Kickstand Comedy

An autumnal tournament of Portland's best improv teams! Who will fall? Who will be squashed? And who will rise above as the golden gourds of Portland improv! Step into the cornucopia of comedy!!!

4 teams will perform, and you, the audience, will vote to determine who will move on to the Championships on December 6th!***This show is free to current students who present a student ID card at the door***

Velodrome is a weekly improv showcase of Portlands best and brightest indie teams! Every week you'll see 3 different teams, each bringing their unique forms, flavors, and a whole lot of funny.Monthly Rotating Anchor Teams:

• Shaving Season - 1st Thursdays
  • Cast: Carmen Pfeil, Kerry McPherson, Lori Blonn, Kaz Shepherd
• Brown Sugar - 2nd Thursdays
  • Cast: Alé Martinez, D’Guar Herrera, Dyvisha Gordon, Laz Romankiw, Michelle Dorantes, Nicholle Ortiz, Monel Chang, Tali Aflague
• Cat Cabinet - 3rd Thursdays
  • Cast: Ben Spoon, Krista Wright, Lisa Wheeler, Trinton Tello
• High Risk Behavior- 4th Thursdays
  • Cast: Alexander Henderson, Amirra Patterson, Ashley Bove, Chloé Riggs, Ian Davis, Jax Ko, Kevin Holden, Wayne Moodie, Wren Reynolds

Do you have an improv team who wants to perform on Velodrome?
Submit your team! Submissions open every 3 months.
Information and submissions at kickstandcomedy.org/velodrome***This show is free to current Kickstand students who present a student ID card at the door***

30 of Portland's best improvisers, 1 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!

***This show is free to current Kickstand students who present a student ID card at the door***

Every neighbor has a story. Come take a peak inside the Mosaic Complex, a comedy show that explores the many lives that enrich a completely improvised apartment building. Every show we visit a new apartment—all based on your stories! If you enjoy eavesdropping on characters from shows like Living Single, New Girl, and Insecure, then you should take a tour of the Mosaic Complex. Welcome to the building.

Every 1st Friday of the month! (subject to change, view full show calendar for more details). Follow @mosaicimprov on Instagram for more BIPOC comedy goodness.

Mosaic Complex is Afrita Davis, Jhordan Blumenberg, Jamiel Brown, Malika Rose Hall, Mylun Jackson, Nicholle Ortiz, Sumita Mukund, and Yoshina Okamoto

Directed by Mariah Muñoz (Small Fruits, No Sex and the City).

Improv with a Beat. You’re invited to Mosaic House Party—an improv show where the comedy has a soundtrack!Each night our audience picks a Spotify Playlist that will influence our partygoers’ scenes. Each new playlist will bring a new vibe to the night.Are you the life of the party? A wallflower? A little messy? However you get down, Mosaic House Party will bring you hot jams and big laughs. Your Partiers Madeleine AranaGabriel ChaviraJax KoYoshina OkamotoAmirra PattersonWren ReynoldsChloé RiggsDirected ByJhordan Blumenberg and Eric Simons

Every comic who steps up to the microphone has exactly one goal: survive the shredder. After a performer drops their rawest, newest, or riskiest bit, a judgment must be made. With the cheers or jeers, the crowd collectively decide the joke's ultimate fate. If they love it, the comedian keeps it. If it bombs, it goes straight into a heavy-duty paper shredder spinning live on stage, gone from their set forever.

Sign ups are online and mic starts at 5PM and ends 6:30.

Sign Up Link Here!

Registration opens the day before the show at 12:00 PM, and the official lineup will be posted the following day at 12:00 PM.

Hosted by Jaren George

A comedy show about Portlanders living in Portland. Kickstand's signature style of improv performed by a rotating cast of incredibly talented players

Rotating Cast featuring:
Afrita Davis, Chris Williams, Craig McCarthy, Dana Murphy, Diana Kolsky, Eric Simons, Jon Bolden, Justin Himes, Kristen Schier, Mariah Muñoz, Michael Zimmer, Natalie Haddad, Roland Mechanik, Thea Crowley

Kickstand brings you the best in Portland improv comedy with our 3 incredible house teams here to make you laugh.

Dear Diary
From cringe-worthy crushes to over-the-top teenage hormones, Dear Diary finds the humor in the sometimes painful (and smelly) journey of being a teenager. Every show features a guest reading real teen diary entries that the improvisers bring to life!

