Asheville Improv Festival
October 9-13, 2024

The 2024 Asheville Improv Festival
is SO excited to add the incredible Ithamar Enriquez to our amazing lineup of headliners which already include Jill Bernard, Carla and Craig Cackowski; i.e. Orange Tuxedo!

These super talents will grace our stages and offer some super fun workshops to festival attendees and performers. Read more about these legends below.

Stay tuned, more headliners to come…

Join us for 4 nights of comedy improv fun by some of the most talented improvisors from around the country — not to mention some legendary performers — in venues all over Asheville in arguably the most beautiful month to visit! There will be shows, workshops and afterparties aplenty!

Does your team wanna perform?! Fill out the form below NOW, submit a video link of your team performing at least a 15-minute set at a show (links ONLY please) and take advantage of our Still-Got-Time-Bird submission rate!*

*Submission does NOT guarantee acceptance.

But hey, why let improv teams have all the fun? Individuals can now submit to the 2024 Asheville Improv Festival Ensemble! What is a festival ensemble? It is a team of selected individuals who work with a coach and then perform together at the festival in a coveted Saturday slot.

Over the festival weekend, 8 selected participants will receive two exclusive 2-hour coaching sessions with the illustrious and renowned Jill Bernard, an improv powerhouse! These sessions are invaluable opportunities to refine your craft, hone your skills, and gain insights from a seasoned professional.

Plus, as a bonus, participants will receive a festival pass granting access to all the excitement and entertainment of the Asheville Improv Festival weekend. Immerse yourself in a weekend filled with laughter, inspiration, and unforgettable performances!*

*Individuals MUST be available and physically at the festival from at least Thursday morning, October 10th through to the end. You also need to attend both coaching sessions in their entirety. These are dealbreakers, I’m afraid. We do NOT cover travel expenses for individual performers. Apply by June 1st.

About Our Headliners

Jill Bernard (she/her) has been performing with ComedySportz-Twin Cities since 1993, and is a founding member of HUGE Theater in Minneapolis. Her one-woman improv piece, Drum Machine, has been featured in over forty improv festivals. She has taught and performed improv in Argentina, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and in over forty of the United States; and also on an episode of MTV “Made.”

Carla Cackowski is an improviser and writer living in Los Angeles. She taught improvisation and directed sketch shows at The Second City Hollywood for over a decade and was the Co-Artistic Director at Curious Comedy Theater in Portland prior to becoming the Artistic Director at Mi’s Westside Comedy Theater in Santa Monica. She has written for kids TV shows distributed by DreamWorks Television, PBS Kids, and Nickelodeon and was a frequent guest improvisor on SPONTANEANTION with Paul F. Tompkins and Alchemy This with Kevin Pollak.

Craig Cackowski is an actor, improvisor and teacher based in Los Angeles. He was involved with the iO and iO West (RIP) theaters from 1992-2018, and was the three-time winner of the Del Close Award as Teacher of the Year at iO West. He has played numerous improv festivals around the US with his long-running three-man troupe Dasariski (with Bob Dassie and Rich Talarico) Ntv and his duo Orange Tuxedo (with his wife Carla!). While in Chicago, he appeared in and co-wrote 5 revues for The Second City, and helped create such improv forms as JTS Brown and Close Quarters. As an actor, he has been seen in recurring roles on such shows as Community, Veep, Drunk History, and Mindy Kaling’s Sex Lives Of College Girls. He may be heard frequently on such podcasts as The Thrilling Adventure Hour, Kevin Pollak’s Alchemy This and his own podcast Craig’s List, in which he makes Carla watch his 100 favorite movies.

Orange Tuxedo (Los Angeles, CA) is a two person improv show from a husband and wife out of Los Angeles. They focus on creating grounded relationships created by memorable characters. If you like comedy, you may have seen Craig wear various mustaches and costume pieces on Comedy Central’s Drunk History. If you like drunken history, you may have seen Carla drink various beers on Instagram. They have traveled nationally to teach and perform at Austin for the Out of Bounds Comedy Festival (2015), SF Sketchfest (San Francisco 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), Phoenix Improv Festival (2016), Del Close Marathon (NYC 2016), Stumptown Improv Fest (Portland 2016, 2017), Detroit Improv Festival (2016, 2017, 2019, 2022), IF Cincinnati (2016), Denver Improv Festival (2016), Providence Improv Festival (2017), Orange County Improv Fest (2017, 2018), San Francisco Improv Festival (2017), Seattle Festival of Improvisation (2018), Rise Comedy Festival (Denver, 2022), Last Best Comedy Festival in Montana (2023), Sarasota Improv Festival (2018, 2019, 2023), and The Last Word Comedy Festival in Williamsburg (2024). International shows and workshops include Free Association in London, UK (2016), Vancouver International Improv Festival (2018), Copenhagen International Improv Festival (2019), Warsaw Improv Festival (2019), and Das Improv Fest in Berlin (2023).

Ithamar Enriquez is an alum of The Second City Chicago and has been a guest performer at The Groundlings, Upright Citizens Brigade and as guest host of The Jim Henson Company’s Puppet Up! His TV and film appearances include: WandaVision, Miracle Workers, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Lady Bird, The Conners, Arrested Development, 9-1-1, The Office and A Series of Unfortunate Events. His voice can also be heard on American Dad, Netflix’s Chicago Party Aunt and Nick Jr.’s Pop Up Problem Solvers. His live solo show, Ithamar Has Nothing To Say, has played all over the country and became a web series produced by Keegan Michael Key and Jordan Peele.

Got questions? We got answers!

  • The 2024 Asheville Improv Festival is gonna be an awesome showcase of improv teams from around the country, maybe even the world, to hop up on stages all around this damn mountain town in the BEST month to do it in!

    Plus, there will be plenty of workshops taught by the artform’s brightest minds and super fun afterparties and a chance to rub elbows with fellow improvisors!

  • 4 nights, October 9-13, 2024.

  • Located in stunning Western Noth Carolina, Asheville is the crown jewel of the Appalachian Mountains OR you can just read this.

  • Sure can! Apply here!

  • How did you know? Here are the pertinent dates:

    Early Bird Team Submission Deadline
    Sunday, March 31st — $20

    Still-Got-Time-Bird Team Submission Deadline
    Tuesday, April 30th — $30

    Late Bird Team Submission Deadline
    Saturday, June 1st — $40

    Team Notification Deadline
    Monday, June 10th

  • Not yet, but it will be coming soon!

  • Asheville and the many surrounding towns, have an ample number of hotels and more Airbnbs and VRBOs as far as they eye can see!

  • Sure does! Third busiest in North Carolina in case you were wondering. The three-letter code is AVL. But we’re also serviced by CLT, ATL and even RDU.

  • Sure can! We’ve just opened up submissions to our Asheville Festival Ensemble! The ensemble will receive two coaching sessions from the legendary Jill Bernard along with a prime Saturday night performance slot! Apply for the Free Bird here!