The 9th District Improv Festival (DIF) returns to the nation’s capital from September 8-10, 2023. The event, which was just named one of the top festivals in The Washington City Paper’s Best of DC poll, hosts performances by high-caliber long-form improv teams from around the nation, as well as DC’s most talented performers. In addition to the performances, District Improv Festival will also host improv workshops throughout the weekend. All shows and workshops will take place at Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H St, NE). There will be a total of six curtains over the weekend, including two FREE shows on Saturday afternoon (tickets required).
District Improv Festival is excited to announce that this year’s headlining performers are Will Hines and Jim Woods, both longtime performers from the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York City and Los Angeles. Hines has been teaching long-form improv since 2004 at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, at both its New York and LA branches. He’s published a best-selling book on improv called How to Be The Greatest Improviser on Earth and has appeared on many television programs (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Search Party, Broad City, Inside Amy Schumer). He’s also a frequent guest on several podcasts, including Comedy Bang-Bang, Improv4Humans and Hollywood Handbook. Woods has studied and performed extensively at UCB, Boom Chicago, iO Chicago, and North Carolina ComedySportz. He’s one of the co-founders of the Free Association in London and the Improv Boot Camp in LA. He’s appeared on numerous TV shows and commercial campaigns, and recently was a staff writer on the Tracy Morgan show, The Last O.G.
Based on a single suggestion from the audience, Hines and Woods will create a series of comedic scenes, featuring dynamic stage pictures, gentle arguing, ludicrous propositions, and logically tenuous situations. There may also be some inaccurate celebrity impressions.
The festival also features dozens of funny people from around the country as well as several of the District’s top performers.
“Over half of our submissions came from out of town,” says Co-Chair of DIF Jamie Lantinen. “This is an opportunity to see so many great acts from all around the country without having to leave the District. It’s also a wonderful chance for local and national performers to collaborate and learn from each other.”
Tickets are on sale now and can be found at the Atlas Performing Arts Center website. A discount is available for those purchasing a pass for the entire festival. For more information and a full lineup of performers, please visit the festival’s website at www.districtimprov.org.
ABOUT DISTRICT IMPROV
District Improv was founded with the mission to support and grow Washington, DC’s long-form improv scene and promote awareness of the District as a premiere improv community. District Improv is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that grew out of a desire for a unified presence for the District’s thriving improv scene. The organization’s board of directors is responsible for the management of the organization, including the annual District Improv Festival.
