THE CALL IS COMING FROM…
INSIDE THE THEATER!!

It’s October, so get ready for some creepy entertainment and some hard-autumn-core! Mockingbird is getting ready to scare the laughs out of you with a new seasonal show, some spooky, kooky guests and the kind of chills and thrills we are known for on this, the most frightful month! We also have reporting on the recent SmackDown tournament, two special community members, an audition report, a bat you’ll want to see, a community survey, and some important holiday-related announcements you don’t want to miss! Make this season your Mockingbird Improv season and let’s play!

TRIPTYCH OF TERROR: SHOCKTOBER, MOCKINGBIRD’S NEW SEASONAL SHOW

This October, Mockingbird Improv presents a three-week descent into improvised horror! Each night, our cast conjures a brand-new, never-before-seen horror story live on stage — inspired by your suggestions and the greatest nightmares in film history. Watch our performers split up when they absolutely should not, investigate strange noises, and say "hello?" into the darkness like it's ever worked once.

Survive an 80s slasher, witness a demonic possession, and join the harvest with folk horror — the flower crowns are mandatory and we won't explain why. No two shows are the same. No one is safe. Especially not the performers, who have no idea what's coming either.

Cast: Al Anthis, John Boaz, Jackie Bookstein, Claire Kreger-Boaz, Amber Largent, Robby Mollin, Whitney Seymour, Randy Thomas, Billie Vollmer, Nicole Weaver

Directed by Claire Kreger-Boaz

With improvised music by Daniel Yap, Marcia Bookstein & Stefan Wendel!

TICKETS: Click here

G-G-G-Guest Performances!

Amazing LA improv team and Friends of Mockingbird, Rat City and those skeletological leaders of San Diego sketch comedy, Dad Skeleton both have shows on our stage this month! Rat City’s Doctor’s Orders haunts the stage on Saturday, October 10th at 10:00 PM and closing this macabre month, we have Dad Skeleton’s Tales From The Freakonomicon on Thursday October 29 at 7:00 PM! It’s not too early to get tickets to both. These are guaranteed to sell out, so don’t hang back!

Time for a BAT!*

*Improv done in the dark, where the players cannot see each other and the audience only listens! Particularly effective for…scary stories!

Our own Jon Barton will host a “Bat Bootcamp” on Thursday night, Oct 29 from 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM in the classroom for improvisers who want to try a bat and learn tips and tricks. $20 (or $15 for current cast members) Friday night, Oct 30 at 9:45 PM they will perform a bat for brave souls right after the Shocktober show!

Sign up for class here Buy show tickets here

Record-Breaking Admission for Competition!

The First Annual Ultimate SmackDown Tournament concluded on Sunday, September 20th with winning team, Five Guys beating out runner up, The Joey Summers Show in a sweaty, humid theater with one hundred and ten in attendance- the new record for an audience for one show. The screams of laughter echoed down the halls of the Dorothea Laub Music and Arts Center as both teams slayed. Host and show producer, Emily Burke, in her “hot wrestlemania chick” garb, waved the coveted trophy, whipping the crowd into a frenzy; although it didn’t take much to get these improv-hungry fiends in an uproar. By turns they chanted “Joey, Joey!” or “Five Guys, Five Guys!”

Special thanks to front of house volunteer, Jessica and tech operator, Patrick, for serving up snacks and running the audio and lights. Due to people entering the theater doors for twenty straight minutes, the show started ten minutes late but finally had to go on because the arrivals wouldn’t stop. Last minute guests bought tix and sat in the lobby for this much-clamored-for event. Congratulations to Five Guys Improv as well as Joey Summers and all the teams that took part in the tournament, including Stache, Sundae Sauce, Noise Boiz, Felt Up!, Bang The Doldrums and Project JEricah. Over two-hundred thirty four patrons attended the month-long tournament.

To sign your own improv team up to play in SmackDown, either as a competitor or as an opener click this link! To get tickets go here!

WORKSHOPS:

• FREE INTRO WORKSHOPS

  Great for “dipping your toe in”
  This month we have three amazing FREE intro workshops:
  October 3, 20, and 27

LEVEL ONE CLASSES OCT/NOV

The following are our Level One class offerings for beginners:

SAT, OCTOBER 31 @ 1:30 PM
TUE, NOVEMBER 3 @ 5:00 PM
TUE, NOVEMBER 3 @ 7:00 PM

In this course, you'll discover that improv isn't just about getting on stage - it's about embracing the unknown, taking risks, and collaborating with others learning to do the same, while having a ton of fun. Begin your improv journey this month or share with someone you care about!

