Ha Ha Hanukkah and YOU (The Audience!)

We had a whole bunch of dreidel-spinning fun at Ha Ha Hanukkah: The Festival of Laughs this year!

Saturday night we had two special events and each one added to the quality comedy

Jeff brought his whole Veterinary office and family out to celebrate the Holidays with us, and he joined us on stage for a hilarious round of Dinner at Joe's!

And Sean decided to celebrate his birthday at the show with a whole bunch of friends and family. He got on stage with us for Animatronic Jamboree!

There are so many choices for entertainment in the Valley, especially around the holiday season, we truly appreciate all of YOU (the audience!) who join us every weekend for some spontaneous laughs!

Join us at the Thursday Night Troupe Comedy Show this Thursday the 13th!

www.nctphoenix.com

YOU (The Audience)!

And here is a peek at some of the pretty faces who have graced our stage and walked away with two tickets to come see us again!

New Players Take The Main Stage

This weekend marks an exciting first for us at National Comedy Theatre Phoenix. This weekend our first ever High School Improv League player turned Main Stage player takes the stage in a Competitive Comedy show with the cast of NCT.

Now, if you know NCT, you know we love our Leaguers. It always delights us to see what shenanigins they get up to out in the real world after they graduate. It is always extra rewarding to see them continue with the art of improv and now its extra extra rewarding for the first of the Leaguers take the stage with the big boys.

Mike Warner joins us tonight.

His former 56th Street Comedy Club team mates Caleb Colson, Tyler Fleming and Kaiden Dion wont be far behind as they will join the cast of the Main Stage team this month.

Here they are at last years High School Improv League Tournament.

Sure to become big stars on the Main Stage... congratulations guys!

A New Generation on the Horizon

...it's a pun...

Horizon High School had their first Improv League class of the year.

This being the 5th season of the League, it is also the first year that we have had a complete turn over. Horizon has a big new cast, a new faculty sponsor and it is pretty exciting to see where the team will go from here.

It is really wonderful and rewarding to see the High School League improv teams take their team practices, their shows, and the whole art of improv super seriously. Many of the HSIL performers commit to their teams as faithfully as footballers and baseballers commit to all that running and jumping.

A new season of shows is starting too, which brings the schools together. They get to meet their fellow players and experience the different styles of performance and play that develop among each team.

What happened to the former players who graduated already? Well, some of them perform with improv groups where they go to college... and some will soon be performing for you at NCT! One of Horizon High's 56th Street Comedy Club will officially become a National Comedy Theatre Main Stage Team player later this month. Players from Campo Verde's CopperPocalypse have also joined up, along side the 56th Streeters, in our Thursday Night Troupe.

There's something thrilling about a small army of super talented, super young improvisers that already have years of professional training.... world domination is certainly on the Horizon? (that time the pun was unintentional... but I refuse to delete it.)

Info on the High School Improv League is easily found by clicking here.
Awesome pics and vids of High School Improv League here. and here.

The dudes of 56th Street Comedy Club and the ladies of CopperPocalypse!

An Invasion of Improvisers...

as Captain Hammer says "It's not enough to bash in heads, you've got to bash in MINDS!" and I think that at the National Comedy Theatre we take bashing in minds very seriously, in particular when it comes to improv.

The truth is that there is lots and lots of improvisation out there in the wide world. "You mean besides Whose Line is it Anyway?" you ask. "Yes," I reply, "even besides Whose Line is it Anyway."
Improv Comedy (and even improv that is NOT comedy) exists all over the world and with it comes a whole boat load of improvisational philosophy and technique, games, exercises, show styles, and footwear.

This weekend, we're super excited to be bringing you three kinds of improv coming together in a very cool way. Brian O'Connell of IO West and Camp Improv Utopia will be workshopping with our Main Stage team.

Brian is a working actor, writer, director, filmmaker and improviser in Los Angeles. We met Brian a few years ago at Camp Improv Utopia and instantly connected to the way he performs. Brian, the "Improv Ninja" -as some of our performers geekily refer to him- will join us to share his philosophy and performance style.

"Can I take part in this exciting event as well?" you suddenly ask me.
"Certianly!" I quickly reply, excited by your inquisitive nature!

