Charlotte just got a whole lot funnier: The best places to check out local improv
There’s some entertainment in Charlotte that’s arguably better than a late night Netflix binge. It’s not sports, and it’s not a traveling Broadway show. It’s improv — unpredictable, supportive, hilarious and likely popping up at a brewery near you.
Improv, in short, is an unscripted, never-practiced-before performance. It tends to be comedic, full of surprises and engages the audience by procuring suggestions that will inspire the show.
Folks who have participated in some corporate team-building training or have watched the famed broadcasted improv show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” with legends Wayne Brady and Colin Mochrie might be familiar with basic improv games.
Charlotte’s improv scene consists of a mix of creatives and 9-to-5 Charlotteans who, at the end of their work day, come together and perform an hour or so of a pleasantly unbridled, unscripted show for audiences at theaters, breweries and cafes around the city.
Why? Because it’s fun.
Bryan Li, co-founder of Shameless Society Improv, said: “Improv is silly … It’s just a bunch of adults trying their hardest to make you laugh for an hour and a half … How often do adults get to have their own space, judgment free, to do something very silly and just laugh?”
With improv, expect the unexpected. Here are 11 opportunities — improv theaters, classes and teams — to do just that, and to find these judgment-free improv performances in Charlotte.
Acting Out Studio
Location: 8145 Ardrey Kell Rd, Charlotte, NC 28277
What to expect: While Acting Out Studio primarily focuses on acting classes and summer camps, like Acting for the Camera, the studio has teams like Mom’s Adhesive and Sudden Depth that perform regularly at the South Charlotte studio and around the city.
Instagram: @momsadhesiveimprov, @actingoutstudio
Bold and Beautiful Comedy
Location: Pop-ups throughout Charlotte
What to expect: While Bold and Beautiful consists mainly of stand-up comedy shows and open mics, the “Crusaders of Chaos” team holds Dungeons & Dragons-inspired shows where improv meets fantasy.
Instagram: @boldandbeautifulcomedy
Breakroom Improv
What to expect: Sold-out shows that are high-energy and highly interactive experiences with the audience. Breakroom gives audiences a compelling mix of short form and long form improv at live shows. The team offers private parties and corporate team-building as well. You can find upcoming shows around Charlotte or book Breakroom for an event here.
Instagram: @breakroomimprov
Charlotte Comedy Theater & Training Center
Location: 700 N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202
What to expect: A plethora of improv, sketch, standup and corporate team building classes and workshops, along with some standout performances at the VAPA center. Improv Jam nights are popular, too, with a low-pressure, come-one-come-all vibe.
Unknown Local Celebrities is a popular team with a 22-year history, along with That’s What She Said, Late Night Regrets and Fake Adults. The Last Kids Picked show, performed every second Saturday, combines all things “unabashedly geeky” with improv.
One-off workshops and classes are offered, teaching improv basics and long-form style.
Instagram: @charlottecomedytheater
The Chuckleheads
Location: Varies
What to expect: The Chuckleheads, affiliated with Planet Improv, have been entertaining and educating Charlotte with its musical variety of comedy improv since 2004. Planet Improv is a nonprofit established in 2006 to work with students in Charlotte’s schools to “empower people of all ages to grow socially and emotionally through applied improvisation.”
Facebook: @TheChuckleheads
Comedy Arts Theater of Charlotte
Location: 4128 South Blvd Suite A3, Charlotte, NC 28209
What to expect: Along with the comprehensive improv training program, storytelling or stand-up courses and a confidence-boosting Unlocking the Self class, CATCH hosts student shows and several house teams, including Dear Diary, Sunday Supper, Therapy Adjacent and Improv Game Night, which is held the first Saturday of every month.
All performances are at the theater on South Boulevard, featuring a sizeable parking lot.
Instagram: @comedyartstheaterofclt
Crescendo Improv
Location: 700 N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202
What to expect: One of Charlotte Comedy Theater’s improv teams that exclusively performs musical improv, mainly at the VAPA Center and with occasional pop-ups throughout Charlotte.
Instagram: @crescendomusicimprov
Femmeprov Clt
Location: Varies
What to expect: A group of women, femme-identifying and nonbinary performers whose pop-up shows raise money for local causes, such as Time Out Youth, Carolina Abortion Fund and Charlotte for Choice.
Instagram: @femmeprov.charlotte
Improv Charlotte
Location: Varies
What to expect: Improv Charlotte, circa 2006, is a mission-driven improv organization that prioritizes inclusive, family-friendly improv shows, featuring short and long form games. The proceeds from its shows, often held at Free Range Brewing, go to local charity organizations.
Instagram: @improvcharlotte
Shameless Society Improv
Location: Varies
What to expect: A highly interactive improv experience that uses audience suggestions to inspire short form improv games. The improv hosts engage the audience with different activities that showcase the quick wit and unscripted entertainment of the team of improvers. The team of eight performers has garnered a loyal following across town, often performing at pop-ups at Giddy Goat, Triple C and similar spaces.
Instagram: @shamelessimprov
Skillpop: Improv For Life Skills
Location: 201 Camp Rd, Suite 106, Charlotte, NC 28206
What to expect: Not quite a performance or a comedy class, this workshop allows people to try out improv in a safe, nonjudgmental space and gain new skills. It’s a 2-hour class that uses games and conversation to inspire attendees to think more creatively, quick on their feet, lower inhibitions and improve both their listening and public speaking.
Instagram: @skillpop
Queen City Comedy
Location: Varies
What to expect: The artist collective started the Global Improv Project, which encourages online communities outside of North Carolina to participate in improv. The organization has six online teams, along with in-person performance at monthly shows, like the Dynamic Duos or Mix It Up Shows, the Global 3 on 3 Tournament, an Everybody Get in Here Festival and student showcases.
The collective hosts many workshops, online, private and corporate classes, as well. Queen City Comedy has partnerships with Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, Free Range Brewing, Davidson County Players, VisArt Video as locations for improv and comedy performances.
