Downtown, Pearl & NW

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.

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.

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.

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

DL + DL ‘Anything Goes’

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.’

Darcelle XV and Company have been entertaining audiences from all walks of life for over 50 years with Las Vegas-style cabaret revues featuring glitz, glamour, and comedy.

TGIF! What a week, huh? Wrap up your week in a fun way and join this fabulous night of glittery entertainment.

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.

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.

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)

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 the 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 work behind the scenes, 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.’

Most recently, it was announced that Goldstein will create and star in the male escort comedy series “Escorted” for Amazon MGM Studios. This is on the heels of bringing his signature charm and sharp wit to HBO with his first stand-up special, “The Second Best Night of Your Life,” following a sold-out North American tour. The special earned him nominations at the 2026 Golden Globe Awards and Critics Choice Awards.

In film, Goldstein stars in Kornél Mundruczó’s latest drama “At the Sea” alongside Amy Adams and Murray Bartlett, which had its world premiere at the 2026 Berlin Film Festival. He also lent his voice to Craig Mazin’s animated feature “The Sheep Detectives” for Amazon MGM Studios. This follows his devasting performance opposite Imogen Poots in “All of You,” a humorous and heart-wrenching romantic drama he also co-wrote and produced. The film premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, later screened at BFI London, and is now streaming on Apple TV.

The tour de force also hosts the iHeartRadio award-winning podcast “Films to Be Buried With,” which finds him in candid, often hilarious conversations with special guests as they discuss the films that have shaped them.

He has no time for dinner.

After the performance of Do You Feel Anger? ends (approx. 9:00 p.m.), 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.

The New Stuff is your weekly front-row seat to raw, unfiltered stand-up comedy. Every week, local favorites and touring pros try out brand-new material—sometimes sharing jokes for the very first time. Be part of the creative process as comedians present fresh bits, some of which may never be heard again.

You might recognize faces from Netflix, Hulu, Don’t Tell Comedy, Helium Comedy Studios, and more. Admission is free; tips are strongly encouraged to keep the laughs coming. Chris Hudson (Leave Your Troubles at The Door, @chriees on Instagram) hosts The New Stuff, pulling back the curtain on how great comedy is born—don’t miss it. It all happens at the historic McMenamins Al's Den.

All promo photos by @comedyinfocus

A ComedySportz match featuring students from our Rec League classes.

91.5% of first dates suck purely because of awkward, dull, boring conversations. Conversational Lube is here to FIX that.

You’re invited to the first real-time, live comedy dating show. Singles will be matched, meet for the first time, then join a comedian on stage (the lube) to have a first date. Yes, audience members will be put on blind dates in real time at the show. That means you, yes, you can come and possibly find your soul mate. (Or at the very least go home with a funny af story.)

Each couple will have a date on the stage and be joined by a licensed professional* (*fully unlicensed comedian) to lube up the conversation, make sure it flows, stays entertaining, and fully capitalize on any weird shit that comes up. (The last part mostly for the sake of the audience and laughs.)

Hosted by stand-up comedian and writer, Cait Chock, who is single for many reasons but not because she can’t dazzle a first conversation. She shines in a first impression, then actively decays like a free radical. She’s a lost cause, but she’s using her conversational skills to help you find love.

No guarantee that you'll find love, but it's guaranteed it will be a helluva lot more fun than another boring and slightly deranged Tinder meet-up. ALL are welcome, even you monsters already happily in love, can come, eat, drink, laugh, and watch everyone else squirm. Apps suck. Approaching strangers in the wild is scary. Hitting on your Trader Joe’s cashier is not cool. A comedy show is your best bet.

Don’t settle for shitty, boring, vanilla conversations…apply conversational lube.

Can Can’s holiday show turns the Nutcracker inside out for grown-ups. An innocent absinthe toast at a holiday soirée sends Clara tumbling into a dreamscape of marching soldiers, mischievous mice, swirling snowflakes, and sugarplum visions. The score is Can Can’s own adaptation of the Nutcracker music, mixed with new original songs and holiday classics, and the dancing runs from classic and modern to aerial and burlesque, with plenty of comedy. Evening performances are 21+ with valid ID.

Comedy: KELLY’S OLYMPIAN AND VLVT HEART RECORDS PRESENT OPEN MIC NIGHT! at Kelly's Olympian.

Meet people who like doing the things you like to do!

We'll meet upstairs at Ringler's Annex from 6-7pm before heading down to Al's Den for OFF THE CUFF, a free fully improvised stand-up comedy show. Local and touring comics create jokes on the spot using topics submitted by the audience. Drop a suggestion in the bucket and see what happens!

