The Kennedy Center - Theater Lab

After a year of sold-out shows in Los Angeles, The Last Improv Show is bringing their hit long-form improv comedy to the Kennedy Center. This all-star cast of improvisers is comprised of the top comedic minds working in comedy today, many of whom have been performing together for a decade or more. The group improvises scenes inspired by true stories told by a celebrity special guest who are themselves inspired by an audience suggestion. The result is hilarious comedy that has never been seen before and will never be seen again… but it’s the most fun you’ll have all summer. The Last Improv Show Improvisers: Anthony Atamanuik, Dan Black, D’Arcy Carden, Neil Casey, Brandon Scott Jones, Jason Mantzoukas, Ego Nwodim, and Paul Welsh.

Alison Leiby’s summer started with a bang and ended with a visit to Planned Parenthood. In between, she had two root canals, one scary trip to the “Fertility” section of a Missouri CVS, and a dozen or so meltdowns about what to wear to an abortion, naturally. In her new show, described as “humane and deeply funny” by The New York Times, Alison walks through the stupid minutiae, the backwards practices, and the surprising perspective that comes with exercising your reproductive rights. Presented by Ilana Glazer and directed by Lila Neugebauer. Alison Leiby is a N.Y.–based comedian who most recently was a producer on season two of Hulu’s Life & Beth. Prior to that, Alison was a co-producer on Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and she executive produced Ilana Glazer’s Comedy Central show Comedy Time Capsule. Previous credits include Adult Swim’s animated show Teenage Euthanasia, Comedy Central’s The President Show, The Opposition, Hulu’s Triumph Election Special, and she executive produced Ilana Glazer’s Amazon stand-up special The Planet is Burning. Alison’s been published in McSweeney’s, Vice, Cosmo, and Marie Claire, and she’s written several humor pieces for The New York Times. Alison’s Twitter profile, which has over 25,000 followers, has also been featured in several publications. Her one women show, Oh God, A Show About Abortion is currently on tour after a 12 week run at the Cherry Lane Theatre. Presented by Ilana Glazer and produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, Jazon Zinoman of The New York Times called it “the best political comedy of 2021.”

Gravid Water is a theatrical-comedy experiment where actors are given real scenes from real plays that they prepare as they would for a regular play. They are paired with improvisers who have no prior knowledge of the scenes—seeing and reacting to them for the first time on stage. The always surprising results are hilarious, heartbreaking, and everything in between. Gravid Water has played to sold-out houses in New York and Los Angeles for over 15 years. Starring the biggest names in comedy, Broadway, television, and movies, they’re honored to bring this wild experiment to The Kennedy Center.