Performing Arts❯Comedy❯Improv

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.

The Portland SIMposium is a premier event designed for IT leaders, taking place at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Portland, United States. This all-day event brings together CIOs, CISOs, and technology leaders from across the Pacific Northwest, offering a unique opportunity for collaboration, insight, and innovation. Attendees will engage in a series of mainstage panels, breakout sessions, and fireside conversations that delve into key themes reshaping technology leadership today. Topics of discussion will include AI-driven transformation, cybersecurity resilience, workforce evolution, and the human side of digital leadership. Participants will hear from executives who are at the forefront of technology change across various industries, as well as thought leaders from Oregon's vibrant innovation ecosystem. The event also features the prestigious Oregon CIO & CISO of the Year Awards, highlighting exceptional leadership and impact within the region. With the chance to connect with over 150 regional technology and business leaders, attendees can expect to gain actionable insights that will enhance their strategic governance and leadership effectiveness. The Portland SIMposium promises a day filled with knowledge-sharing, networking opportunities, and community engagement.

Imported from: http://calagator.org/events/1250482744

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/

The original fast-paced, competitive, comedy match - for all ages! It's improv played as a sport. Rated E for Everybody.

Portland Analytics Club Join the global gathering of AI builders, researchers, and enthusiasts pushing the boundaries of agentic systems and multimodal intelligence. Connect every month for organic networking, 1-on-1 video chats, and powerful peer-to-peer exchanges across a flexible, open chat-based platform. **Watch how it works**: [https://youtu.be/trmf6Gqs6FM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trmf6Gqs6FM) What Is the **Agentic AI Multimodal** #MonthlyMixer? The **Agentic AI Multimodal MonthlyM

Cited by The Portland Mercury as "One of the funniest (and most educational) comedy shows in town": Comedy, queer history, and dangerously delightful shenanigans collide at Be Gay Do Crime.

July features a Know Your Rights presentation by community activist Frances Portillo, with scenarios acted out in sections by the featured BIPOC improv troupe Brown Sugar.

**This presentation is specifically geared towards allies wanting to know more about how to support their immigrant and BIPOC neighbors and community members.**

Also featuring the talents of local comedians and performers, including:

• Stand-up comedy from Lindy Tongol (Host of qu eer, BIPOC show House Party)
• Improv from Brown Sugar
• Stand-up from Julia Corral (host of Comedy in the Park, House Party, and Bruja-ja)

July's show will be hosted by Jane Dillinger and Jenna Britann.

Tickets are GAYAF — give as you’re able, friend. Ticket sales will go towards compensating the hosts and performers. All additional tips collected during the show will support a different local community non-profit organization each month.

(Please note, this show is about history and adult themes, and adult content is often included, including themes of violence, racial discrimination, homophobia, sexual violence, sexual content, drug use, mature language, etc. There are also "dishonorable guests" whose comedy or artistic material could include similar themes. Recommended for ages 14+ and parental discretion for those under age 18.)

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

Portland Analytics Club Calling all developers, AI engineers, software architects, data scientists, DevOps professionals, and tech enthusiasts — **TechConnect** is your ultimate destination for career growth, project showcasing, and global peer networking in the tech ecosystem.

Hosted in a self-led, Slack-style virtual space, this **virtual tech networking event** invites you to connect, collaborate, and innovate with a diverse community of tech minds and hiring professionals from around the wo

Saving Throw Studio presents G.A.T.H.E.R., previously called Beginner Friendly App Building for Innovators: a three-hour, innovation-focused workshop for people building software without a technical background. No experience is required and the session is structured to be judgment-free -- guided, founder-friendly building rather than a lecture. This edition digs into prompting accuracy, breaking complex features down into plans a non-engineer can actually execute, and the architectural decisions behind front-end design. Bring a laptop and whatever refreshments you want; there is no dress code. Hosted by Ryan Green at North Bank Innovations inside the Vancouver Innovation Center, 18110 SE 34th St, Vancouver, Washington. Park in Lot 1, the red lot. Weekend doors are locked, so latecomers sho https://luma.com/j9rh2whz

Search and Destroy (S.A.D. for short) is a multimedia variety show happening on the last friday of every month featuring artists and local leaders sharing their craft and talking about what matters most to them. Through storytelling, live conversations, audience interaction, and heavy doses of honesty and humor, S.A.D. seeks to give hope and to be an entertaining and informative space for all to have fun, let loose, and be reminded that we as a people have the agency and ability to initiate change by working together as one.