All generations of singles 21+ welcome who want to meet some new people, laugh a lot, and maybe find a spark.

How it works:

The app is your guide to the event.

Download the Meetsies app to register for the event. Your Meetup RSVP does not register you and more people register than RSVP. Check your app store or find the download link at meetsies.com.

Create a profile and use the app to check in with a selfie when you arrive.

When you've met someone, exchange QR codes to unlock their profile. At the end of the night, you'll have a chance to connect safely in the app.

The Meetsies app is free for your first 30 days, then $4.99/month. Meetsies events are included with your subscription. Any food, drinks, or costs associated with the venue are on you.

Already have the app? Make sure you've downloaded our latest update. We've made lots of amazing changes to make the event more fun!! More info at meetsies.com

Pack your bags for a night of world-class laughs without leaving the city. Destination: Comedy is Portland's premier free comedy showcase, bringing together top local talent and traveling comedians from across the country, telling you secret or exclusive spots in Portland to visit. Held on the first Wednesday of every month, this one-of-a-kind show brings together global travelers and Portland locals for an evening of clever, high-energy, and welcoming stand-up.

Portland Theater lists ticket options for Comedy Night Hosted by Brandon Lyons at McMenamins Al's Den in Portland, OR. Ticket options may be available from verified providers.

A B-movie improvised live onstage, with hilarious 'snarkers' on microphones mocking it as it happens! Based on the beloved TV series, the Mystery Science Tribute Show is a long-running fan-favorite show. But now it's gotten the Late Night treatment: we've expanded it to be full-length, added midnight-movie host characters, and made it adults-only! This show is for audiences 18 and over.

A free standup comedy show featuring Portland's best up and coming comedians (along with a few surprise veterans and touring guests). Hosted by James Hartenfeld, this is a sure fire way to bring some laughs into your week. Tips are strongly encouraged, and every last Wednesday of the month there will be a live podcast instead of live comedy.

Almost PHAMEous, PHAME Academy’s resident comedy troupe, hosts this monthly improv comedy showcase featuring some of Portland’s finest talent. Each month, Almost PHAMEous kicks it off with their hilarious brand of fast-paced short form improv comedy a la “Whose Line is it Anyway”. Then they invite a carousel of creative cadres, including special guest improvisers, comics, and musicians, to close out the show. PHAME is a fine and performing arts academy serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Located in Portland, Oregon, and also operating online, their education and performance programs empower students to learn new skills, take artistic risks, and build lasting relationships with people who share their experience of having a disability.

Laughing through life’s darkest sh*t. Portland’s darkest comedy show, because life can be dark af, and all you can do is laugh. Mental health, addiction, 51/50 squad, toxic relationships (with yourself and with others). It’s a comedy show, but it’s also a place to remind you you’re not alone if you’ve been, or are currently going, through some dark shit. Think of it like a fun little “effed up community”. Hosted by comedian, depressive, and anxious ball of mass, Cait Chock, she invites some of Portland’s premier comedians to delve into the dark recesses of their minds and the jokes that follow.

Cait is often asked why she got into comedy, and it’s always with a self-deprecating laugh that she answers, “Honestly, depression. In my darkest moments, I’ve always found myself making jokes, not because it feels funny but because finding a reason to laugh is the best coping mechanism I’ve found to keep the darkness from swallowing me whole.”

It Gets Dark celebrates the morbid laughs that allow you to keep going through the dark times. It’s about finding humor in the not-at-all funny to give you the strength to keep going. (Plus, it’s usually a funny story after) This show is all about breaking the stigmas around mental illness, addiction, and celebrating a twisted sense of humor, intrusive thoughts, and trauma. Come laugh, come relate, and come help break the stigmas. Hell, come and drag a few skeletons out of your own because there will be an audience participation portion at the end if there is a story you’d like to share.

“At the end of the day, comedy saved my life, and I think it can save yours,” shares Cait. “Sorry, I gagged on my own vomit saying that, cuz it sounds corny, but it’s also true. Just come to the show, please and thank you.”

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.

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.

Think you know how to complete a simple task? These comedians don't. Inspired by the hit British TV game show Taskmaster, watch local comics humiliate themselves in increasingly absurd challenges — all to win the approval of the all-powerful Activity Giver. Alliances will crumble. Dignity will be lost. Points will be disputed. Come witness the chaos.

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

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

Watch improvisors put brand new formats to the test. Live!

Adults-only improv from the Portland Comedy Theater players. Wild, unpredictable, and outrageous! For 18+.