Cast: Aleah Liebenau, Brianna Núñez-Webb, Jon Bolden, Kara Moore, Katie Knackstedt, Lauren Sinner, Natalie Haddad, Roland Mechanik

Sardine
Open up and lean in for a night of improv comedy with your local bottom dwellers. Sardine takes you on a character-based exploration as we turn your familiar mishaps into a cathartic display of comedy. Misery loves company — all are welcome in the tin.

Cast: Hannah Dulaney, Jo Nichols, Meg Kausch, Mo Merrill, Sophie Thorsen

Townies
ANYTHING can happen at a Townies show. It could feel like a stage play one week and a hyper fever dream the next. Only way to know where they're going is to follow along, so buckle up and enjoy the ride.

Cast: Catherine Retica, Emily Bolcik, Lucas Salazar, Tim Hunt

An autumnal tournament of Portland's best improv teams! Who will fall? Who will be squashed? And who will rise above as the golden gourds of Portland improv! Step into the cornucopia of comedy!!!

4 teams will perform, and you, the audience, will vote to determine who will move on to the Championships on December 6th!***This show is free to current students who present a student ID card at the door***

Velodrome is a weekly improv showcase of Portlands best and brightest indie teams! Every week you'll see 3 different teams, each bringing their unique forms, flavors, and a whole lot of funny.Monthly Rotating Anchor Teams:

• Shaving Season - 1st Thursdays
  • Cast: Carmen Pfeil, Kerry McPherson, Lori Blonn, Kaz Shepherd
• Brown Sugar - 2nd Thursdays
  • Cast: Alé Martinez, D’Guar Herrera, Dyvisha Gordon, Laz Romankiw, Michelle Dorantes, Nicholle Ortiz, Monel Chang, Tali Aflague
• Cat Cabinet - 3rd Thursdays
  • Cast: Ben Spoon, Krista Wright, Lisa Wheeler, Trinton Tello
• High Risk Behavior- 4th Thursdays
  • Cast: Alexander Henderson, Amirra Patterson, Ashley Bove, Chloé Riggs, Ian Davis, Jax Ko, Kevin Holden, Wayne Moodie, Wren Reynolds

Do you have an improv team who wants to perform on Velodrome?
Submit your team! Submissions open every 3 months.
Information and submissions at kickstandcomedy.org/velodrome***This show is free to current Kickstand students who present a student ID card at the door***

Kickstand’s Harold teams perform classic improv comedy. What makes it classic? Scenes featuring oddball characters, strange situations, big emotions, and magical connections all made up completely on the spot from your one word suggestion! It's like watching a sitcom that only exists for the 25 minutes it's being performed!The Harold is a quintessential improv comedy form developed and honed at theaters like iO, UCB, and Second City. Google it if you must… but all you really need to know is that its gonna be a night of great comedy from Kickstand's rising talent!2nd and 4th Thursday of the Month

Grampire Weekend
Alisha Madison
Bimpe Adewusi
Chris Anderson
Joe Arthur
Jordan Curry
Rosie Fry
Savannah Webber
Tyler MacFarland

Directed by Adam Trabka

Stupid Easy
Alexander Henderson
Arden Jurskis
Ashley Bove
Emma Jonas
Jacob Abelsen
James Webb
Kayla Kelly
Liam Gibler

Directed by Randy Smith

***This show is free to current Kickstand students who present a student ID card at the door***

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. We’re 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!

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?

A one-clown kaleidoscope of beauty, tradition, and tyranny — where a pansori diva, a K-beauty fanatic, and a self-proclaimed dictator collide in a hilarious search for identity and power.

In Take Me to Your Leader: The Seoul of a Clown, beauty, ritual, and absurdity collide in a one-clown fever dream. From the haunting rhythms of pansori to the fluorescent glow of a K-beauty altar, Monel Chang (aka Moldy Melon) shape shifts through characters both divine and deranged: a folk diva, a skincare-obsessed disciple, and a dictator throwing themself a birthday party.

Part satire, part spiritual exorcism, and entirely clown, this genre-defying solo performance unpacks the obsessions that bind us — from perfection and purity to power and control. With live sound, ritual gesture, and a face full of toner, The Seoul of a Clown invites audiences into a surreal search for identity, laughter, and liberation.

Help single comedians find love in the hottest comedy dating show in America, Heart Throb! Hosted by Mack Lee and Aleah Liebenau.