After School Improv For Tweens - Starts October 15

October 15th - December 10th (No Class November 26th) 4:30 - 5:50 PM
Ages 10 - 13. No prior improv experience needed. Student Show for friends and family in the last 20 minutes of the final class (Dec 10th at 5:30)

Every week, students will play a variety of games and exercises that get us out of our judgment brains and into our creativity. Students build characters and stories from their imaginations, being present, collaborating, and listening to come together as a team.

Learning improv is a powerful way for tweens to keep nurturing the vivid imagination of childhood while building on critical life skills of team work and adaptive thinking. It's a perfect opportunity to practice the essential art form of letting go of judgement in a welcoming and inclusive environment where students can build authentic connections through creative play!

Learn More and Register

He brings an active, encouraging approach to his improv classes, keeping students moving, engaged, and having fun while building confidence, creativity, teamwork, and listening skills.

Josh believes students learn best when they feel safe, supported, and genuinely cared for. He works intentionally to create a welcoming environment where students can take creative risks, make mistakes, and be themselves.

All Mockingbird Improv, our youth program instructors complete background checks and are required to follow Mockingbird Improv’s youth safety policies and applicable California youth protection requirements.

Register Here

Questions?
Contact Education Director, Jackie Bookstein jackie@mockingbirdimprov.org

FALL 2026 AUDITIONS REPORT

Open auditions were held Saturday, September 19 and Monday, September 21. Fifty-five improvisers signed up (!) to perform for our show directors to watch over a total of five hours. Now we go into callbacks and wait for directors to share their lists and rehearsal periods. By the end of the month we should have a list of new cast members to welcome! It is worth mentioning that continuing improv education as well as persistence pays off. Some cast members auditioned over and over as they improved their skills, eventually lining up with an open spot in a show that needed them. We saw familiar faces, folks already in other shows and teams and some brand-new faces we hope to keep seeing. Thanks to Amber and Bryndan for their top-notch organizing and to all those improvisers who participated!

CONGRATULATE THESE WOMEN!

Meet Marlene Lopez, our new board treasurer! You’ve probably seen her around the theater either onstage or behind the bar- well now she sits on the board, gracing us with her financial super powers! Welcome Marlene when you see her next. San Diego Performing Arts League once again recognizes theater volunteers who go beyond the call of duty and make a difference with their STAR awards and our 2026 star is Emily Burke! For her unflagging support through producing our Sunday SmackDown program, participation in advocating for cast members and singing her heart out at karaoke events, and overall help and engagement, Emily will be honored at an October 28 event at Tom Ham’s Lighthouse. Past recipients include Paola Diaz. More information about the event here!

As Ms. Paola says: Hello beautiful and good-smelling people!

We are going to be honest here. Fundraising is down. We get it: most people are not in the best financial shape right now. Mockingbird, however has been growing. We have added a plethora of new shows, classes, workshops, opportunities to play and better surroundings to create in and enjoy watching improv in. As this nonprofit theater approaches Giving Tuesday and the end of year fundraising season, we want to adjust some of the ways we raise funds and engage our community. For this, we need your input because you ARE the community. We want to know what you think!

Please weigh in by taking this brief survey (anonymously, if you wish), it will only be seen by the board fundraising committee. If you can, please take a minute and help us build the future of Mockingbird Improv. Thank you!

LINK TO SURVEY

SCHEDULE CHANGES / MARK YOUR CALENDAR

• New Resident team, REAL HISTORY on Sundays at 7:00 PM

• The Blender is back! Students & teachers perform! October 8 at 7:00 PM

• Rat City’s Doctors Orders October10 at 10:00 PM

• Jennifer Mason’s Intro To Standup Oct 22 at 6:00 PM

• Radio ‘47: Murder On The Air Friday October 23 at 7:00 PM

• Dad Skeleton’s Tales from the Freakonomicon October 29 at 7:00 PM

• Lights Out! Bat workshop October 29 at 9:15 PM

• Super Scene (w/ final Shocktober) October 30 at 7:00 PM

• Lights Out! Bat Performance October 30 at 9:45 PM

• Closed Oct 31 - HALLOWEEN!

• November 6: Lyrics & Laughs trades slots with Showtuned (Nov 15)