S.A.D. was partly inspired by late-night television talk shows and variety hours and follows a similar format: an eye-catching opening number, a charming Emcee willing to play the fool, and a shared evening of dance, music, film, comedy, and conversations/interviews, all loosely tied to a theme of the night. The show ends with a dance party where the audience is invited to join the party on stage.
One of the main goals of each S.A.D. show is to dissolve the separation between artist and audience by directly engaging, conversing, and interacting with the audience, inviting them to participate in their seats as well as on the stage.
 Every show features dance movement, improvisation, visual imagery and soundscapes, conversations and spoken word, and various bits that play with the blurring of boundaries between the scripted and unscripted, all through an honest and humorous lens and the intention to entertain, educate, and inspire. Each episode of S.A.D. showcases different artists and acts than the previous one, guaranteeing that every iteration is unique and can only be experienced once.
S.A.D. is a show for everybody and every body, regardless of their identity, background, age, and anything else used to describe oneself.

*Revenue generated from each show is split evenly amongst the contributing artists

X-Prov is a fully improvised, never-before-seen episode of the X-Files where you choose the case and your favorite FBI agents solve a brand new mystery. Is the truth really out there?

Remember the X-Files? What if you got to see one more episode, never before seen and never to be seen again?

In X-Prov, the audience decides which X-File agents Mulder and Scully will investigate. This completely improvised homage to America’s favorite conspiracy-laden ‘90s procedural will feature shadowy government organizations, small-town secrets, and at least one unexplainable creature.

Featuring Tessa Waring (as seen in Group Shower) as Scully, Mo Merrill (as seen waiting for the bus on Glisan) as Mulder, and a supporting cast of Kickstand favorites.

So ask yourself: Do you want to believe?

The Technology Association of Oregon convenes the Agentic AI Summit, a gathering for Oregon technology professionals focused on agentic AI - systems that plan, take actions, and use tools on a persons behalf rather than simply answering prompts. The program is aimed at engineering leaders, product teams, data and platform practitioners, founders, and the operators who have to decide where autonomous agents genuinely earn their keep. Expected themes include practical deployment patterns, evaluation and guardrails, security and data governance for tool-using systems, cost and reliability tradeoffs, and lessons learned from teams already running agents in production. As with other TAO summits, expect a mix of talks, panels, and structured networking with the regional tech community in downtow https://www.techoregon.org/event/agentic-ai-summit

Better Futures Club is a weekly event (alternating Tuesdays and Thursdays) focused on imagining and making better futures. Imagine an artist community, a think tank, and a research center in the same building. People in all of those fields working alongside each other imagining and creating different futures together. Cross pollination and inspiration. Liberal Arts and STEM and R&D. Photographers, physicists, authors, astronomers, musicians, makers, mathematicians, designers, developers, fashionistas, climatologists and all manner of imaginative optimists. All Better Futures Club events are covered by the Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct (https://www.contributor-covenant.org)

Tags: ruby, STEM, liberal arts, community, hacking, AI

Imported from: http://calagator.org/events/1250482760

An improvised comedy news program where you are the news. Join Breaking News as they create an entire broadcast news program based on your favorite current event: you. No algorithms. No competing corporate interests. Just the blazing-hot energy of a live studio audience. Producers, grab your clipboards. Anchors, big smiles. Back from break in 3… 2… 1…

Fresh from their year-and-a-half run as one of the top improv teams at Kickstand Comedy, Breaking News brings you their brand new hour-long show. Featuring Thea Crowley, John Taylor, Lauren Sigler, Justin Himes, Julie Basque, and Catherine Retica.