Follow @heartthrob_theshow

Poster by @coldmoonimageanddesign

Press for Heart Throb:

• "Pushing monogamy is a very funny thing to do in Portland" - Willamette Week
• "Heart Throb plays by its own chaotic rules" - Portland Mercury

Watch our Valentine's Day show on youtube to get a taste of the Heart Throb experience!

We’re back! 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 us and one of our favorite indie teams for a night of improv comedy, party games, chaotic characters, end-days camaraderie, and whatever the hell else we 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 (@hopes_n_prayers) is Diana Kolsky (The Chris Gethard Show), Lauren Sinner (Night Cheese), and Blade Weedman (Fuckos).

Revolution Comedy is a monthly fundraiser for worthy causes hosted by Andie Main, featuring stand up comedy and music by elmameen

Since dogs are the best thing on the planet, Andie is raising funds through the magic of comedy for One Tail at a Time. Join us for local comedy, music, and belly rubs!

*Donations are made directly by Revolution Comedy producer Andie Main from the show's profits. Kickstand Comedy, as a non-profit, is not directly affiliated with the chosen causes nor makes any direct contributions.*

Velodrome is a weekly improv showcase of Portlands best and brightest indie teams! Every week you'll see 3 different teams, each bringing their unique forms, flavors, and a whole lot of funny.Monthly Rotating Anchor Teams:

• Shaving Season - 1st Thursdays
  • Cast: Carmen Pfeil, Kerry McPherson, Lori Blonn, Kaz Shepherd
• Brown Sugar - 2nd Thursdays
  • Cast: Alé Martinez, D’Guar Herrera, Dyvisha Gordon, Laz Romankiw, Michelle Dorantes, Nicholle Ortiz, Monel Chang, Tali Aflague
• Cat Cabinet - 3rd Thursdays
  • Cast: Ben Spoon, Krista Wright, Lisa Wheeler, Trinton Tello
• High Risk Behavior- 4th Thursdays
  • Cast: Alexander Henderson, Amirra Patterson, Ashley Bove, Chloé Riggs, Ian Davis, Jax Ko, Kevin Holden, Wayne Moodie, Wren Reynolds

Do you have an improv team who wants to perform on Velodrome?
Submit your team! Submissions open every 3 months.
Information and submissions at kickstandcomedy.org/velodrome***This show is free to current Kickstand students who present a student ID card at the door***

Two gorgeous improv forms presented by Kickstand's house teams! It's two shows in one!

The Pretty Flower starts with an original scene inhabited by interesting characters. But any thought, idea, phrase, or memory can jump out and come to life in a new world of comedy!

The Eventé is focused on the world of a single event, the characters, the backstory, and everything around it. Like watching a live sitcom!

Bitter and Boring performs The Pretty Flower:
Cami Craven
Eiley Morrison
Gabriele Zachary Chodosh
Gracie Canfield
Kristin Gregory
Laz Romankiw
Nathan Offers
Wren Reynolds
Directed by Kristen Schier

Al Denté performs The Eventé
Carmen Pfeil
Madison Ford
Magenta Ferguson
Molly O'Reilly
Paige Howell
Peter Zingelmann
Sat Khalsa
Zeke Zager
Directed by Diana Kolsky

***This show is free to current Kickstand students who present a student ID card at the door***

A comedy variety show ripe for the picking. Small Fruits serves you big laughs, queer joy, and a splash of mischief!

Hosted by No Sex and the City
This duo cracks open your stories and turns them into improv about love, friendship, and everything in between.

Improv by The Fruit Basket
A rotating mix of queer comedians who squeeze everyday moments into bold and flavorful worlds.

And always featuring comedy bits & characters from Portland's best queer performers! Wild surprises that pop like citrus zest. Sharp, silly, and just the right amount of unhinged.

Queer or straight, you will want seconds of this sweet and tangy show!

