Improv Classes in Mesa Start This Week — And One Sunday Show You Won’t Get
Twice
In a Process Lab workshop this spring, a student named Carmen introduced herself as Pirate HR. Not a pirate —
Pirate HR. The person on the ship who has to file the paperwork when somebody loses a hand. Nobody wrote
that line. It arrived because Carmen was watching a room fill up with pirates and noticed the one job nobody
had taken.
That is the thing a class gives you that watching a show can not. You get to be the person who noticed. Improv classes in Mesa are about to make that easy, because the whole slate restarts this week.
Five cohorts open in seven days at the Neighborhood Comedy Theatre on Main Street in downtown Mesa — a
first-night Level 1 on Tuesday, Level 2 on Wednesday, The Harold on Thursday, Musical Improv on Sunday
afternoon, and a four-week Process Lab the Sunday after that. And if you would rather see the finished version
before you sign anything, there is a show on Sunday evening you will not get another shot at.
Tuesday: Intro to Improv, and What Week One Is Actually Like
Intro to Improv — Level 1 — starts tonight, Tuesday, August 25 at 7:00 PM, and runs six weeks with Jenna
Jacobsen teaching.
Week one throws people, because it is not about being funny. It is about agreement. Your scene partner says
the raft is sinking, so the raft is sinking, and you are already a person on a sinking raft before you have said
anything clever. From there the work is finding the game of the scene — improv shorthand for the one strange
thing that turned up by accident, which you then do again on purpose until the room catches on. Like Carmen’s
Pirate HR is a game. So is a pirate crew that will not stop apologising to her.
No experience required, no audition, and nobody is going to make you do stand-up. If Tuesday is already gone
by the time you read this, Level 2 opens Wednesday with Nate McWhortor and Musical Improv opens Sunday
afternoon with Mallory Roeder.
Sunday: The Spare Change Sketch Show
The Spare Change Sketch Show lands Sunday, August 30 at 6:00 PM, and it is the least usual night on our
calendar for the next ten days. It is not part of the weekly rotation — nothing like it last week, nothing like it
after — which is why it leads this post instead of the weekend regulars.
Sketch is the other half of what happens in this building. Improv is invented in front of you and then gone;
sketch is written, rehearsed and repeatable, and the people writing it are the same people improvising here on
the other nights. Thirteen of them are on this one, including Jenna Jacobsen — the same Jenna teaching
Tuesday — alongside Rob Hemen, Blake Lytz, Bonnie Hawkes, Shannon Mauck, Grace Campbell, Kevin Reagan
and David Westlake, with Alex Cruz on box and Joe Malone on voice.
A 6:00 PM Sunday start is a gentler entry point than a packed Saturday. You are out by half past seven, and the
cast is usually still in the lobby when you leave.
Make an evening of it either way. The theatre is on Main Street in downtown Mesa, AZ, a short walk from the Mesa Arts Center, with the light rail a block away if you are coming in from Phoenix or Tempe. Every improv class in Mesa and its start date is at nctphoenix.com/classes/, the full run of shows is at nctphoenix.com/calendar/, and if you are not sure which class is yours, we wrote a five-question guide to picking your first one.
This Week at NCT
On stage — downtown Mesa, AZ. Tickets →
Thu, Aug 27, 7:00 PM — Set The Scene: Improv and Stand Up. Improvisers and stand-ups on the same bill, with Derrick Tesson, Mallory Roeder, Jenna Jacobsen, Shannon Mauck, Eddie Esparza, Rob Hemen, David Gilmore and Grace Campbell.
Fri, Aug 28, 6:00 PM — Neighborhood Jam. Pay what you want. Open-floor improv, all comers. Tickets →
Fri, Aug 28, 7:30 PM — The Main Street Comedy Show with Mike Yudell. Guest-featured long-form with the Main Street cast.
Sat, Aug 29, 6:00 PM — Short Form Jam. Pay what you want, hosted by Mallory Roeder. Tickets →
Sat, Aug 29, 7:30 PM — The *Slightly Uncensored Show. NOT all-ages — leave the kids at home.
Sun, Aug 30, 6:00 PM — The Spare Change Sketch Show. Written, rehearsed sketch from thirteen of the people you see improvising here the rest of the week. One night only.
Thu, Sep 3, 7:00 PM — The Bucket of Doom. Casting not yet final.
Fri, Sep 4, 6:00 PM — Musical Improv Jam. Pay what you want. Tickets →
Fri, Sep 4, 7:30 PM — The Musical Catering Company. Fully improvised musical.
In class — Session 5 starts this week. Sign up →
Intro to Improv (Level 1) starts Tue, Aug 25, 7:00 PM. Six weeks with Jenna Jacobsen — no experience, no audition, the one to start with.
Short Form and Performance (Level 2) starts Wed, Aug 26, 7:00 PM. Six weeks with Nate McWhortor — games, edits and playing to an audience.
The Harold (Level 5) starts Thu, Aug 27, 7:00 PM. Six weeks with Jenna Jacobsen — the long-form structure everything else builds toward.
Musical Improv starts Sun, Aug 30, 2:00 PM. Six weeks with Mallory Roeder — made-up songs, and yes you can. →
The Process Lab starts Sun, Sep 6, 2:30 PM. Four Sunday sessions of advanced scenework.
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.