Portland Analytics Club **What is FirstFridayFair Monthly Job Fair?** [FirstFridayFair Monthly Job Fair](https://events.tao.ai/pod/analytics.club/6j382kbpcnvd) is a **global virtual job fair and remote hiring event** hosted by the [Analytics.CLUB](Analytics.CLUB) community. This **online job fair platform** brings together **professionals, employers, recruiters, and career coaches** for an immersive, **self-managed career networking experience**. 🎥 **New to FirstFridayFair? Watch our explainer

J Names is one of the area’s longest running improv teams. A prominent comedy supergroup of local comedy veterans whose first names (most!) start with the letter “J”. This is high-quality improvisation you won’t want to miss. Featuring: Jay Flewelling, Jed Arkley, Justin Himes, Jenn Hunter, Jon Bolden, SJ Santa Cruz, Katie Behrens, Craig McCarthy.

All ages welcome, though assume PG13 content.
$15 online / $20 at door

Discover how contemporary AI applications can serve as powerful tools for independent living, lifelong learning, and daily problem-solving. This interactive workshop demonstrates practical accessibility functions hidden inside everyday tech, such as instant text-to-speech audio conversion, natural voice-command interactions, and real-time smartphone image recognition (perfect for reading small labels or identifying objects). Moving into deeper research skills, we will outline advanced prompting methods while unpacking the distinct structural limits of large language models. Learn exactly why AI should never replace professional advisory services, and discover specific strategies for spotting online medical misinformation.

For this session, participants are asked to bring smartphones, laptops or tablets with internet access. Hands-on activities will also include more in-depth prompt writing techniques.

Taught by Adult Services Librarian April Younglove of the Lake Oswego Public Library, with one‑on‑one assistance provided by students from the Lake Youth Leadership Council.

For more information and to register for this free class, please call the Adult Community Center at (503) 635-3758. This class will take place at the Adult Community Center, located at 505 G Avenue, Lake Oswego. This event is sponsored by the Lake Oswego Adult Community Center and the Lake Oswego Public Library.

OpenSearch Community & Triage Meetings The Data Prepper team will be triaging issues in the [Data Prepper project](https://github.com/opensearch-project/data-prepper). We meet at 11:00am US Central time.

Please see [our agenda in TRIAGING.md](https://github.com/opensearch-project/data-prepper/blob/main/TRIAGING.md#is-there-an-agenda-for-each-week) for details on our weekly agenda.

[Code of Conduct](https://github.com/opensearch-project/data-prepper/blob/main/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md)

This meeting i

Join the Change Through Play Improv studio for an evening of improvisation. The showcases feature students from every level of classes, improvisers from around Portland, and the Founder and staff improvising as well. The showcases are fun and different!. Come see students demonstrating what they’ve been learning. Learn the difference between what beginning improvisers explore versus intermediate and advanced improvisers.

These showcases are VERY supportive and nurturing, and they're designed to let the students publicly show what they've been working on in class, so bring the spirit of support with you.

Come see sets from the Foundations, Intermediate and Advanced Workshop teams. Also featuring a Harold from the special guests: Mouth Stuff.

The evening will close out with a set from 3hree with Eric and Aden Nepom and the Founder, David Koff.

Working with data that's too large, too slow, or too messy for regular CSVs? Join us for an introduction to the {arrow} package in R. We'll explore how Arrow and Parquet files can make large datasets faster to store, read, and analyze, all while using the familiar dplyr workflows you already know and love. Using Portland's Biketown data, we'll convert, query, and visualize millions of rides without breaking a sweat (or our laptops). Bring your laptop if you want to follow along. No need to RSVP via Meetup, but we might share info ahead of time in the event comments!

Tags: data, r, women in tech

Imported from: http://calagator.org/events/1250482764

Cult favorites Hopes ‘n’ Prayers returns to Kickstand Comedy with an explosive late-night comedy show that will blow you into a million pieces. Throw out your SSRIs and mainline the dopamine that is Party for the End of the World. Join another favorite indie team for a night of improv comedy, party games, chaotic characters, end-days camaraderie, and whatever the hell else they feel like.