Follow @small.fruits

Improv with a Beat. You’re invited to Mosaic House Party—an improv show where the comedy has a soundtrack!Each night our audience picks a Spotify Playlist that will influence our partygoers’ scenes. Each new playlist will bring a new vibe to the night.Are you the life of the party? A wallflower? A little messy? However you get down, Mosaic House Party will bring you hot jams and big laughs. Your Partiers Madeleine AranaGabriel ChaviraJax KoYoshina OkamotoAmirra PattersonWren ReynoldsChloé RiggsDirected ByJhordan Blumenberg and Eric Simons

Welcome to the wild, unhinged, and undeniably horny world of HONK. Affectionately known as "Portland's Horniest Improv Team," we deliver polished improv with a naughty side—laughing, learning, and dry humping along the way.Each month HONK invites some special guests to get down on our level and unleash their sexy side. Expect steamy surprises and deep dives into themes like Car Sex (honk honk), Bachelorette Parties, First Times, and Where is the line between fingering and rubbing?HONK has been soaking stages for over three years and collectively have decades of improv experience under their belts (among other things.) They are the winners of Kickstand’s 2024 Cage Match, have performed at the Vancouver Improv Festival, RISE Improv Festival in Denver, MILF festival in Los Angeles, iO Fest in Chicago, and their performers have guested with UCB’s Holy Shit Improv.“You made me feel young again!” - Horned Up Audience MemberSee (lots) more at @honkprov

A comedy show about Portlanders living in Portland. Kickstand's signature style of improv performed by a rotating cast of incredibly talented players

Rotating Cast featuring:
Afrita Davis, Chris Williams, Craig McCarthy, Dana Murphy, Diana Kolsky, Eric Simons, Jon Bolden, Justin Himes, Kristen Schier, Mariah Muñoz, Michael Zimmer, Natalie Haddad, Roland Mechanik, Thea Crowley

Kickstand brings you the best in Portland improv comedy with our 3 incredible house teams here to make you laugh.

Dear Diary
From cringe-worthy crushes to over-the-top teenage hormones, Dear Diary finds the humor in the sometimes painful (and smelly) journey of being a teenager. Every show features a guest reading real teen diary entries that the improvisers bring to life!

Cast: Aleah Liebenau, Brianna Núñez-Webb, Jon Bolden, Kara Moore, Katie Knackstedt, Lauren Sinner, Natalie Haddad, Roland Mechanik

Sardine
Open up and lean in for a night of improv comedy with your local bottom dwellers. Sardine takes you on a character-based exploration as we turn your familiar mishaps into a cathartic display of comedy. Misery loves company — all are welcome in the tin.

Cast: Hannah Dulaney, Jo Nichols, Meg Kausch, Mo Merrill, Sophie Thorsen

Townies
ANYTHING can happen at a Townies show. It could feel like a stage play one week and a hyper fever dream the next. Only way to know where they're going is to follow along, so buckle up and enjoy the ride.

Cast: Catherine Retica, Emily Bolcik, Lucas Salazar, Tim Hunt

Wu-Tang energy meets immigrant storytelling. Bernice Ye, "The Jackie Chan of Comedy" (The Stranger Seattle), collides stand-up, comedy rap, martial arts and cinematic multimedia into one high-octane solo hour.

Wu-Tang energy meets immigrant storytelling. In Wuhan Clan Ain't Nuthin' ta Duck Wit, Bernice Ye reclaims "Wuhan" as a symbol of resilience and reinvention through razor-sharp stand-up, original comedy rap, martial arts, audience interaction, and cinematic multimedia. It's a show about identity, ambition, and building your own clan when the world doesn't hand you one. Part comedy special, part concert, and unlike anything else on the comedy circuit.

Bernice Ye is an international touring comedian, comedy rapper, and taekwondo black belt known as "The Jackie Chan of Comedy" (The Stranger), with 400K+ followers and more than 100 million views online. Born in Wuhan, China, she came to the U.S. with $1,000 and a computer science degree from Peking University, built a career as a software engineer and technical program manager at Microsoft and Hulu, then walked away from tech for the comedy stage. It was the most unhinged sequence of decisions she's ever made. It's working.

Press: Featured in the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Stranger, and Seattle Gay News.

Festivals and awards: New York Comedy Festival · Bergamot Comedy Festival · Best of the Fest at the Burbank Comedy Festival, Laugh After Dark, and Nate Jackson's Super Funny Comedy Festival

"She hypnotizes you. You leave lighter, louder, and with her songs stuck in your head."

"High-energy and hilarious. Bernice keeps surprising you."

Portland, join the Wuhan Clan.

🎤 Clip: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLXkXTYu9ZL/
📱 Instagram: @bernicecomedy

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An improvised real housewives episode based on your hometown! Attention Bravo fans, freaks, and even just the Bravo-curious

Join us for a hot show where we’ll be improvising an entire episode of Real Housewives set in YOUR hometown. You bring us the hot goss and saucy details of where you grew up, and we’ll bring the boozy brunch, album release parties, and wine in the FACE.

