Performing Arts❯Comedy❯Improv

The Portland Grief House invites you to join The Lost Table, a welcoming space to gather in community, remember those we’ve lost, and share in the traditions that help us keep them close. Bring a dish, pull up a chair, and make a place at the table for the dead. Grief can be hard to understand, and sometimes what we need most is community, ritual, conversation, and food.

Together, we’ll explore how different cultures and traditions call to, honor, and make offerings to those who have died. In the spirit of Día de Muertos, we’ll create a shared space where the living and the dead can gather around the same table.

We’ll begin with a creative activity led by Mario Mesquita, inviting us to reflect on memory, food, and our relationships with those we’ve lost. Participants will be introduced to the ritual elements that will carry us through the evening.

Laura Green will lead a community conversation about intercultural traditions of Día de Muertos and other ways communities call to and remember their dead. Participants will have an opportunity to share stories, traditions, and memories, and to dedicate an offering to someone they have lost.

Bea Yeh will introduce the tradition of Hungry Ghost and lead us in making an offering to the dead. We’ll set places at our table for those who are no longer with us and share food as an act of remembrance and connection.

Our community offerings and tributes will be gathered at Ximena Morales’s altar, creating a shared space of remembrance that connects the different traditions and offerings brought into the room.

Throughout the evening, we’ll create something together through words, offerings, and remembrance. We’ll dedicate a community poem to the dead and close our gathering with a collective ritual of words, sound, and stillness.

Please bring:

• A dish to share, plus any serving utensils it needs. Consider bringing something that reminds you of a loved one or connects you to a family or cultural tradition.
• Please label your food with a card identifying any allergens or dietary considerations.
• Your own dinnerware (plate, bowl, utensils, napkin).
• A beverage for yourself, if you’d like something other than water.
• A photograph, name, or other small tribute to a loved one for the community altar, if you’d like.
• Please do not bring chips, salsa, or guacamole—Milagro will provide these.

The Portland Grief House is honored to continue this tradition, originally started by Side Yard Farm. El Centro Milagro is excited to partner with Portland Grief House to create a space for English- and Spanish-speaking community members to gather, remember, share traditions, and honor the dead together.

Schedule
4:00–4:30 PM — Opening Ritual & Activity
4:30–5:45 PM — Community Conversation & Offerings
5:45 PM — Dedication & Closing

Estimated Running Time: 3 hours
Age Recommendation: Ages 10+

The Portland Grief House invites you to join The Lost Table, a resilient, welcoming space to gather in community and share experiences of loss. Bring a dish, pull up a chair, and share your heart in good company. Grief can be hard to understand, and sometimes what is needed most is community, conversation, and food. During the gathering, each participant will have a few minutes to share their grief in whatever way feels right—whether it's someone who is missed, something that has changed, a loss being carried, or an experience that continues to shape. While one person shares, the rest will listen with care and presence. Save time at the end of the evening to thank one another and connect, but please refrain from interrupting or responding during the sharing portion.

Día de Muertos and the month of November invite you to reflect on and remember loved ones who have passed—a time to celebrate their lives and meet death not with fear, but with love, memory, storytelling, and even humor. Mario Mesquita will lead an opening creative activity exploring memory and the role of cuisine in honoring loved ones, building toward a collective community tribute. Participants are welcome to bring a photograph of a loved one or create an offering featuring their loved one's name.

Bea Ogden will present the Hungry Ghost tradition and make an offering for the community ofrenda, opening a cultural exchange around how different traditions honor and remember the dead. Mario and Bea will also guide participants in writing a community poem, inviting each person to contribute a line or dedication to place on the altar.

Please bring:

• A dish to share, along with any serving utensils it requires. You're welcome to bring something simple—such as a bag of chips or fresh fruit—or a favorite dish that reminds you of a loved one.
• Your own dinnerware (plate, bowl, utensils, and napkin).
• Optional: A beverage for yourself if you would like something other than water.
• Optional: A photograph of a loved one to include in our community tribute

The Portland Grief House is honored to continue this tradition, originally started by Side Yard Farm. El Centro Milagro is excited to partner with Portland Grief House to create a welcoming space for both English- and Spanish-speaking community members to gather, remember, and heal together.

Portland Grief House les invita a unirse a La Mesa Perdida, un espacio resiliente y acogedor para reunirnos en comunidad y compartir nuestras experiencias de pérdida. Traigan un platillo, acerquen una silla y compartan su corazón en buena compañía. El duelo puede ser difícil de comprender y, a veces, lo que más necesitamos es comunidad, conversación y comida. Durante el encuentro, cada participante tendrá unos minutos para compartir su duelo de la manera que le resulte más natural: alguien a quien extrañamos, algo que ha cambiado, una pérdida que llevamos con nosotros, o una experiencia que sigue marcando nuestra vida. Mientras una persona comparte, el resto escucha con atención y presencia. Guardaremos tiempo al final de la noche para agradecer y conectar, pero pedimos que los participantes se abstengan de interrumpir ni de responder durante el momento de compartir.

El Día de Muertos y el mes de noviembre nos invitan a reflexionar y recordar a nuestros seres queridos fallecidos—un tiempo para celebrar sus vidas y enfrentar la muerte no con miedo, sino con amor, memoria, relatos e incluso humor. Mario Mesquita dirigirá una actividad creativa de apertura que explora la memoria y el papel de la cocina para honrar a nuestros seres queridos, construyendo hacia un tributo colectivo. Los participantes pueden traer una fotografía de un ser querido, o crear una ofrenda con el nombre de su ser querido.

Bea Ogden presentará la tradición del Fantasma Hambriento y hará una ofrenda a nuestra ofrenda comunitaria, abriendo un intercambio cultural sobre cómo distintas tradiciones honran y recuerdan a los difuntos. Mario y Bea también guiarán a los participantes en la escritura de un poema comunitario, invitando a cada persona a aportar una línea o dedicatoria para colocar en el altar.

