2024 Festival Shows

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, Paul Holman-Kursky, Clay Robeson, and Molly Robertson. Musical Director: Michael Risse.

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. Musical Director: Michael Risse.

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.

Saturday, October 26 at 4:30pm

Mixer Team Show and Jam

This year’s festival will feature two Mixer Teams, each made up of eight individual experienced improvisers who have never played together before! These ad-hoc teams have been created just for this festival and will rehearse together for the first time on Saturday, then perform for you! It’s an experiment in chemistry where ANYTHING can happen!

The last 30-minutes of this show will feature a jam in which any festival performers in attendance will be invited on stage for free-for-all play. If space is available, we may also invite other audience members to join in the jam!

Mixer Team A

Coach: Kathy Groat. Performers: Heidi Breuer, Melanie DuPuy, Eric Lamothe, Cyrus Merrill, Natalie Nakamine, Kasey Needham, Bright Su and Jake Tomorrow.

Mixer Team B

Coach: Shulie Cowen. Performers: Katie Bajema, Diana Brown, Ryan Fan, Camila Frausto, Brendan Hunt, Elliott Jin, Seul Ki and Mary Ngo.

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: Christine Kwong, Neil Pomerleau, Debra Schifrin, Dustin Clingman, James Liu and Kate Ahern. Musical Director: Michael Risse.

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.

Saturday, Oct 26 at 8:30pm

BATS Improv 

Introducing the longform improvised musical "You WANT it WHERE?" First the audience suggests the protagonist's want and where the story takes place, then the BATS Improv players bring an entire Broadway-style musical to life. 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.

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 and Pamela Hawley. 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, Taylor Morris, Geraldine Carolan, 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, Gisela Nixie Griesheimer, Sean Taylor, Christine Welsh-Buck and William Yap. Musical Director: Grant Ewing.

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 Eadie Dhillon, Heidi Breuer, Kristen Baum Wilcox and Anna Strahl. Musical Director: Mark Anderson.

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, Taylor Morris and Lauren Hay. Musical Director: Lucas Simon.

Sunday, Oct 27 at 8:30pm

Closing Party with Live-Band Improvised Karaoke

Do not miss out on this fabulous FREE event to celebrate the end of the festival weekend. This is a party unlike any other--featuring the chance to improvise songs based on random titles pulled out of a hat with a live rock band backing you! 

We'll be taking over the entire All Out Comedy theater for the evening, so you can socialize, grab a drink or hop on stage. Come hang out with all your festival friends and the community for one last time and also rock your heart out with the band!

No ticket required.

This is a free event!

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.