***content warning: guns, violence, sex, language, giant boobs, abstinence, drug use, war (what is it good for), suicide, patricide, matricide, fratricide, misandry, shit and piss, vomit, semen, sexy anthropomorphic animals, depression, addiction, alcohol use, hot carl, two girls one cup, slime, squirt, blood, menstruation, tooth decay, incontinence, impotence, desecration of national monuments, vehicular manslaughter, paranoia, diseases of despair, astrology, anti vaxxing, over vaxxing, neurodivergence, recycling, that thing of when a person on a lime scooter flies off and is mortally wounded, skateboard, huffing, puffing, poppers, whoppers, antiauthoritarianism, flashing lights, being way up on high, petty theft, acab, rippin beers, big tech, artificial insomnia, ménage á trois, peace, love, unity, respect, drunk driving, arson, being in a cemetery after it closes, cannibalism, disney adults, going no contact, uncles and nephews being in a band, bus of life, late stage capitalism, columbine, male loneliness epidemic, 23&me, polyamory, the 2008 financial crisis, microplastics, plastic surgery, running from the law, breaking stuff, little to no respect for furniture, splash zone, osteoporosis, scoliosis, paranormal encounters, blood, sweat, tears, hemorrhoids, neck, back, pussy and crack issues, bill paxton, bizarre allergies, mass extinctions, war on christmas, using the computer, organ theft, broken hearts, huge boats, bodily harm, necrophilia, sexually transmitted infections, buying in bulk, heliocentrism, conspiracies, witches who buy things on amazon.com, pussy hats, hillary clinton jail time, 9/11, buying airline tickets for a discount on 9/11, factory farming, evolution, long content warnings, toxic positivity, party rocking, not being sorry for party rocking, unappealing textures, atheism, misotheism, loving god with no proof, homosexuality, and homophobia.***

Hopes ‘n’ Prayers is Diana Kolsky (The Chris Gethard Show), Lauren Sinner (Night Cheese), and Blade Weedman (Fuckos).

Hilarious improv scenes from Portland's best performers, inspired by a monthly celebrity storyteller's deepest secrets. Unpredictable and wild. For 18+.

Witness the Magic of Unscripted Shakespeare!

Step into the offbeat world of Love, Shakespeare, where seasoned Portland comedians attempt something audacious: performing a fully improvised Elizabethan play based on your suggestions! Each show is an unpredictable tribute to Shakespeare's comedy, filled with ridiculous twists and spontaneous delights. Follow a merry band of players – former buddies of the great Will himself – as they unravel one of the Bard's “unfinished” gems. Love, Shakespeare is a lively celebration that's equal parts homage and hilarity – a comedic gem not to be missed!

• Friday, November 13, 2026 - 7:30-9:00 PM

• Saturday, November 14, 2026 - 7:30-9:00 PM

Hot Goss: Rebecca Feldman, Jason Hays, and Jessica Zodrow have been improvising/performing together for years. Their love of pop culture has manifested in their original format — where they recreate a real movie they’ve never seen before. They take what they know (or don’t) about a movie suggested by the audience, fold in classic story tropes, joyous relationships, and filmmaking devices to bring their director’s cut to life. Each performance will feature an opening group from the reputable Portland improv scene.

All ages welcome, though assume PG13 content. $15 online / $20 at door.

Portland Fabric User Group Explore how the Port of Portland is blending machine learning and AI with traditional BI to support operational and customer experience insights. Using the PDX terminal passenger‑arrival forecasting model and the Customer Experience Scorecard as examples, we’ll trace the end‑to‑end data journey – from raw data to Databricks pipelines to Power BI. The session emphasizes practical design considerations for surfacing AI‑generated data products or advanced analytics in a w

Cr1tical Mischief began their RPG-themed improv show in 2014 as Advanced Minions & Mazes performing at Guardian Games. This band of comic adventurers has been entertaining audiences in theaters and Cons in and around Portland for over a decade. With their band of characters and your suggestions, they’ve raised the dead and razed villages. Not always in that order. Come roll the big 20-sided die to shape the action and laugh hard at the Cr1tical Mischief that ensues!