Por favor traigan:

• Un platillo para compartir, junto con los utensilios de servir que necesite. Algo sencillo es bienvenido—como una bolsa de papas fritas o fruta fresca—o un platillo favorito que les recuerde a un ser querido.
• Su propia vajilla (plato, tazón, cubiertos y servilleta).
• Una bebida para ustedes mismos, si desean algo más que agua.
• Una fotografía de un ser querido para incluir en nuestro tributo comunitario (opcional).

Portland Grief House se siente honrado de continuar esta tradición, iniciada originalmente por Side Yard Farm. El Centro Milagro se emociona de asociarse con Portland Grief House para crear un espacio acogedor donde los miembros de las comunidades de habla inglesa y española puedan reunirse, recordar y sanar juntos.

Offering recovery services for ages 14-35:

• Peer Mentoring
• Treatment
• Housing
• Mental Health
• Family Support

The National Alliance on Mental Health Southwest Washington offers a Veterans Support Group from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of every month at 907 Harney St., Vancouver. Learn more at namiswwa.org.

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.)

A safe place where ALL are welcome to be themselves. Find support, eat snacks, get creative, discuss favorite books, and more! Bring a friend, or make a new one. For grades 5-8.

Queer Youth Club is a youth-run club for that unites LGBTQIA+ and allied youth from neighboring schools. Email [email protected] for more information.

HOPE Dementia Support presents “Meet Me at the Movies” at the Kiggins Theatre, 1011 Main St., Vancouver. A different musical will start at 1:00 p.m. on the second Friday of every month. Visit kigginstheatre.com to see what musical will be shown next. The cost is $10 per person.

NAMI Connection is a recovery support group for adults living with mental illness. Online meetings are 3:30 to 5 p.m. Thursdays weekly via Zoom. Register at us02web.zoom.us.

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

Wacheno Welcome Center Conference Room (WC225) Monday, November 16, 2026, 12 – 1pm Join NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) for our weekly club meetings. We meet on Mondays, from noon – 1 p.m. in the Multicultural Center, room 161, located in the Wacheno Welcome Center, Oregon City Campus. Come for friendship, laughs, and community, because your mental health matters.

This BIPOC support space is facilitated by Sielo Kaí Solar (he/him/el), a peer support worker who identifies as 2S, trans, disabled, mixed race, and a first-generation Mexican-American. As an artist, abolitionist, and community-centered facilitator, Sielo brings a warm, creative, and welcoming energy to the space.

Participants are invited to gather in a relaxed and flexible environment to snack, make art, chat, and play games as they wish. This space is intended to foster connection, creativity, and community care, allowing everyone to show up as they are and engage in ways that feel most comfortable.

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?

Join us for a Death Café—an open, group-directed conversation about death with no set agenda or themes. This is a space for thoughtful discussion, not a grief support or counseling session. Together, we’ll explore ideas and questions about death and dying in a respectful, welcoming environment.

• Community members 50 and up
• Aging Solo Seniors
• Anyone who cares for someone age 50 and up
• Businesses and Organizations that work with clients ages 50 and up or caregivers
• Businesses and Organizations that offer products and services for clients age 50 and up or caregivers
• EVERYONE IS WELCOME feel free to share the information, social media posts on Villages Clark County or the attached flyer

The BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) affinity group meets on the 2nd Sunday of the month after service. We hope you can join us!

Reach out to Carol to join: [email protected]

Meets in person every Third Monday 12:30pm - 2:25pm in the Library

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

A safe place where ALL are welcome to be themselves. Find support, eat snacks, get creative, discuss favorite books, and more! Bring a friend, or make a new one. For grades 5-8.

Queer Youth Club is a youth-run club for that unites LGBTQIA+ and allied youth from neighboring schools.

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.

HOPE Dementia Support Group is a weekly support group for those caring for people with all types of dementia. The group meets 1-3 p.m. Thursdays at Battle Ground Senior Center, 116 N.E. Third Ave., Battle Ground.

Join us each month to discuss infant and toddler feeding in a supportive, community environment. Led by International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs), this group covers a wide range of topics, including breast/bodyfeeding, pumping, bottle feeding, introducing solids, and weaning.

Because feeding is deeply connected to daily life, we also welcome open discussions on related parenting topics such as sleep patterns, soothing a crying baby, and navigating the postpartum adjustment. Come connect, share experiences, and get expert guidance on your family's feeding journey.

Offering recovery services for ages 14-35:

• Peer Mentoring
• Treatment
• Housing
• Mental Health
• Family Support

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).

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.

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

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

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.

Did you recently have a baby? Do you have questions? Are you feeling all the feelings? Join postpartum doula Krystal Williams for a program of connection and caring for new moms. No registration required. Meets in the Community Room.

Dementia-Friendly Clark County hosts a Memory Cafe at 10 a.m. on the first Friday of the month at Prairie Tavern, 14925 N.E. Caples Rd., Brush Prairie. Memory Cafe provides a welcoming space for people living with dementia and their caregivers to socialize, enjoy refreshments and participate in activities. Sign up at eventbrite.com or call 360-513-5754.

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.

Villages Clark County Has offers Aging Solo in Clark County, a group for seniors age 50 and up, anyone who cares for someone age 50 and up and businesses and organizations that work with clients age 50 and up. The group meets from 1:30-3 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month at the 40 et 8 Boxcar Room, 2809 N.E. 78th St., Vancouver. A different topic will be explored each month. Attendance is free but donations are welcome. Questions? Contact Christina Keys at [email protected] or call 360-358-5018.

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.

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.

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.