2024 Festival Shows

Three Days. Six Shows. Eighteen Acts.

This year's festival features performers from around the Bay Area, and as far afield as Chicago, Honolulu, Madison, Portland and San Diego. These performers include solos, duos and teams and feature an array of genres, styles and forms ranging from classic Broadway to German synth-pop to Sondheim to Opera to a Rock Concert!

Learn more and get your tickets here.

Friday, Oct 25 at 6:30pm

Un-Scripted Theater Company

This celebrated San Francisco-based group is re-uniting and bringing to the stage a long-form musical with grounded characters and universal truths. Performers: Michael Fleming, Melissa Holman-Kursky, Paul Holman-Kursky, Clay Robeson, and Molly Robertson.

Yes Ma'am (Madison, WI)

Yes Ma'am is a blend of real-life storytelling and longform improv that celebrates and elevates women in improv while welcoming Guest Ma'am performers of all genders. Performers: Tara Ptasnik, Kelly Maxwell, Brett Hermanson, Kathy Groat, and Sheila Robertson.

 

Un-scripted Theater Company
Yes Ma'am
 

Friday, Oct 25 at 8:30pm

An Improvised Sondheim Show (Chicago, IL)

A fully improvised musical in the style of composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim, complete with complex characters and plenty of dissonant harmonies. Performers: Amanda Murphy, Kate Cohen and Kerri Morrison. Musical Director: Mike Descoteaux.

Knockoff Broadway

It's opening (and closing) night of a brand-new Broadway-style musical comedy that is totally off-script! Performers: Ryan Fan, Kathy Groat, Jade Laity, Jeb, Jed Levine, Jessica Neighbor, Pat Pow-anpongkul and Adrian Vazquez. Musical Director: Jared Hauser.

 

An Improvised Sondheim Show
Knockoff Broadway
 

Saturday, Oct 26 at 6:30pm

Flash Mob Musical

Flash Mob Musical is San Francisco’s longest-running musical improv group. Watch as they take your suggestions and turn them into comedic scenes and show stopping songs! Performers: Neil Pomerleau, Debra Schifrin, Dustin Clingman and Rico Roque.

Warriors of Ver-Choo (Honolulu, HI)

Sean Choo and Jose Ver, the Warriors of Ver-Choo combat the evil forces of anti-comedy with their kung fu joy improv powers! Performers: Sean Choo and Jose Ver.

We're Gonna Need Your Help With The Chorus

As the audience you’re encouraged to sing along with this musical improv duo, because, well, there’s only two singers and we're gonna need your help with the chorus. Performers: Jed Levine and Pat Pow-anpongkul.

Whiplash! (Portland, OR)

This improvised and satirical german-synth-pop duo composed of Jordan "Gunther" Marzka and Raz "Tallulah" Mostaghimi is a blend of audience banter, avant-garde performance, and improvised party bangers. Performers: Jordan Marzka and Raz Mostaghimi.

 

Flash Mob Musical
Warriors of Ver-Choo
We're Gonna Need Your Help with the Chorus
Whiplash!
 

Saturday, Oct 26 at 8:30pm

BATS Improv 

Audience members become Broadway musical investors looking for the next smash hit by suggesting song titles to the talented BATS Improv team–then vote on which song continues on to become a Broadway musical. Performers: Brian Lohmann, Dave Dennison, Laura Wachtel, Lisa Rowland and Stephanie Dennison. Musical Director: Joshua Raoul Brody.

Fourte (Portland, OR)

In this completely improvised musical, four performers create a suite of shared characters and explore the depths of their relationships. Performers: Betse Green, Bill Cernansky, Nick Condon and Justin Condon. Musical Director: Mark Anderson.

La Spazzatura 

La Spazzatura [Italian: (n) trash] is low brow opera, high brow improv. Based on a single audience suggestion, they perform comedic arias, duets, and perfectly executed recitativo* accompanied by piano. *That sound you heard was Mozart rolling in his grave. Performers: Emily Markoe, Nicole Odell, Olivia Puerta and Meghan Trowbridge. Musical Director: Michael Risse.

 

BATS Improv
Fourte
La Spazzatura
 

Sunday, Oct 27 at 4:30pm

All That Jazz!

All That Jazz creates fully improvised, Broadway-style musicals set in the swingin’ jazz era of the 1920's-1950's. Join these hep cats and kittens as they transport you back in time! It’s the cat’s meow! Performers: Yael Schy, Melissa Dinwiddie, Michael Fleming, Pamela Hawley and Derek Cochran. Musical Director: Jacob Russell-Snyder.

Ask Leonora

In "Ask Leonora," Liz Garfinkle performs as Dr. Leonora Areola, MSW, DDS, answering audience members' burning personal questions with improvised original songs, creating an unscripted musical advice column, while accompanying herself on keyboard and ukulele. Performer: Liz Garfinkle.

Dumpster Fyre

The bands have cancelled. The tickets have been sold. The show must go on. Can this rag-tag group improvise songs in the styles of popular music–ranging from pop to rock to country to freestyle rap–and save this music festival from disaster? Performers: Adrienne Losch, Rochelle Urban, John Roberts, Ming Wong, Julia Cinnamon, Jessica Davenport, Lauren Hay, Bethany Schwartz, Adrien Colon, Clint Gibler and Laura Zaro. Musical Director: Jared Hauser.

Worlds Collide

This long-form musical improv team is known for their unique performances that seamlessly blend improvisational theater and live music. It’s a spellbinding musical journey where your suggestion becomes the foundation for an incredible and unforgettable performance. Performers: Shawn Amaro, Catherine Dietrich, Debbie Lockhart, Gisela Nixie Griesheimer, Sean Taylor, Christine Welsh-Buck and William Yap. Musical Director: Grant Ewing.

 

All That Jazz
Ask Leonora
Dumpster Fyre
Worlds Collide
 

Sunday, Oct 27 at 6:30pm

B.A.B.E. Presents: I Love Musicals (Portland, OR)

This 1950's/"I Love Lucy" inspired improvised musical is an ode to wackiness & classic Americana, crafted by four world-traveling improvisers: Betse, Aden, Bill and Eric (aka B.A.B.E.). Performers: Betse Greene, Aden Nepom, Bill Cernansky and Eric Nepom. Musical Director: Mark Anderson.

Basic Pitches (San Diego, CA)

This all-female ensemble from Southern California performs an original musical La Ronde, full of silliness, sassiness, and of course, lots of singing! Performers: Apple Bridges, Nicole Hernandez, Selina Edie-Dillon, Heidi Breuer, Kristen Baum-Wilcox and Anna Strahl.

Rama-Lama Sing-Song

This San Francisco-based team improvises an entire Broadway-style musical based on a single audience suggestion, from opening number to closing number. Performers: Adrienne Losch, Clint Gibler, Geraldine Carolan, Peterson Cheng, Ife Famojuro and Lauren Hay.

 

B.A.B.E. Presents: I Love Musicals
Basic Pitches
Rama-Lama Sing-Song
 

The Bay Area Musical Improv Festival is run by Bay Area Musical Improv, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is create opportunities for musical improvisers in the San Francisco Bay Area.