Featuring special appearances from bravolebrities (or at least they look and sound like ‘em) and plenty of time to make your hot takes KNOWN.

Come be with your people!! (But no Bravo knowledge needed to have a good time)

Follow us at @realhousewivespdx to stay in the loop!

A show where comedians present their “completely real” conspiracy theories. Hosted by Ally J Ward.

Are you ready to suspend your disbelief and see the world for what it really is? Join us for a night of wisdom, insight, and truth seeking with Speculation Proposition. Hosted by the head of Speculation Nation, Ally J Ward (Portland’s Funniest Person 2025 by the Willamette Week).

Experts* (*comedians) will present their completely real* (*completely made up) conspiracy theories to Speculation Nation* (*you, the audience). Expand your mind with Speculation Proposition!

Instagram @allyjisgay

An autumnal tournament of Portland's best improv teams! Who will fall? Who will be squashed? And who will rise above as the golden gourds of Portland improv! Step into the cornucopia of comedy!!!

4 teams will perform, and you, the audience, will vote to determine who will move on to the Championships on December 6th!***This show is free to current students who present a student ID card at the door***

An autumnal tournament of Portland's best improv teams! Who will fall? Who will be squashed? And who will rise above as the golden gourds of Portland improv! Step into the cornucopia of comedy!!!

4 teams will perform, and you, the audience, will vote to determine who will move on to the Championships on December 6th!***This show is free to current students who present a student ID card at the door***

Velodrome is a weekly improv showcase of Portlands best and brightest indie teams! Every week you'll see 3 different teams, each bringing their unique forms, flavors, and a whole lot of funny.Monthly Rotating Anchor Teams:

• Shaving Season - 1st Thursdays
  • Cast: Carmen Pfeil, Kerry McPherson, Lori Blonn, Kaz Shepherd
• Brown Sugar - 2nd Thursdays
  • Cast: Alé Martinez, D’Guar Herrera, Dyvisha Gordon, Laz Romankiw, Michelle Dorantes, Nicholle Ortiz, Monel Chang, Tali Aflague
• Cat Cabinet - 3rd Thursdays
  • Cast: Ben Spoon, Krista Wright, Lisa Wheeler, Trinton Tello
• High Risk Behavior- 4th Thursdays
  • Cast: Alexander Henderson, Amirra Patterson, Ashley Bove, Chloé Riggs, Ian Davis, Jax Ko, Kevin Holden, Wayne Moodie, Wren Reynolds

Do you have an improv team who wants to perform on Velodrome?
Submit your team! Submissions open every 3 months.
Information and submissions at kickstandcomedy.org/velodrome***This show is free to current Kickstand students who present a student ID card at the door***

30 of Portland's best improvisers, 1 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!

***This show is free to current Kickstand students who present a student ID card at the door***

Chris Grace and Ross Bryant are simultaneously the smartest and the silliest two-man improv show you'll ever see.

Chris Grace and Ross Bryant bring their decades of comedy experience together to create a singular improv event that’s simultaneously super smart and wildly dumb. Combining intelligence, wit, and an encyclopedic knowledge of the world with the ever-present danger of saying or doing something profoundly silly, Chris and Ross present a fully-improvised show that’s both highbrow and lowbrow at the same time.

They’ll take a single suggestion and spin it into an hourlong deep-dive into scenes like: two priests naming parts of church architecture to try to determine which of them is a fake, or a pair of scientists working on the Hubble Telescope that can’t figure out how a doorknob works.

It’s improv at its best: intricate, playful, surprising, and stupid in all the right ways. Come watch two of the sharpest comedic minds turn a single audience suggestion into a full-length, never-before-seen, and never-to-be-seen-again comedic journey.

You can also catch Chris and Ross as guest players on Kickstand's "Keep It Portland" improv show Saturday December 5th at 7:00pm

THE PERFORMERS
Chris Grace and Ross Bryant have played together for years with seminal musical improv group Baby Wants Candy, and have combined forces on Dropout’s Make Some Noise. Ross is the host of comedy-horror TTRPG podcast Push The Roll and has been a longtime member of the Improvised Shakespeare Company. Chris, best known for playing Jerry on Superstore and Duane on The Residence, recently released his solo comedy special Chris Grace: As Scarlett Johansson on Dropout.

