, they were named the 2024 Masters Fellowship recipients, the highest honor the Academy bestows. The pair live in Las Vegas where they are engaged in their community, acting as honorary chairmen for AFAN (Aid for AIDS Nevada), raising and donating nearly $2 million and serving as grand marshals for AFAN’s annual Las Vegas AIDS Walk for the past 23 years. Through their involvement with Opportunity Village, which assists in employment placement and lifestyle betterment for those living with intellectual disabilities, they have raised over $1 million. The annual blood drive, Penn & Teller’s 13 Bloody Days of Christmas, has resulted in over 85,000 donors since its inception. In 2023, they took part in the USO’s annual Christmas tour, entertaining thousands of servicemen and servicewomen in bases across Europe.

In 2025, the pair celebrated 50 years as innovators in combining smart, edgy comedy with their unique magical style.

What do you get when Don Lemon, award-winning journalist, and DL Hughley, one of the original Kings of Comedy, and highly recognized stand-up comedians come together for a night of conversation?

Expect the unexpected from these two brilliant minds doing their public service while taking you on a journey exploring topics spanning everything from social issues, race, pop-culture and current events. Nothing is off limits!

Join for Nora Ephron’s endlessly charming You’ve Got Mail, the cozy, bookish romantic comedy that makes the dial-up internet age feel magical. Grab a bingo card curated by Violet Hex and play along as Kathleen Kelly and Joe Fox fall in love one anonymous email at a time.

Book superstore magnate Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) and independent book shop owner Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) fall in love in the anonymity of the Internet—both blissfully unaware that he’s trying to put her out of business.

1998. Directed by Nora Ephron. Runtime: 1hr 59min. Rated PG.

Part comedy special, part concert, and full of surprises. Bernice Ye, dubbed “The Jackie Chan of Comedy” by The Stranger, brings Wuhan Clan Ain’t Nuthin’ ta Duck Wit to Portland’s Kickstand Comedy for one night only. Wu-Tang energy meets immigrant storytelling in a live show blending stand-up, original comedy rap, martial arts, audience interaction, and cinematic multimedia. It’s about identity, ambition, and building your own clan when the world doesn’t hand you one.

Born in Wuhan, China, Ye came to the U.S. with $1,000 and a computer science degree from Peking University. She built a career at Microsoft and Hulu, then walked away from tech for the comedy stage. Now an internationally touring comedian, comedy rapper, and taekwondo black belt, she turns that unlikely journey into an evening of laughter, music, and reinvention. It was the most unhinged sequence of decisions she’s ever made. It’s working. With 400K+ followers and more than 100 million views online, Ye has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Stranger, and Seattle Gay News. Her credits include the New York Comedy Festival, Bergamot Comedy Festival, and Best of the Fest honors at Burbank Comedy Festival, Laugh After Dark, and Nate Jackson’s Super Funny Comedy Festival.

Following previous appearances at The Siren Theater, Ye returns to Portland with the road-tested show that launched a 13-city national tour. Whether you’ve followed her online or are discovering her for the first time, you’re invited into the Wuhan Clan. Come for the comedy. Leave with a clan—and songs stuck in your head.

Jason’s performed all over the world including for the troops in Europe, South America, & Afghanistan. His standup special: BISCUITS and GRAVITY can be watched right now on YouTube.

He’s been featured in Red Dead Redemption 2, Orange is the New Black, HBO, Comedy Central, At Home with Amy Sedaris, Hulu’s Wu Tang Clan Series, and 30 Rock.

- 2 premium seats
- $90 food & beverage credit ($45 per person)
- Gratuity
- Ticket Protection

Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

Portland Fabric User Group It's that magical time of year again where we have our all day FREE technical conference at a local site. This year, we are once again holding our conference at Washington State University Vancouver, up in the Salmon Creek area. As many of you know, the active leadership lives in the Vancouver area, so we've naturally migrated the event to Vancouver due to the availability of high-quality sites with excellent parking. We're in partnership with WSU Vancouver and the WSU

Live Wire joins forces with the Portland Art Museum for an afternoon of roving performances ahead of an evening recording of the program. The event coincides with PAM's monthly Free First Thursday and the Portland Book Festival's expanded programming. Performers will include poet and rapper Dessa, bestselling children’s author Mac Barnett, Pulitzer Prize Finalist Ed Park, and Portland comedian Mx. Dahlia Belle.

Free pop-up performances will take place throughout the Museum’s galleries, giving visitors a chance to catch live performances and storytelling while moving through the PAM spaces. Completely free through PAM’s Free First Thursday general admission. Also, enjoy a fully seated, ticketed Live Wire taping hosted by Luke Burbank with announcer Elena Passarello, featuring a blend of interviews, comedy, and music performed live for the audience, then edited into an episode for broadcast to over 200 public radio stations nationwide.

Visitors can take in the afternoon gallery pop-ups, the evening show, or both.

Meet the Tokyo Kanpai Boys, Japan's funniest stand-up comedians, bringing brand-new material and a wildly entertaining look at life and comedy through Japanese eyes. Whether they're explaining Japanese dating culture, exposing everyday misunderstandings between East and West, or simply proving that awkwardness is universal across languages, Tokyo Kanpai Boys delivers a show packed with laughs.

Featuring Kansei Yasuda, Daniel Wilson, Shota Saimu and Daisuke Muramoto.

Don’t miss this unforgettable night of international comedy that bridges cultures through laughter. Cheers ("Kanpai") to that.

Leapin’ Louie: The Upside Down Ocean. Leapin’ Louie’s new show: An ocean animal circus spectacular. It’s science, but you laugh so hard. Gastropod Cousteau (aka Leapin’ Louie Lichtenstein ) is a nudibranch detective trying to figure out what happened to the missing kelp forests. Whales, sea otters, decorator crabs, giant squid and a peacock mantis shrimp help Gastro solve the mystery. And the story is told with circus and comedy. Featuring giant lasso, glow juggling, a 6 foot unicycle, enormous puppets and a slide-show of amazing ocean animals. You know him from White Album Xmas or the Rose Festival. Leapin’ Louie has performed his solo shows in 35 nations around the world, including Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Brazil, the UK and a few dozen European tours. He has toured opening for country stars Brooks and Dunn and the rock legend Primus. He makes adults laugh with family-friendly material, and he gets audiences very excited.

Portland premiere of a new, independent film!

Fran (Geena Pietromonaco), a quirky, Christmas-obsessed designer is scrambling to move out of the Seattle apartment she shares with her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend before they get engaged on New Year’s Eve. Will (Zach Gilford), a jaded celebrity chef who has lost his love for cooking and the holidays, needs to salvage his reputation after a brutal breakup with his business partner.

Determined to succeed, Fran enlists her besties to pull off the perfect Christmas culinary pop-up and help Will remember why he loved cooking in the first place. And despite her vow to never date another chef, sparks begin to fly.

• Director: Molly Muse
• Country: United States
• Year: 2026
• Runtime: 93 minutes

The Understudies, Portland’s hottest new musical improv group, is debuting their one-hour fully improvised musical, The Understudies: A Fully Improvised Musical. It’s curtain time, but the musical’s principal cast has all mysteriously fallen ill! Can the Understudies fill in and perform a show they’ve never even heard of, much less practiced? Come enjoy a fully improvised musical comedy filled with drama, epic songs, joy, dance, and a heaping helping of laughs.

21Ten Theatre is a cozy 40-seat black box theater in Southeast Portland, providing an up close and personal experience with some of Portland's most talented performance artists.

The Understudies are Sean Arlo (Dropped Notes, Curious Comedy), Whitney Kemper (Mouth Stuff, Kickstand Comedy, Curious Comedy), Lydia Manning (Slydia, Bike Play, Kickstand Comedy), Heather Riggs (Mouth Stuff, Kickstand Comedy), Megan Monroe (Kickstand Comedy, Curious Comedy), Wren Reynolds (Kickstand Comedy), Brantley Bacon (pianist extraordinaire, No Soap Radio, Los Mal Hablados), and Bloom Davis (Kickstand Comedy).

