Things to Do in Downtown Mesa:
A Late Show and a Fresh Class to Start October
Things to Do in Downtown Mesa: A Late Show and a Fresh Class to Start October
In a cast rehearsal this spring, Anna-Maria H turned to a teammate mid-runthrough and yelled, “We did it, Tom! Mt. Everest is our B!” It meant nothing the second before she said it. It meant everything the second she committed to it — because in this room, committing is what we do. This week in downtown Mesa you can watch improvisers do that, or learn to do it yourself.
Early October in downtown Mesa still means warm evenings and open weeknights, and NCT is closing out the month with a lineup built for people who like their comedy a little later and a little stranger than the usual Saturday. The pick for things to do in downtown Mesa this week is a Saturday that runs three events deep, ending in a late slot most first-timers don’t know exists. You can always see what’s on this week on our calendar. Tickets themselves now book through CrowdWork — one link, same theatre on Main Street in Mesa, AZ, every night this month.
Saturday, October 3: Indie Night Closes a Three-Show Night
Saturday stacks three events back to back to back. Genre Jam opens at 6:00 PM, pay-what-you-want and built around a single style pulled from the crowd. Get on stage and try improv. The Competitive Comedy Show, our all-ages flagship, follows at 7:30. Then at 9:30, Indie Night takes over — the one that doesn’t come around most weeks, handing the stage to teams from all over the valley who run material they built themselves. Saturday’s lineup is The Croutons (a slacker team), Players To Be Named Later, and advanced improv students from the last Process Lab, hosted by Jenna Jacobsen. If you’ve only ever caught the 7:30 show, 9:30 is a different vibe: looser, wilder, later.
Sunday, October 4: The Process Lab Opens Its Next Run
The Process Lab opens its next run the very next afternoon: Sunday, October 4 at 2:30 PM, four Sunday sessions in a row, taught by David Westlake. It’s a lab and not a lecture — you’re on your feet the whole time, building a scene, taking it apart, and building it again with something you didn’t try the first time. One past session ended with the entire room somehow playing mobsters at once — nobody planned it going in, but once the first person committed to it, everybody else had somewhere to go. That’s the kind of group instinct the Lab is built to produce. If you’re still deciding where to start, our full class lineup walks through every level, from a first Tuesday night to the Lab itself.
Why We’re Pairing These Two
Here’s the part that makes this week’s pairing more than a coincidence on our calendar: one of Indie Night’s slots is always reserved for The Process Lab, which is where new material, new concepts and new scenes get built. Indie Night is where those ideas get put on their feet in front of a live audience. Saturday’s Process Lab team is fresh off a finished run — watch them, and you’re watching what four Sundays in this room can produce.
The next round of that same process starts this Sunday afternoon in downtown Mesa, and it’s also the last easy weekend before the Halloween lineup takes over the calendar — if either one has been on your list, this is a clean week to finally go. We’ve written before about what a Process Lab session actually looks like, if you want more detail before you sign up. The theatre is on Main Street, an easy walk from the Mesa Arts Center light rail stop, in a corner of the Phoenix-area comedy scene a lot of people don’t realize is this close.
This Week at NCT
On stage — downtown Mesa, AZ. Tickets → CrowdWork
Thu, Oct 1, 7:00 PM — The Bucket of Doom
Fri, Oct 2, 6:00 PM — Musical Improv Jam (pay-what-you-want)
Fri, Oct 2, 7:30 PM — The Improvised Musical
Sat, Oct 3, 6:00 PM — Genre Jam (pay-what-you-want)
Sat, Oct 3, 7:30 PM — The Competitive Comedy Show (all-ages)
Sat, Oct 3, 9:30 PM — Indie Night
Thu, Oct 8, 7:00 PM — Teachers Show
Where is NCT located?
NCT shares a space with The Sacred Pint Taproom in Downtown Mesa.
When head in and look for the secret door marked with our logo.
You’re exactly where you need to be!”
Can we get tickets at the door?
Yup, but its always way faster to buy them online.
Is there a drink minimum?
Nope, there is no drink minimum but supporting the sacred pint would be cool.
Where do we park?
There are over 5,000 FREE parking spaces available in Downtown Mesa every day!
Is there places to eat downtown?
Heck Ya! Here are some awesome restaurants in our Neighborhood.
Wanna learn more about NCT?
Check out all the cool live shows and Improv classes we do.