Chris Grace and Ross Bryant are simultaneously the smartest and the silliest two-man improv show you'll ever see.

Chris Grace and Ross Bryant bring their decades of comedy experience together to create a singular improv event that’s simultaneously super smart and wildly dumb. Combining intelligence, wit, and an encyclopedic knowledge of the world with the ever-present danger of saying or doing something profoundly silly, Chris and Ross present a fully-improvised show that’s both highbrow and lowbrow at the same time.

They’ll take a single suggestion and spin it into an hourlong deep-dive into scenes like: two priests naming parts of church architecture to try to determine which of them is a fake, or a pair of scientists working on the Hubble Telescope that can’t figure out how a doorknob works.

It’s improv at its best: intricate, playful, surprising, and stupid in all the right ways. Come watch two of the sharpest comedic minds turn a single audience suggestion into a full-length, never-before-seen, and never-to-be-seen-again comedic journey.

You can also catch Chris and Ross as guest players on Kickstand's "Keep It Portland" improv show Saturday December 5th at 7:00pm

THE PERFORMERS
Chris Grace and Ross Bryant have played together for years with seminal musical improv group Baby Wants Candy, and have combined forces on Dropout’s Make Some Noise. Ross is the host of comedy-horror TTRPG podcast Push The Roll and has been a longtime member of the Improvised Shakespeare Company. Chris, best known for playing Jerry on Superstore and Duane on The Residence, recently released his solo comedy special Chris Grace: As Scarlett Johansson on Dropout.

Every comic who steps up to the microphone has exactly one goal: survive the shredder. After a performer drops their rawest, newest, or riskiest bit, a judgment must be made. With the cheers or jeers, the crowd collectively decide the joke's ultimate fate. If they love it, the comedian keeps it. If it bombs, it goes straight into a heavy-duty paper shredder spinning live on stage, gone from their set forever.

Sign ups are online and mic starts at 5PM and ends 6:30.

Sign Up Link Here!

Registration opens the day before the show at 12:00 PM, and the official lineup will be posted the following day at 12:00 PM.

Hosted by Jaren George

A comedy show about Portlanders living in Portland. Kickstand's signature style of improv performed by a rotating cast of incredibly talented players

Rotating Cast featuring:
Afrita Davis, Chris Williams, Craig McCarthy, Dana Murphy, Diana Kolsky, Eric Simons, Jon Bolden, Justin Himes, Kristen Schier, Mariah Muñoz, Michael Zimmer, Natalie Haddad, Roland Mechanik, Thea Crowley

Chris Grace and Ross Bryant are simultaneously the smartest and the silliest two-man improv show you'll ever see.

Chris Grace and Ross Bryant bring their decades of comedy experience together to create a singular improv event that’s simultaneously super smart and wildly dumb. Combining intelligence, wit, and an encyclopedic knowledge of the world with the ever-present danger of saying or doing something profoundly silly, Chris and Ross present a fully-improvised show that’s both highbrow and lowbrow at the same time.

They’ll take a single suggestion and spin it into an hourlong deep-dive into scenes like: two priests naming parts of church architecture to try to determine which of them is a fake, or a pair of scientists working on the Hubble Telescope that can’t figure out how a doorknob works.

It’s improv at its best: intricate, playful, surprising, and stupid in all the right ways. Come watch two of the sharpest comedic minds turn a single audience suggestion into a full-length, never-before-seen, and never-to-be-seen-again comedic journey.

You can also catch Chris and Ross as guest players on Kickstand's "Keep It Portland" improv show Saturday December 5th at 7:00pm

THE PERFORMERS
Chris Grace and Ross Bryant have played together for years with seminal musical improv group Baby Wants Candy, and have combined forces on Dropout’s Make Some Noise. Ross is the host of comedy-horror TTRPG podcast Push The Roll and has been a longtime member of the Improvised Shakespeare Company. Chris, best known for playing Jerry on Superstore and Duane on The Residence, recently released his solo comedy special Chris Grace: As Scarlett Johansson on Dropout.

An autumnal tournament of Portland's best improv teams! Who will fall? Who will be squashed? And who will rise above as the golden gourds of Portland improv! Step into the cornucopia of comedy!!!