Minors ok when accompanied by a parent or guardian

ALL SALES ARE FINAL. PLEASE, DOUBLE CHECK YOUR ORDER BEFORE PURCHASING. NO REFUNDS.

The one-man band without a plan, Mattress started in 2006. To quote a sassy pal (with initials IB): “You are wildly unpopular for that amount of time.” Amen. Who cares? Art for art’s sake. For the first time ever–Mattress is putting together a full band for this show. 5 guitars? 8 keyboards? 12 drummers? Yodelers and a glass harmonica? Probably.

Mattress has made some friends over 20 years and put together this stellar bill (more of a mini-fest), bringing together acts he met 20 years ago and 2 years ago. Check this out:

Black Shelton (solo), a one-man band powerhouse of wit, sleaze and electro boogie. Songs "I'm Back in the Doghouse Again" and “White Lover” will warp your mind.

Dragging an Ox Thru Water fingerpicking melody noise glitch heart string puller.

THRONES Joe Preston is coming out of semi-retirement to do this show. Hopefully this will get some elder goths and heshers out of their LazyBoys and into the show.

Joe Von Appen, the monologue performance semi-comedy satirist who has toured with Mattress for close to 10,000 miles. He will host the show; his dry wit will confuse and entertain most in attendance.

Special guest TBA, probably famous, very name-droppable.

Who is in the Mattress band? Members of Modest Mouse, The Fur Coats, Dommengang, Room, WIBG, Black Shelton and others.

Comedy: CONVERSATIONAL LUBE: The first LIVE comedy dating show!! at Al's Den.

Friday, November 27 6:30pm doors, 7pm show 21 and over at Al's Den

Live Wire teams up with the Portland Art Museum during First Thursday and the Portland Book Festival. From 4:30 to 6 p.m., complimentary pop-up performances roam the museum galleries, no ticket needed. At 7 p.m., host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello lead a seated, ticketed taping with poet and rapper Dessa, children’s author Mac Barnett, Pulitzer Prize finalist Ed Park, and Portland comedian Mx. Dahlia Belle. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.. Portland Book Festival passholders get 10% off.

Yvette Segan is a comedian, actor, writer, and producer. She performs standup all over the globe, most notably at New York Comedy Festival and Top Secret in London. She has featured across the US at Cobb’s Comedy Club in San Francisco, The Hollywood Improv in Los Angeles, Helium Comedy Club in Philadelphia, and headlined Don’t Tell in Washington, DC. In NYC she performs at clubs and indie shows across the boroughs. Her work has been featured by Buzzfeed, Betches, New Yorkers, and Barstool. She has a BA in Drama from Vassar College and Certificate in Classical Acting from the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art (LAMDA).

- 2 premium seats
- $90 food & beverage credit ($45 per person)
- Gratuity
- Ticket Protection

Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

WSU Vancouver MIS club and the Oregon Data Community host a free one-day training event for data professionals and students using the Microsoft Data Platform.

Session topics include SQL Server, Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, Azure Synapse, data analytics, visualization and more!

Coffee and Beverages will be provided, and lunch will be available for a small fee.

Conference attendance is free, but registration is required. Use the QR code below.

True West Presents Kathy Griffin: New face, New tour Fri, November 6th, 2026 Doors: 6PM / Show: 7PM Aladdin Theater

Date: November 29, 2026 from 2:00 PM

Pricing: $25 – $35

Louis Pearl has been thrilling audiences around the world for over 30 years with the art, magic, science and fun of bubbles. He is a favorite at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where he has enjoyed 14 years of sell-out success.

Louis explores the breath-taking dynamics of bubbles, combining comedy and artistry with audience participation and enough spellbinding bubble tricks to keep everyone mesmerized. From square bubbles, bubbles inside bubbles, fog-filled bubbles, giant bubbles, bubble volcanoes, tornados and trampolines to people inside bubbles, the Amazing Bubble Man conjures shrieks of laughter and gasps of amazement from all ages.