Featuring: Brad Fortier, Erin Cunningham, Bill Cernansky, Merrily Antony, Eric Zipper, Craig McCarty, Meagan Gombart, Wayne Moodie.

Directed by Brad Fortier

• All ages welcome, though assume PG-13 content.
• $15 online / $20 at door.

Unscripted, family-friendly improv right here in Vancouver, Washington!

Tickets $10 + fees. Show two hours plus one 15-minute intermission.

The Tech Academy **How can developers use AI effectively without losing sight of the fundamentals?**

AI is changing how software is built and how developers approach everyday problems. For students and early-career engineers, keeping up with new tools and practices can feel overwhelming. Understanding how the industry has evolved and learning to make thoughtful decisions about AI can help you adapt and build skills that last.

Our guest speaker, **Bethany Janos**, is a senior software engineer

30 of Portland's best improvisers, one totally secret guest host. 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.

After the performance of Do You Feel Anger? ends (approx. 9:00 pm), P.I.E. (PSU Impro Ensemble) will take over the stage for an hour of "unscripted" (that is, improvised) post-show fun! You don’t need to attend Do You Feel Anger? to enjoy this high-spirited performance. It’s available to everyone for free!

Learn more about the School of Music & Theater.

P.I.E. graphic created by PSU student collaboration: Leslye Gonzalez Juarez, Alex Herd, and Danger Swatosh.

Join Adult Services Librarian April Younglove from the Lake Oswego Public Library for a hands-on, four-part series designed to demystify artificial intelligence. Learn how to navigate the digital world, protect your privacy, and use AI tools with confidence and skepticism. Sessions include clear, live demonstrations, interactive discussions, and personalized tech support. Free for all participants.

• Location: Lake Oswego Adult Community Center
• Cost: Free for both residents and non-residents
• Requirements: Please bring a smartphone, laptop, or tablet with internet access for the hands-on practice portions.

Foundations for Everyday Use

Kick off the series by stripping away the tech jargon and discovering how artificial intelligence can simplify your day-to-day life. This foundational session introduces core AI concepts and terminology—including AI summarizers, generative chatbots, and natural prompting—in clear, approachable language. Through live demonstrations of Claude AI, Microsoft Copilot, and ChatGPT, you will learn how to safely use these tools to brainstorm recipes, plan custom travel itineraries, and organize daily tasks. We will introduce the essential "Ask–Tweak–Verify" (ATV) framework alongside critical privacy guidelines to ensure you protect your personal data right from the start.

One-on-one lab assistance is proudly provided by student volunteers from the Lake Youth Leadership Council to help you configure settings on your personal devices.

Date / Time: Tuesday, September 15 | 2:00–3:30 p.m.
Class Number: 34825

Hands-On Skills and Sandbox Practice

Build directly upon your foundational knowledge with a supportive, highly interactive sandbox session dedicated to mastering digital assistants. In Part 2, participants shift from watching demonstrations to writing and refining their own prompts. Under patient guidance, you will practice conversational techniques, discover how subtle shifts in word choices yield dramatically improved answers, and learn how to implement standard internet safety boundaries. A major focus of this workshop will be learning how to cross-reference and fact-check chatbot output to ensure your digital interactions remain secure, accurate, and productive.

Personalized, one-on-one tech support will be provided throughout the hands-on practice intervals by members of the Lake Youth Leadership Council.