In the final round, 4 teams who have fought their way through the preliminary

Velodrome is a weekly improv showcase of Portlands best and brightest indie teams! Every week you'll see 3 different teams, each bringing their unique forms, flavors, and a whole lot of funny.Monthly Rotating Anchor Teams:

• Shaving Season - 1st Thursdays
  • Cast: Carmen Pfeil, Kerry McPherson, Lori Blonn, Kaz Shepherd
• Brown Sugar - 2nd Thursdays
  • Cast: Alé Martinez, D’Guar Herrera, Dyvisha Gordon, Laz Romankiw, Michelle Dorantes, Nicholle Ortiz, Monel Chang, Tali Aflague
• Cat Cabinet - 3rd Thursdays
  • Cast: Ben Spoon, Krista Wright, Lisa Wheeler, Trinton Tello
• High Risk Behavior- 4th Thursdays
  • Cast: Alexander Henderson, Amirra Patterson, Ashley Bove, Chloé Riggs, Ian Davis, Jax Ko, Kevin Holden, Wayne Moodie, Wren Reynolds

Do you have an improv team who wants to perform on Velodrome?
Submit your team! Submissions open every 3 months.
Information and submissions at kickstandcomedy.org/velodrome***This show is free to current Kickstand students who present a student ID card at the door***

Kickstand’s Harold teams perform classic improv comedy. What makes it classic? Scenes featuring oddball characters, strange situations, big emotions, and magical connections all made up completely on the spot from your one word suggestion! It's like watching a sitcom that only exists for the 25 minutes it's being performed!The Harold is a quintessential improv comedy form developed and honed at theaters like iO, UCB, and Second City. Google it if you must… but all you really need to know is that its gonna be a night of great comedy from Kickstand's rising talent!2nd and 4th Thursday of the Month

Grampire Weekend
Alisha Madison
Bimpe Adewusi
Chris Anderson
Joe Arthur
Jordan Curry
Rosie Fry
Savannah Webber
Tyler MacFarland

Directed by Adam Trabka

Stupid Easy
Alexander Henderson
Arden Jurskis
Ashley Bove
Emma Jonas
Jacob Abelsen
James Webb
Kayla Kelly
Liam Gibler

Directed by Randy Smith

***This show is free to current Kickstand students who present a student ID card at the door***

A comedy variety show ripe for the picking. Small Fruits serves you big laughs, queer joy, and a splash of mischief!

Hosted by No Sex and the City
This duo cracks open your stories and turns them into improv about love, friendship, and everything in between.

Improv by The Fruit Basket
A rotating mix of queer comedians who squeeze everyday moments into bold and flavorful worlds.

And always featuring comedy bits & characters from Portland's best queer performers! Wild surprises that pop like citrus zest. Sharp, silly, and just the right amount of unhinged.

Queer or straight, you will want seconds of this sweet and tangy show!

Follow @small.fruits

Improv with a Beat. You’re invited to Mosaic House Party—an improv show where the comedy has a soundtrack!Each night our audience picks a Spotify Playlist that will influence our partygoers’ scenes. Each new playlist will bring a new vibe to the night.Are you the life of the party? A wallflower? A little messy? However you get down, Mosaic House Party will bring you hot jams and big laughs. Your Partiers Madeleine AranaGabriel ChaviraJax KoYoshina OkamotoAmirra PattersonWren ReynoldsChloé RiggsDirected ByJhordan Blumenberg and Eric Simons

You're invited! Your hosts, For Ginger (Diana Kolsky, Roland Mechanik, Dana Murphy, Dylan Reiff, Randy Smith) are putting on a Dinner Party. Relish in the shenanigans of a gathering gone awry as seasoned improvisers mix Portland's love of all things comedy and cuisine in this delicious Feast of Comedy!

We’re back! 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 us and one of our favorite indie teams for a night of improv comedy, party games, chaotic characters, end-days camaraderie, and whatever the hell else we 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 (@hopes_n_prayers) is Diana Kolsky (The Chris Gethard Show), Lauren Sinner (Night Cheese), and Blade Weedman (Fuckos).

Every neighbor has a story. Come take a peak inside the Mosaic Complex, a comedy show that explores the many lives that enrich a completely improvised apartment building. Every show we visit a new apartment—all based on your stories! If you enjoy eavesdropping on characters from shows like Living Single, New Girl, and Insecure, then you should take a tour of the Mosaic Complex. Welcome to the building.

Every 1st Friday of the month! (subject to change, view full show calendar for more details). Follow @mosaicimprov on Instagram for more BIPOC comedy goodness.

