Raleigh's Premiere
Improv Comedy Club
March 24th
Tuesday
SHOW: Local Laughs 7-8:40p
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Headliner: Organic Panic
Feature: Killy Wonka
Opener: Live Short & Die
SHOW: Late Night Local Laughs 9-10:40p
Headliner: Whale Tale
Feature: Plot Holes
Guest: Chatty Yeti
Opener: Tonight or Never
March 25th
Wednesday
SHOW: House Teams Plus 7-8:40p
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Headliner: Smash Apple
Feature: The Short Straw
Guest: Mango! Mango!
Opener: Festival Favorites
SHOW: Late Night House Teams Plus 9-10:40p
Headliner: Rat People
Feature: Popcorn
Guest: Nerd Lenz
Opener: Diabolical Fishbank
March 26th
Thursday
SHOW: The ComedyWorx Conservatory 6-8:00p
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​The ComedyWorx Conservatory is our premier youth program. Four different teams, featuring both shortform and longform improv, will entertain and delight with the out-of-the-box thinking that children and teens excel at.
SHOW: Bonus Late Night Local Laughs 8:30-10:10p
Headliner: Homemade Dynamite
Feature: She/They/Gay
Opener: Bianchi & Byland
March 27th
Friday
SHOW: Friday Funnies 8-9:40p
Headliner: The Beavers
Feature: Mmm Hmm
Guest: Stepkids
Opener: Cooking with Gas
SHOW: Late Night Laughs 10-11:40p
Headliner: T.J. Mannix
Feature: Knievel
Guest: A2C
Opener: The Complaint Department
March 28th
Saturday
WORKSHOP: The Short Form Workout 10a-12:30p
Take a vacation from long form narrative and dive into the world of fast-paced, brain-powered, funny-forward short form. What does the audience want and how can you give it to them? Should your short form show be a tribute to those who came before you, or a cutting edge showcase for the performers of the future? Are you stuck rehashing the same gets and punchlines? Are you taking risks? Mixing it up? You can still embrace the old favorites while updating them for today’s audiences. Stay relevant. Tighten up your patter. Take some creative risks to keep your cast happy and hungry.
WORKSHOP: Getting Out of Your Head and Off the Back Line 1:30-4p
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One of the biggest mysteries of Improv might be "How the hell can Improv get even harder the longer I study it?"
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T.J. Mannix has gone through that phase many times in his 25 years as an improviser. Suddenly, he has so many skills and ideas to choose from that he's back in his head as if he was still in Level One. He's caught himself hesitating before he steps out on stage and judging whether he's going to make the "right" choice.
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New tools, options, styles, and challenges...can sometimes seem paralyzing. This workshop is all about spontaneity and getting out of your head.
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Participants will get on their feet and WORK as T.J. introduces different techniques and exercises to break out of that negative loop of self-doubt that sometimes drags down your improv work.
This workshop is designed for students with intermediate to advanced improv skills. Please contact us before registering for this workshop if there is any question about whether your skill level is appropriate for this workshop.
SHOW: Dogwood Comedy Festival's
Improv Jam 4-5:40p
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It's an improv Jam, hosted by Newt Work Comedy! Come see some fabulous improvisers create fun new realities. Or join them on stage yourself - we welcome audience participation at our jams! When else will you get the chance to perform with such amazing improvisers? Don't miss the fun!
SHOW: Dogwood Comedy Festival's
Capital City Culture Club 6-7:40p
Join us for a very special edition of Capital City Culture Club, featuring improvisers from multiple teams. Special guest monologist T.J. Mannix will regale the audience with short stories. The players will then bring the short stories to life in unique, heartfelt, and hilarious ways!
SHOW: Saturday Sillies 8-9:40p
Headliner: Now Are the Foxes
Feature: Play Cousinz
Guest: Harpoon!
Opener: Newport High Society
SHOW: Last Late Night Laughs 10-11:40p
Headliner: Newt Work
Feature: Mettlesome TourCo
Guest: Man Candy
Opener: Pandemic! @ the Disco
March 29th
Sunday
WORKSHOP: Welcome to the Dollhouse 11a-3p
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The Dollhouse is an epic Musical Improv form that also blows up the traditional mono-scene. Grounded in strong relationships, the entire show is set in and around one location, with every improvised character existing under one crowded roof.
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T.J. Mannix's musical workshop uses the Dollhouse form to focus on honest relationships and physicality - while also exploring how to build powerful, theatrical opening numbers that wow the audience.
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Inspired by the epic, all-female New York City musical improv team "The Jezebelles," the Dollhouse was made popular during their multi-year run at the Magnet Theater in New York City. As the Founder and Producer of the New York Musical Improv Festival, T.J. Mannix has spent the last decade working with and showcasing innovative musical performers from around the globe.
***NOTE - if you are new to Musical Improv and worried that your singing voice won't get you cast in WICKED anytime soon, don't worry. Anyone can play in the Dollhouse, and talk-singing is a Hollywood tradition that goes back a century.