Most shows will also feature multi-instrumentalist Jet Black Pearl accompanying Louis with bubbly music to double your pleasure.

https://amazingbubbleman.com/

“Greatest Bubble Show on Earth.” – San Francisco Chronicle

“It’s a fantastic show. Louis Pearl playfully forms bubbles beyond imagination and engages the audience with his easygoing nonverbal slapstick.”

“Louis Pearl – aka The Amazing Bubble Man – truly deserves his title. Most of the show is accompanied by gasps and awes…and that’s just the adults. Kids can be heard giggling with excitement.”

“This show captivated its young audience, and the adults loved it as well. Highly recommended.” –British Theater Guide.

“The show is one giant, joyous caper” —The Wee Review

“Better Than Cirque du Soleil” – Corbin Doughy, 11 audience member. The eight-year-old seated beside this reviewer summed it up neatly during the show, proclaiming after one nifty maneuver, ‘he sure is the amazing bubble man.’

PAM gallery pop-ups: 4:30-6:00 p.m.
Doors for Live Wire seated show: 6:30 p.m.
Live Show: 7:00 p.m.

Live Wire Radio, the Portland-based public radio variety show, joins forces with the Portland Art Museum for an afternoon of roving performances ahead of an evening recording of the program. The event coincides with PAM’s monthly Free First Thursday and the Portland Book Festival’s expanded programming.

In the afternoon, free pop-up performances will take place throughout the Museum’s galleries giving visitors a chance to catch short live performances and storytelling while moving through the PAM spaces. Performers will include genre-blending rapper and writer Dessa, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and children’s author Mac Barnett, National Book Award Finalist Ed Park, and Portland comedian Mx. Dahlia Belle among others.

The evening will feature a fully seated, ticketed Live Wire taping hosted by Luke Burbank with announcer Elena Passarello, featuring a blend of interviews, comedy, and music performed live for the audience, then edited into an episode for broadcast to over 200 public radio stations nationwide.

Visitors can take in the afternoon gallery pop-ups, the evening show, or both!

Note: Admission is free to the afternoon gallery pop-ups as part of general admission on Free First Thursday at Portland Art Museum. Tickets available on the museum website.

Ticket Prices:
$40 Preferred Seats
$36 Bookfest Pass Holder Discount – Preferred Seats (10% off)
$15 General Admission Seats
$13.50 Bookfest Pass Holder Discount – General Admission (10% off)

With over half a billion online views, privileged west London’s leading freestyle rapper comes to the USA & Canada for the first time! An entire show of lightning-fast improvised raps and explosively funny rhymes all based on audience suggestions. You'll leave astounded at the speed of his brain, the spontaneity of his punchlines, and the stability of his upbringing. Jaw-dropping, hilarious, utterly unbelievable.

Hello everyone! MC Hammersmith here! It's been months of waiting, and I'm *still* awaiting final work visa approval from your glorious USCIS! I have an interview at the US Embassy on the week of October 12th, where - all being well - I am assured they *should*grant me final visa approval then and there to enter your great nation! HOWEVER! Anything could happen, and while tickets to this show are obviously refundable in the event my visa doesn't arrive in time, if you book hotels/travel to come to this show, PLEASE make sure it is refundable also! I would hate for any of my noble American followers to be left out of pocket by any final administrative curveballs. Okay thanks love you and see you in the States probably; can't wait to eat Chipotle til I'm sick!

- 2 premium seats
- $90 food & beverage credit ($45 per person)
- Gratuity
- Ticket Protection

Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

Anthony Hudson reads from his new collection of performance works Lamp Black: Plays and Other Grievances at Portland Art Museum in the American Art gallery (Level 2, Room 211), paired with Moses Soyer, Girl with a Cigarette.

Followed by book signing at The Shop at PAM.

A major collection of performance works by artist and agitator Anthony Hudson.