We're getting more that just a workshop with Mr. O'Connell this weekend-- we're ALSO GETTING A SHOW! The Tri-Theatre Improv Show this Sunday the 14th at 7:30pm

What makes it TRI and not BI...? few close friends from Phoenix's Torch Theatre will also be joining us for the show. It's going to be a whole lot of improv brain power coming together in one place....

Join us, wont you? Bash in comedy minds!

... from 13 to 113 to One N Tem... Improv Comedy Workshops For Everyone!

A busy week this week for classes and workshops at National Comedy Theatre and all around the Valley.

Tuesday: High School Improv League Class at Perry High School
AND Level 1 Workshop at NCT

Wednesday: Improv Workshop with the Improv Club at Sun City Anthem in Florence
AND Team Practice at NCT

Thursday: Speaking and presenting improv games and exercises at One N Ten Mesa
AND Thursday Night Troupe practice

Friday & Saturday: Shows

Performing improv is great fun and fans creative fire. Performing gives you the laughter of the audience and the delight of creating comedy with your fellow improvisers. And sometimes you get to pretend you are a "1920's gangster-slash-Leprechaun." It's tough to beat that.

TEACHING improv means setting other people on fire with insiration and positivity... as long as it is metaphorical fire and not actual flamible fire.
And really, once you have mastered that "prohibition-era mythical imp" character, you owe it to posterity to pass on the gift... am I right?

The High School Improv team at Perry High School and their team, the "PerryWinkles," has been part of our League going into their 3rd year. They have a new Team Captain, a batch of new recruits and after their workshop on Tuesday I can report that they have a really positive attitude and a good sense of team spirit.

We practiced scenework and games for their upcoming show with Basha High School- the proceeds are all going to charity. Check it out here.

Their Captain and some of their veteran players gave really insightful feedback and critique on the scenes and games we worked. It always my heart grow three sizes when I hear a High School Improv League Captain remind her team to "watch for opportunities to play with status." "remember to develop the relationship" and "dont forget to play with levels visually in your stage picture" it makes a teacher's heart go all a flutter.

I'm looking forward to working with them again next Tuesday to polish games for their upcoming competition at the Utah Shakespeare Festival.

The new Level 1 Workshop also kicked off Tuesday evening. Its always great to get a new group together. The last Level 1 for the year is scheduled for October. You can find out more about our classes here.

Wednesday I drove out to Sun City Anthem in Florence. I've been coaching the SCATS Theatre Group there for about 2 years now.

The group is tons of fun to improvise with. They love to laugh and, I will tell you without hesitation, between the High School kids and the senior citizens... the seniors come up with the raunchiest suggestions. Between them and everyone else, really. It's a bawdy crowd up there in Florence. This week we worked on games for their upcoming Open Mic night.

Thursday night we went to present some improv at the One N Ten meeting in Mesa. Improv and the little communities of improvisers that come together can be a super positive experience, especially for teens and young adults. It was great to take a group of players over there to share our own stories and introduce the kids to improv.

We also had really solid Main Stage Team practice and Thursday Night Troupe rehearsal this week... busy, busy! The good news is that each experience brings us more positivity, stronger focus, new perspectives and sharper improv wits! All of which we will bring to bear at the shows this weekend!

-NCT

in 1492 Colubmbus Sailed the Ocean Blue and Longed for a Cooler Beverage and Hilarious Comedy...Right?

Voyage to Columbus Day Comedy and claim your Limited Edition NCT Beverage Koozie (while supplies last)

Friday and Saturday October 5 & 6 7:30pm & 9:45pm

We've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to "officially" celebrate the opening of the Lounge and give away some adorable little beverage Koozies so...

Bring your Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria over to National Comedy Theatre to celebrate Columbus Day and discover the Lounge!

Much as America existed before Columbus found it, the Lounge has been open for a few weeks... but have YOU explored it yet? Bring a flag and claim a piece of NCT for Spain, or Canada, or Chandler... just like they did it in the old days.

Our first 50 SuperFans at each show will walk away with a cusom NCT beverage koozie, while supplies last.

tickets are available online! www.nctphoenix.com/showtimes


This:

came from humble beginnings: