The Awkward Show by Bandit Theater

Chris loses control of the group for a while, and a heated conversation about A.I. leads to some hard facts about a body's afterlife. The set that follows features a grabby funeral, the worst friend to not get feedback from, arrogance presenting as largesse, a heavenly convocation of geniuses, and a billionaire looking to donate their corpse. The cast includes Mike Kroner, Geena Pietromonaco, Winnie Yeung, Coonoor Behal, Sarah Kylie, Jess Lampe, and Kristine Antonsen. Chris Carter (barely) directs.

A conversation about attachments and career choices leads to a set that includes a divorce lawyer indulging a client's aesthetic, a heart-to-cart romance, an insult restaurant assessing the upper limits of offense, and an emotional twist on a body-horror concept. The cast includes Geena Pietromonaco, Winnie Yeung, Sarah Kiley, and Jess Lechtenberg. Chris Carter directs.

Jess Lampe is only willing to do so much when his girlfriend leaves a scathing comment on a post by an influencer chef, and the cast discusses following recipes and the effects of accents on personalities and perceptions. The set that follows includes an effort to get IRL with an influencer, a date with an English language learner, a professional path through internet comments, a parent who runs from conflict, an effort to make a meeting more casual and fun, and a surgeon whose cultural tastes affect her career.The cast includes Sarah Kiley, Jess Lechtenberg, Mike Kroner, Kristine Antonsen, Winnie Yeung, and Jess Lampe. Chris Carter directs.

A trip to the archives finds a pandemic-era Will Hines sharing stories of awkwardness with Bandit founder Annie Barry. The set that follows includes a hunt for wedding supplies, prank improvements, a justifiably suspicious spouse, an underprepared camper, a very helpful server, a sartorially dependent love, and a cleaned-out Rite Aid. The cast includes Austin Olson, Chrysta Storm, Grant Michael Scott, Jake Foerg, & Lee Yang. Annie Barry directs. Will Hines has been teaching long-form improv since 2004 at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, at both its New York and Los Angeles branches. He’s published a best-selling book on improv called How to Be The Greatest Improviser on Earth. He’s also a working comedic actor and has appeared on many terrific television programs (The Sex Lives of College Girls, Brooklyn 99, Search Party). He also hosts the podcasts Screw It We’re Just Gonna Talk about the Beatles and Screw it We’re Just Gonna Talk About Comics

It’s a party atmosphere as the cast celebrates Coonoor. JessLechtenberg shares the story of her worst birthday ever, and the set that follows features diseases rebranded, an uncaring flight attendant, a Casanova of the forest, an edgy kids-TV writers’ room, and the transcontinental adventure C.S. Lewis never dreamed of. The cast includes Jess Lampe, Coonoor Behal, Jess Lechtenberg, Kristine Antonsen, Sarah Kylie, Mike Kroner, Geena Pietromonaco, and Winnie Yeung.

The cast shares awkward Halloween moments, from college to the workplace. Then our set includes someone with a profound relationship to video game characters, a glimpse into the hallowed traditions of the Royal Family at Christmastime, some surprising musical influences, and a meeting of corvids. The cast includes Winnie Yeung, Jess Lechtenberg, Geena Pietromonaco, Coonoor Behal, Jess Lampe, Mike Kroner, and MP Piper. Chris Carter directs.

Chris talks with the cast about mentors and what sacrifice it takes to make great art. Then the cast performs a set that includes a mistreated protege, a transformational confessional, some non-billionaires wondering about the path not taken, and scientists studying time travel. The cast includes Winnie Yeung, Jess Lechtenberg, Geena Pietromonaco, Coonoor Behal, Jess Lampe, Mike Kroner, and MP Piper. Chris Carter directs.

Jessi Smith (Mad Science) once again joins the cast, this time in a conversation about HoCo, as the kids call it, unearthing memories from years and decades past. Then she joins us in a set that includes an excessive HoCo gesture, competitive sandwich artistry, an insecure seaman, some creative bullies, and the unexpected consequences of a HoCo gesture. The cast includes Jess Lampe, Jess Lechtenberg, Geena Pietromonaco, MP Piper, Winnie Yeung, and Sarah Kiley. Chris Carter directs.

Jessi Smith (Mad Science) shares a story of rustic travel in southeast Asia and then joins the cast on a set that includes a family that values wildness, people whose empathy goes beyond, a fashion emergency, and a challenging route to the bathroom. The cast includes Jess Lampe, Jess Lechtenberg, Geena Pietromonaco, MP Piper, Winnie Yeung, and Sarah Kiley. Chris Carter directs.

This week, M.J. Kang (Star Wars: Skeleton Crew) tells a story from her nights as a young woman in Toronto. Then, Holly Vander Hyde (Almost Yours, Seattle) plays in with the cast on a set that features a quest for managerial respect, a guy indulging the pizza rats, a haunted apartment, an unusual father-of-the-bride speech, and a visit to a bakery. The cast features Winnie Yeung, Geena Pietromonaco, MP Piper, Sarah Kiley, Jess Lampe, Kristine Antonsen, Jess Lechtenberg, and Mike Kroner. Chris Carter directs.