Lamp Back: Plays and Other Grievances collects nearly a decade of work by Anthony Hudson, a queer Indigenous artist and agitator also known as Portland, Oregon’s premier drag clown, Carla Rossi. Whether fumbling with a lamp in a satirical takedown of land acknowledgments or confronting the history of redface in pop culture, Hudson alternates between Rossi’s cackling “ghost of white privilege” and more earnest, vulnerable confessionals as himself—all with a deep commitment to bitter humor and brutal honesty. In these performance works, a mixed-race Native boy plays a pilgrim in his kindergarten Thanksgiving pageant. A young artist recounts the racism in their favorite musical and the larger American theater system. A drag queen storytime goes disastrously wrong and calls for an exorcism with a plunger. Kate Bredeson’s unflinching introduction speaks to Hudson’s work through a cultural and historical lens and illuminates the importance of his project to filet the American Empire.

Marsha Blovotnik is angry. So angry. The whole world is fakakte, but for this Leftie Jewish Lesbian, it’s her sister Janice who really burns her tuchus. Janice invites herself over for Shabbos dinner and then shows up three minutes early. Who does that?!? Just before her sister arrives, a mysterious ancestor gives Marsha a pot of magical chicken soup with the power to cure the world of its woes — if only Marsha can cool down enough to share a bowl of soup with her sister.

A buoyant, crackling comedy about how to live in a dumpster fire.

Special live introduction and post-screening Q&A with the writer, director, and producers Josh Androsky, Nate Fisher, and Amber A’Lee Frost!

Chapo Trap House presents: CHUNKS – an anthology film of six unique comedy shorts threaded together with our host Ruby, a faded Hollywood starlet (Ruby McCollister, Search Party, Rap World) and taking inspiration from the glamorous by-gone era of late nite public access weirdness.

With live action shorts featuring originals from friends of the podcast, like Pod About List (Adam Friedland Show, Rap World), Sandy Honig (Adult Swim’s Three Busy Debras), Will Senett (A Closer Look, Eephus), and two animated segments from Episode 1 & Jim Soper (The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie) and Nick Mullen (CumTown) & Saul Crinier.

• Director: Various
• Country: United States
• Year: 2026
• Runtime: 120 minutes

Fred Armisen is a comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He is the co-writer and co-star of IFC’s Emmy-nominated series Portlandia. He is in the hit Netflix series Wednesday as Uncle Fester. He stars in HBO’s Los Espookys, which he co-wrote and executive produced. He can also be heard in the hit animated Super Mario Bros movie. Armisen stars in, writes, and produces IFC’s hit show Documentary Now. He has also appeared in HBO’s Our Flag Means Death, Judd Apatow’s The Bubble, andAmazon’s series Forever. He voices characters in Big Mouth and The Mitchells vs. The Machines. He is currently starring in the Broadway play All In. Armisen is an 11-season veteran of Saturday Night Live. From 2014-2024, Armisen was band leader of the 8G Band on Late Night With Seth Meyers.

Get ready for a night of music, comedy and incredible a cappella music as Vocalocity brings We’re Halfway There. Vocalocity takes some of the biggest songs from the ’60s to today and completely reimagines them using only the human voice. From Bon Jovi, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson to Coldplay and more, their fun show is packed with songs you know and love, Vocalocity’s signature harmonies and plenty of unexpected moments along the way.

This isn’t your traditional a cappella concert. Vocalocity combines powerful vocals, beatboxing, comedy and six distinct personalities into a fast-moving show designed to keep you entertained from beginning to end.

Come laugh, sing along and experience your favorite songs in a whole new way.

Ahren Belisle has skyrocketed onto some of the biggest stages in comedy—despite only performing stand-up for a few short years. He won over millions as a Top 10 Finalist on America’s Got Talent and made an unforgettable debut on the wildly popular podcast Kill Tony, where he’s become a regular fixture. A former software engineer and mental health advocate, Ahren was born in Northern Ontario with cerebral palsy and is nonverbal, delivering his punchlines through his phone. His innate charm and quick wit have earned him a unique place in comedy—where the comedian who doesn’t speak is allowed to say anything. Ahren has built a devoted following of over a million fans across social media, using his platform to blend bold comedy with messages of positivity, inclusion, and resilience.

- 2 premium seats
- $90 food & beverage credit ($45 per person)
- Gratuity
- Ticket Protection

Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

Fred Armisen is a comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He is the co-writer and co-star of IFC’s Emmy-nominated series Portlandia. He is in the hit Netflix series Wednesday as Uncle Fester. He stars in HBO’s Los Espookys, which he co-wrote and executive-produced. He can also be heard in the hit animated movie Super Mario Bros. Armisen stars in, writes, and produces IFC’s hit show Documentary Now. He has also appeared in HBO’s Our Flag Means Death, Judd Apatow’s The Bubble, and Amazon’s series Forever. He voices characters in Big Mouth and The Mitchells vs. The Machines. He is currently starring in the Broadway play All In. Armisen is an 11-season veteran of Saturday Night Live. From 2014-2024, Armisen was the band leader of the 8G Band on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

One of the crowning achievements of the German expressionist movement, Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau’s THE LAST LAUGH stars Emil Jannings stars as an aging doorman whose happiness crumbles when he is relieved of the duties and uniform which had for years been the foundation of his happiness and pride. Through Jannings’s colossal performance, THE LAST LAUGH becomes more than the plight of a single doorman, but a mournful dramatization of the frustration and anguish of the universal working class.

Limited number of discount passes to see all the films in the Weimar Germany: Queer Visions series while supplies last.

• Director: F.W. Murnau
• Year: 1924
• Country: Germany
• Runtime: 90 minutes

Join us for Perfect Person Live! A flawless call-in advice show in which Miles Bonsignore answers your calls, solves your problems, and helps you achieve perfection.

- 2 premium seats
- $90 food & beverage credit ($45 per person)
- Gratuity
- Ticket Protection

Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

NODES 2026 is Neo4j's free, 24-hour global online conference, running across every time zone on November 12. The program is aimed at developers, data professionals, architects and AI engineers, with sessions on modern application development, multi-agent workflows, graph-backed retrieval and building context-rich systems that hold up in production. Talks are grouped by experience level, so there are introductory sessions for people new to graph databases alongside deeper technical material on knowledge graphs, agent orchestration and graph analytics at scale. Because the event streams continuously for a full day, Pacific-time attendees can join sessions in the morning, over lunch or in the evening, and recordings are typically published afterward. Registration is free through the Neo4j eve https://neo4j.com/event/nodes-2026-engineering-better-intelligence/

British breakthrough Brett Goldstein has swiftly cemented his status as a formidable creative force, both on and off screen. Goldstein most recently starred opposite Jennifer Lopez in Netflix’s irreverent romantic comedy “Office Romance,” which he also co-wrote and produced alongside Joe Kelly. The film immediately soared to the No. 1 spot globally, drawing an astonishing 20.9 million views in its opening weekend.

He also continues to push creative boundaries as co-creator and executive producer of the cathartic comedy “Shrinking,” alongside Jason Segel and Bill Lawrence. The Emmy-nominated Apple TV series is currently in production on its fourth season. In addition to his behind-the-scenes work, Goldstein’s pivotal guest performance has drawn widespread critical acclaim. His contributions to the series have earned him a BAFTA TV Craft Award nomination for ‘Writer: Comedy,’ a SAG Award nomination for ‘Outstanding Ensemble,’ and a 2024 WGA nomination for ‘New Series.’

Goldstein first broke through as writer, executive producer, and star of the Apple TV phenomenon “Ted Lasso,” set to return for its fourth season in August. His brash yet lovable performance as Roy Kent previously earned him two consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for ‘Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy’ – the first back-to-back win in the category in nearly 15 years. He also received a Critics' Choice Award, Golden Globe nomination, and shared in the SAG Award for ‘Outstanding Ensemble,’ along with the WGA Awards for ‘Best Comedy Series’ and ‘Best New Series.’

Cliffbanger is musical improv like you’ve never seen—in-your-face, unpredictable, and ridiculously fun! No scripted storylines or predictable arcs—just razor-sharp comedy, top-tier musicianship, and on-the-spot songs (and choreography!) that will make you laugh ’til your stomach hurts. We start with one audience suggestion—and that’s all we need. From there, it’s fast, fearless comedy with catchy songs and harmonies that have no business being that good.

High-energy, unapologetically funny, and unlike anything else. This is musical improv… that hits.