Mosaic Complex is Afrita Davis, Jhordan Blumenberg, Jamiel Brown, Malika Rose Hall, Mylun Jackson, Nicholle Ortiz, Sumita Mukund, and Yoshina Okamoto

Directed by Mariah Muñoz (Small Fruits, No Sex and the City).

NYC-based stand-up comic Adam Mamawala (Comedy Central, MTV, Dry Bar) headlines Portland for the first time!

Adam has appeared on Comedy Central, MTV, BET, Amazon Prime and SiriusXM, and both of his comedy albums debuted at #1 on the iTunes Comedy Charts. He has toured the country as Dane Cook's feature act, opened for Jon Stewart and was selected as one of Forbes' 12 Rising AAPI Stand-Up Comedians To Watch. In 2026, Adam filmed comedy specials for Dry Bar Comedy and LMAOF.

If you enjoy smart, *reasonably* clean comedy, Adam is your guy. Hope to see you there!

Follow on IG @adammamawala
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Velodrome is a weekly improv showcase of Portlands best and brightest indie teams! Every week you'll see 3 different teams, each bringing their unique forms, flavors, and a whole lot of funny.Monthly Rotating Anchor Teams:

• Shaving Season - 1st Thursdays
  • Cast: Carmen Pfeil, Kerry McPherson, Lori Blonn, Kaz Shepherd
• Brown Sugar - 2nd Thursdays
  • Cast: Alé Martinez, D’Guar Herrera, Dyvisha Gordon, Laz Romankiw, Michelle Dorantes, Nicholle Ortiz, Monel Chang, Tali Aflague
• Cat Cabinet - 3rd Thursdays
  • Cast: Ben Spoon, Krista Wright, Lisa Wheeler, Trinton Tello
• High Risk Behavior- 4th Thursdays
  • Cast: Alexander Henderson, Amirra Patterson, Ashley Bove, Chloé Riggs, Ian Davis, Jax Ko, Kevin Holden, Wayne Moodie, Wren Reynolds

Do you have an improv team who wants to perform on Velodrome?
Submit your team! Submissions open every 3 months.
Information and submissions at kickstandcomedy.org/velodrome***This show is free to current Kickstand students who present a student ID card at the door***

Two gorgeous improv forms presented by Kickstand's house teams! It's two shows in one!

The Pretty Flower starts with an original scene inhabited by interesting characters. But any thought, idea, phrase, or memory can jump out and come to life in a new world of comedy!

The Eventé is focused on the world of a single event, the characters, the backstory, and everything around it. Like watching a live sitcom!

Bitter and Boring performs The Pretty Flower:
Cami Craven
Eiley Morrison
Gabriele Zachary Chodosh
Gracie Canfield
Kristin Gregory
Laz Romankiw
Nathan Offers
Wren Reynolds
Directed by Kristen Schier

Al Denté performs The Eventé
Carmen Pfeil
Madison Ford
Magenta Ferguson
Molly O'Reilly
Paige Howell
Peter Zingelmann
Sat Khalsa
Zeke Zager
Directed by Diana Kolsky

***This show is free to current Kickstand students who present a student ID card at the door***

What’s your sign? The answer to this question can tell you a lot about your fellow Portland dwellers. For one magical evening a month, Kickstand explores the astrological side of comedy, bringing Portland their first ever planet-based improv extravaganza.Created and hosted by Naomi Dixon&Diana Kolsky
Follow @the_astrolo_show

Help single comedians find love in the hottest comedy dating show in America, Heart Throb! Hosted by Mack Lee and Aleah Liebenau.

Follow @heartthrob_theshow

Poster by @coldmoonimageanddesign

Press for Heart Throb:

• "Pushing monogamy is a very funny thing to do in Portland" - Willamette Week
• "Heart Throb plays by its own chaotic rules" - Portland Mercury

Watch our Valentine's Day show on youtube to get a taste of the Heart Throb experience!

A comedy show about Portlanders living in Portland. Kickstand's signature style of improv performed by a rotating cast of incredibly talented players

Rotating Cast featuring:
Afrita Davis, Chris Williams, Craig McCarthy, Dana Murphy, Diana Kolsky, Eric Simons, Jon Bolden, Justin Himes, Kristen Schier, Mariah Muñoz, Michael Zimmer, Natalie Haddad, Roland Mechanik, Thea Crowley