Date / Time: Tuesday, October 20 | 2:00–3:30 p.m.
Class Number: 34826

Helping Seniors Navigate Daily Life With Confidence

Discover how contemporary AI applications can serve as powerful tools for independent living, lifelong learning, and daily problem-solving. This interactive workshop demonstrates practical accessibility functions hidden inside everyday tech, such as instant text-to-speech audio conversion, natural voice-command interactions, and real-time smartphone image recognition (perfect for reading small labels or identifying objects). Moving into deeper research skills, we will outline advanced prompting methods while unpacking the distinct structural limits of large language models. Learn exactly why AI should never replace professional advisory services, and discover specific strategies for spotting online medical misinformation.

Personalized, one-on-one tech support will be provided throughout the hands-on practice intervals by members of the Lake Youth Leadership Council.

Date / Time: Tuesday, November 17 | 2:00–3:30 p.m.
Class Number: 34827

Becoming a Confident, Critical AI User

The final installation equips you with an essential digital defense toolkit to evaluate whether online content is authentic, accurate, and trustworthy. We will break down common system errors, reveal how "hallucinations" occur, and introduce quick, library-approved methods for verifying data across independent sources. Crucially, this session helps participants recognize how malicious actors deploy technology for modern fraudulent schemes—including cloning voices for identity scams, fabricating hyper-realistic deepfakes, and pushing complex cryptocurrency traps. Leave with the confidence and critical awareness needed to enjoy modern digital conveniences safely and securely.

Personalized, one-on-one tech support will be provided throughout the hands-on practice intervals by members of the Lake Youth Leadership Council.

Date / Time: Tuesday, December 15 | 2:00–3:30 p.m.
Class Number: 34828

Missed a previous session? Access archived video recordings, interactive presentation slides, and educational handouts from our past technology literacy classes below:

Explore the sophisticated tools and methodologies professional librarians utilize to identify computer-generated texts, altered documents, and artificial imagery. This session provides actionable, real-world clues to help you differentiate between genuine human creations and artificial content in your daily newsfeeds and correspondence.

This class was originally presented at the Lake Oswego Public Library.

• Watch the Presentation Video on YouTube
• View Interactive Presentation Slides
• Download Class Instructional Handout

Navigate the rapidly-evolving digital landscape with clarity and balance. This session pulls back the curtain on automated "content farms," breaking down how social media algorithms, financial pay-per-click incentives, and strategic influence campaigns purposefully accelerate the distribution of false narratives. Learn to evaluate source motivations and protect your digital footprint from predatory content design.

This class was originally presented at the Lake Oswego Adult Community Center.

• Watch the Presentation Video on YouTube
• View Interactive Presentation Slides
• Download Class Instructional Handout

For questions or more information regarding our technology programs, please contact Adult Services Librarian April Younglove at [email protected].

OBC
K Marie, Natasha Baptiste, Rita Davis

OBC, aka Oprah’s Book Club, is a trio of funny Black women who test boundaries and try on characters from the stories you’ve read. K, Natasha, and Afrita have spent the past four years building chemistry, vulnerability, and boldness in each of their shows. No story is off topic, and we have just enough audacity and plenty of opinions to explore the worlds you love to read. Expect big characters, wild choices, questionable decisions, and the kind of connection that can turn one audience suggestion into beautifully unhinged chaos.

All ages welcome, though assume PG-13 content.
$15 online / $20 at door.

There's someone dangerous among us... and Giant Worm is on the case! Join us on November 7 at 8pm for our FIRST show of the year! Capri-suns provided and laughs encouraged.

With lots of fun costumes and some improvisational magic, the players of Bridge City Improv will weave tales of heroic adventures and faraway lands — all flowing from suggestions and ideas we gather from the audience. Though the show is geared for kids ages 4 to 10, littler and bigger people are welcome too. It’s fun for the whole family! $8. $25 family tickets are available at the door. Doors open at 130pm.

AI agents dominate current industry discussion, yet clear explanations of what they are, why they fail, and what roles they are creating remain scarce. This session offers a foundational introduction for students and early-career technologists. We’ll examine what distinguishes an agent from a conventional chatbot — tools, memory, and planning loops — and trace an agent through the completion of a realistic task. We then turn to the less-demonstrated half of the problem: the data an agent requires to be useful, and the boundaries it requires to be safe.