Washington Improv Theater (whose acronym, WIT, could not be more apt) is treating fans and curious newbies to a fantastic fall show series featuring two sudden satires — one skewering local elections (Stumped, performed on Fridays at 7:30 pm and on Saturdays at 6:00 pm) and one spoofing famous musicals (Fraudway! Presents, performed on Saturdays at 8:00 pm). These headline shows are accompanied by opening acts: sketches created on the spot by some of WIT’s several improv pickup teams. (I enjoyed enormously the opening act Madeline before Stumped and the opening acts Sistine Robot and Hellcat before Fraudway! Lineups vary, so check the calendar here.)
Each WIT performance is fleeting, done one-time-only; its ephemerality is part of the fun. And always the improvisers start afresh with audience suggestions, which get transmuted into impromptu sketch comedy that’s sometimes so wackadoodle and wisecracky you’d think it was prescripted, but it’s not. (A couple of on-the-fly one-liners I scribbled the nights I saw the shows: “Voting doesn’t discriminate except in the many ways it does,” “I’m sorry I tried to kill you and you took it the wrong way.”)
Before the show begins, you can’t help but notice the infectious buzz of WIT’s fanbase, like a hip bunch ready to party. The stage is empty save for four metal chairs and two stand mics. Blue backlighting begins, followed by responsive lighting effects that enhance the many moods to come. It’s barebones for funnybones.
In Stumped (directed by Chris Olinger and Sam Sanders), a host explains there will be a faceoff between two fake political candidates for mayor of a local municipality: the incumbent and the challenger; then the audience is asked to pitch issues to be contested. Even though the premise screams pre-midterms tie-in, the humor that ensues is pretty much nonpartisan. The butt of the jokey banter is electioneering itself, not any recognizable candidate or political party. The improv plays out in topical chapters: staffers prepping the candidate on campaign issues (drawn at random from audience suggestions), fundraising (dialing for dollars), polling, punditry, debating, even accusations of scandal (the exact offense selected by an audience member who spins a game wheel). The bits wrap up with a voice vote from the audience. It’s all done with a silliness that deliciously offsets the seriousness we’re in.
For Fraudulent! Presents (directed by David Shadburn and Marjanna Smith), a host explains the gambit: an improvised Broadway musical in which the lead performer knows nothing about the show. The night I was there, the chosen musical was Newsies featuring a cast in newsboy caps and, as promised, a clueless main character. (Upcoming: Chicago, October 10; Little Shop of Horrors, October 17; The Phantom of the Opera, October 24.) Remarkably, the quick-witted cast comes up with a comical plot and improvises original songs, accompanied by an uncannily inventive keyboardist (Andrew Zimmer) off left. If sometimes the singing was pitchy, it was invariably quippy. And the concocted storyline was hilarious: the newsies are destitute; they can’t make a living selling newspapers, so they start selling hats. (“Newsies sold papes, now hats are our escape!”) And weirdly, media baron Joseph Pulitzer gets involved, sets the newsies’ shops on fire, but then recants. It’s all nutty but also sweet: The chorus of the closer, rhyming with “fire,” was “Go and inspire.”
For anyone who enjoys watching and appreciating fresh performing talent on stage, a WIT experience is a special pleasure. Here are diverse enthusiasts of improv dressed in their own casual clothes, cast not to any type nor to fit any look, but picked solely for their quick wits, intuitively collaborative spirits, and insta-impersonation skills. As an ensemble, they are so enjoyable that, when all is over, they seem gone too soon.
WIT’s residency on the second floor of Studio Theatre in DC’s Logan Circle neighborhood will end this year when the company moves into its own new space in DC’s NoMa neighborhood. If surprised belly laughs are to your liking, catch WIT at Studio while you can.
Running Time for Stumped: 50 minutes plus a 25-minute opening act.
Running Time for Fraudway! Presents: 30 minutes plus two 25-minute opening acts.
Stumped plays through October 24, 2026 (Fridays at 7:30 pm and Saturdays at 6:00 pm), and Fraudway! Presents plays through October 24, 2026 (Saturdays at 8:00 pm), presented by Washington Improv Theater, performing in the Milton Theatre at Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St NW, Washington, DC. Tickets for Stumped are available at witdc.org and via TodayTix; tickets for Fraudway! Presents are available at witdc.org and via TodayTix.
General admission is $20 in advance (plus a $2 service fee). For individuals who experience cost as a barrier, a limited number of affordable-priced tickets are available using the code AFFORDABLE. Currently enrolled college students may use the code COLLEGESTUDENT.’
Stumped
Directed by Chris Olinger and Sam Sanders
CAST: Aagosh Mathur, Alissa Platz-Engler, Anna Nelson, Clint Pettit, Dan Kois, Diego Hernandez, Elizabeth Cutler, Grace Campion, Hannah Piper, Kate Friedley, Kunal Duggal, Lore Leopold, Matt O’Neill, Meghan Burns, Natalie Knazik, Nicole Barrett, Remy Michaels, Robin, Dickey and Ryan Pierannunzi
Fraudway! Presents
Directed by David Shadburn and Marjanna Smith, with musical accompaniment by Andrew Zimmer
CAST: Elisabeth Mabus, Fred Gilbert, Greer Smith, Jake Rosario, Kaeli Patchen, Lore Leupold, Niv Elis, Robin Dickey, Stephanie Rae, Steve Karig
SEE ALSO:
Washington Improv Theater starts fall with ‘Stumped’ and ‘Fraudway! Presents’ (news story, September 17, 2026)
Washington Improv Theater secures permanent space in NoMa (news story, December 2, 2026)
Washington Improv Theater lucks into a one-year residency at Studio Theatre (news story, August 24, 2022)