Featuring:
Rachel Rosenthal, Sam De Roest, Emily Larkin, Lauren Van Kurin, Lena Roper — and Mont Chris Hubbard on keys!

Directed by Rachel Rosenthal
Musical Direction by Mont Chris Hubbard

No one combines stand-up comedy, improvised music and audience interaction like Chris Turner. This unique skill set proved a hit with the American public, who voted him runner-up on Season 20 of America’s Got Talent, making him the highest-placed comedian in 10 years and the top-ranking rapper the show has ever seen.

Chris was one of the first comedians to ever perform a Las Vegas residency with Cirque Du Soleil; defeated ChatGPT in TED’s inaugural Man vs. Machine rap battle; and his appearances on America’s Got Talent and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert earned him rapturous standing ovations. Based in New York, he’s a regular headline act at the world-famous Comedy Cellar, with over 125 million views online thanks to his unmatched improvisational talent. Chris’s one-of-a-kind approach to crowd-sourced musical comedy makes his live shows a unique and unforgettable experience that has to be seen to be believed.

Self-help Singh is the alter ego of international comedian Masood Boomgaard. Self-help Singh, described as a comedic alternative life coach and de-motivational speaker, first appeared to Boomgaard in a vision after he fell and hit his head while rushing to the bathroom in an attempt to outrun the gastric consequences of bad lamb vindaloo. Boomgaard has since been sharing the "common sense wisdom" and de-motivational teachings of Self-help Singh to millions of people on the internet. The Self-help Singh live show is a hilarious yet thought-provoking juxtaposition of stand-up comedy, parody and motivational speaking. During his decade-long full-time professional comedy career Boomgaard has performed in New York, London, Dubai and during the lockdown, in his father's garage. He lives in South Africa with his cat...for now.

- 2 premium seats
- $90 food & beverage credit ($45 per person)
- Gratuity
- Ticket Protection

Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

With over half a billion online views, privileged West London’s leading freestyle rapper comes to the USA and Canada for the first time. An entire show of lightning-fast improvised raps and explosively funny rhymes, all based on audience suggestions. You'll leave astounded at the speed of his brain, the spontaneity of his punchlines, and the stability of his upbringing. Jaw-dropping, hilarious, utterly unbelievable.

Drag Bingo is here! Join us for an awesome evening of drag, comedy, prizes, and more. Hosted by the incredible Riley Burrows, your "Hostess with the Mostest", one of the Pacific Northwest's leading drag performers! You can find her here, you can find her there, you can find her everywhere - From Portland to Boise to Seattle to Bend and back again! Don't miss out, start making your plans now!!!

Each entry ticket provides one bingo card to play all 3 games during the event. Additional cards can be purchased for $5 each during the event, while supplies last. Food and beverages available for purchase.

No one combines stand-up comedy, improvised music and audience interaction like Chris Turner. This unique skillset proved a hit with the American public, who voted him runner-up on Season 20 of America’s Got Talent, making him the highest placed comedian in 10 years, and the top-ranking rapper the show has ever seen.

Chris was one of the first comedians to ever perform a Las Vegas residency with Cirque Du Soleil; defeated ChatGPT in TED’s inaugural Man vs. Machine rap battle; and his appearances on America’s Got Talent and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert earned him rapturous standing ovations. Based in New York, he’s a regular headline act at the world famous Comedy Cellar, with over 125 million views online thanks to his unmatched improvisational talent. Chris’s one-of-a-kind approach to crowd-sourced musical comedy make his live shows a unique and unforgettable experience that has to be seen to be believed.

”Absolutely hilarious…Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant” – Simon Cowell

“One of the most unique and innovative acts ever…genuinely has to be seen to be believed” – NBC

“Very funny, uniquely appealing... nobody on a Vegas stage does what he does” Las Vegas Review-Journal

Management reserves the right to prevent customers from entering the facility who they deem disruptive or dangerous to other patrons.

Comedy: Murder Casserole - a true crime talk show hosted & panelled by comedians 7-9pm, free, 21+ at Covert Cafe.