January 23-24, 2026
The SteelStacks Improv Comedy Festival presents improv teams from around world in a mini-marathon-style format. Each day is packed with literal non-stop comedy. Each day once we start, we don’t stop until the very end of the day.
2026’s festival is set for January 23-24. The Friday headliner will be Connor Ratliff presents The Acting Class! Check back soon for updates about this year’s headliners, workshops, and more!
Improv Team Submissions
We’re looking for improv teams to join our mini-marathon-style festival!
Submission Deadlines:
- Regular Submission October 18th – 11:59pm. November 14th – $25
- Final Deadline: 11:59pm. November 14th
Friday Headliner: CONNOR RATLIFF presents THE ACTING CLASS
A one-person improv show disguised as an acting class, from the creator of the Dead Eyes podcast.
Professional actor (Étoile, Mean Girls 2024, Ghosts, Bob’s Burgers) and award-winning podcaster (Dead Eyes) CONNOR RATLIFF is a classically trained performer who graduated “with honours” from the prestigious Liverpool Institute For Performing Arts over a quarter of a century ago, making his professional debut on the stage of the Royal Court Theatre in London’s West End. During that same year, he also performed at Buckingham Palace for Queen Elizabeth II. In the decades that followed, he has accumulated numerous credits as a star of stage, screen and stream, appearing in multiple Netflix Original Films as well as content on CBS, NBC, FOX, TBS, Home Box Office, Amazon Prime, and the now-defunct comedy platforms, Go90 and Seeso.
But none of that matters now.
What matters now is CONNOR RATLIFF presents THE ACTING CLASS, an unending series of workshop performances where he will, before your very eyes, demonstrate what acting truly IS.
Each performance will be slightly interactive and completely improvised, with occasional opportunities for “students” to participate (from the safety of their position in the audience.)
Defiantly self-indulgent and beyond pointless, THE ACTING CLASS is your opportunity to witness the kind of greatness – only slightly appreciated by The Industry – that has kept Connor Ratliff steadily employed for nearly half of the past 10 years.
Saturday Headliner: OPENING NIGHT: THE IMPROVISED MUSICAL!®
OPENING NIGHT: THE IMPROVISED MUSICAL!® is exactly that: a Broadway-style musical that is made up on the spot, based on audience suggestion. So every night is the ‘Opening Night’ of a musical that has never been seen! Now in it’s 26th year, Opening Night: The Improvised Musical!® is thrilled to continue as the show LAWeekly called, “almost too slick to be completely improvised”. It is, by the way—completely improvised.
Led by Director Shulie Cowen, Opening Night: The Improvised Musical!®’s cast combines the Chicago-style improvisation of the iO and The Second City with the Broadway stylings of Rodgers & Hammerstein, Gilbert & Sullivan, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Bob Fosse, and many more. Occasionally, they even borrow the 76 trombones from The Music Man. They usually give them back.
Cast film and television credits include; How I Met Your Mother, Mr. Mayor, Desperate Housewives, That 80s Show, Reno 911!, You Don’t Mess With The Zohan, Mad TV, and World Cup Comedy.
“Come back again and again — you’ll laugh every time.” (LA Weekly Best of 2010)
Visit their website at: www.improvisedmusical.com
Starring: Shulie Cowen, Norm Thoeming, and Matt Young with improvised accompaniment by Jonathan Dinerstein.
This show will contain adult language and/or situations. Seating will be assigned by ArtsQuest staff upon arrival into the showroom. Anyone coming in between the ages of 13 and 17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. No child 12 or under will be admitted. All performers and staff must adhere to our codes of conduct found here.