This week, Holly Vander Hyde (Almost Yours) shares the story of an indecent proposal from her conservatory days. Then M.J. Kang (Skeleton Crew) plays in with the cast on a set that includes “the ultimate acting challenge,” a book store tryst, a check-in aboard the space station, an urgent new mother, and some confusion in a relationship intervention. The cast features Mike Kroner, Jess Lechtenberg, Kristine Antonsen, Jess Lampe, Sarah Kiley, MP Piper, Geena Pietromonaco, and Winnie Yeung. Chris Carter directs.

Ilana Degann (First Date, in Seattle) tells us about a very awkward first date, and then Sabahat Chaudhary (Press Play, in D.C.) plays in with the cast on a set that features a new kind of speed dating, an unusual venue for a team-building event, an ex who is disappointed with his ranking, star-crossed singers, and an overenthusiastic taxidermist. The cast includes Mike Kroner, Geena Pietromonaco, Winnie Yeung, Jess Lampe, and Jess Lechtenberg. Chris Carter directs.

Sabahat Chaudhary (Press Play, in D.C.) shares a wild story from middle school civics, and Ilana Degann (First Date, in Seattle) plays in with the cast on a set that explores what’s in a name, feels some nostalgia for an old movie, and yields an unexpected inauguration. The cast includes Mike Kroner, Geena Pietromonaco, Winnie Yeung, Jess Lampe, and Jess Lechtenberg. Chris Carter directs.

This week, Melissa Zargon (Almost Yours, Seattle) tells a story of getting a little too high before starting a dance class. Then Zoser Dunbar (First Date, Tacoma) plays in with the cast on a set that includes a serious date, a clash of cultures at an H&R Block, a nervous outing at the cinema, and parents who prioritize their marriage over their child. The cast features Jess Lechtenberg, Jess Lampe, Mike Kroner, Geena Pietromonaco, MP Piper, Kristine Antonsen, Winnie Yeung, and Coonoor Behal. Chris Carter directs.

This week Zoser Dunbar (First Date Tacoma) shares the story of an awkward first date in high school. Then the cast, joined by Melissa Zargon (Almost Yours Seattle) performs a set that includes a special Mother’s Day brunch, some creative solutions at the arcade, a lively course in literature, the truest of true-crime podcasts, and a chilling visit to Grandma’s house. The cast features Jess Lechtenberg, Mike Kroner, Geena Pietromonaco, Jess Lampe, MP Piper, Winnie Yeung, Coonoor Behal, and Kristine Antonsen. Chris Carter directs.

This week the host of The Awkward Show, Chris Carter, shares a story of awkwardness and heartbreak from his early 20s, and guest Phillipos Haile plays in with the cast on a set that features a couple that likes to keep it simple, a company that takes an interest in its employees romantic lives, an OBGYN who's sensitive to wind, and a CPA whose clients really love her ads. The cast includes Sarah Kiley, Kristine Antonsen, Winnie Yeung, and Jess Lampe. Chris Carter directs.

Phillipos Haile (Conscious Trap) tells us a wild story about a fateful trip (and trip within a trip) to Sedona, and then the Awkward Show cast performs a set that features a respectably authentic bank robbery, a car crash that reveals a fashion emergency, a first date that pulls out all the stops, a new age retreat that takes self growth to the next level, and a funeral director in search of a vibe. The cast features Jess Lechtenberg, Jess Lampe, Kristine Antonsen, Annie Barry, Winnie Yeung, and Sarah Kiley. Chris Carter directs.

Jonny Riecke (Swipe Right) dishes from his former life on the road in a Texas punk band. Then Annie Henderson (Inkprov) plays in on the set that follows, which features a well-matched couple with very specific geographic opinions, an irascible group of musicians, a birthday boy whose bros may be too old for a hard-core celebration, a Speed Dating 101 class, and a slow-motion-maybe-bank-robbery. The cast includes Winnie Yeung, Kristine Antonsen, Mike Kroner, MP Piper, and Jess Lampe. Chris Carter directs.

Annie Henderson (Inkprov) tells us how she learned that sometimes there’s a time or a place to not eat street food.Jonny Riecke(Swipe Right) plays in on the set that follows, which features a doctor who interprets symptoms through a vice lens, a gross airplane passenger, a lawyer with a taste for adventure, and some adult children rebelling against the creative names their mother gave them. The cast includes Jess Lampe, MP Piper, Kristine Antonsen, Mike Kroner, and Winnie Yeung. Chris Carter directs.

Winnie Yeung (recently of The Awkward Show) tells us about running into a coworker on vacation, and then Purnam Jantrania (erstwhile of Mad Science) plays in with the cast on a set that explores anambiguous engagement, a transformative vacation, and an unmissed connection.The cast includes Kristine Antonsen, Mike Kroner, Geena Pietromonaco, Sarah Kiley, and Jess Lampe. Chris Carter directs.