Feb
1
8:00 PM20:00

Half Empty Half Full - Literary Comedy Game Show

Half Empty Half Full is a literary comedy game show with a twist! Optimism versus pessimism—Austin's sharpest and wittiest stand-up comics and writers share their talents and compete to determine if the glass is half empty or half full. The show's host, comedian and poet Valerie Nies (McSweeney's, Rattle, and the comedy show Smile More), is joined by a panel of clever judges to choose who wins: the comedians and writers who see life half full or half empty!

The lineup for February includes stand-up comedians Ernest Evans Sr. and Katie Felton along with writers Wendi Aarons and Jamie Yael Katz. 

Judges include the cynically hilarious: Stephanie Chiarello, Jason Dudey, and Half Empty Half Full staple Tyler Randle. 

Tickets: https://coldtownetheater.fourthwalltickets.com/shows/half-empty-half-full

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Feb
29
8:00 PM20:00

How to Say You're Afraid of Commitment in 140 Characters or Less

How To Say You’re Afraid Of Commitment In 140 Characters Or Less
A One Woman Show by Valerie Nies!

Voted Best of Week at Frontera Fest! How to Say You’re Afraid of Commitment in 140 Characters of Less is a comedy show that answers questions like: Do our wounded inner children make all of our relationships polyamorous?

Writer and performer Valerie Nies (McSweeney’s, Reductress, Out of Bounds Comedy Festival) explores the humor in breakups, relationship self-help, and all that she learned from finally finishing the book Attached.

Featuring Denise O' Young and hosted by Samantha Rae Lopez.

Tickets are $12; buy em here!

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Jan
23
8:00 PM20:00

How to Say You're Afraid of Commitment in 140 Characters or Less

How To Say You’re Afraid of Commitment in 140 Characters Or Less, by Valerie Nies. A standup/one-woman hybrid performance that answers questions like: Do our wounded inner children make all of our relationships polyamorous? Writer and performer Valerie Nies (McSweeney's, Reductress, Out of Bounds Comedy Festival) explores the humor in breakups, relationship self-help, and all that she learned from finally finishing the book Attached. Part of FronteraFest’s Short Fringe. Buy Tickets

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Nov
3
8:00 PM20:00

SMILE MORE - November

Smile More! is a feminist standup comedy show that’ll have the audience smiling, but not because some random dude on the street suggested it. Austin’s most unapologetically funny women break through the glass microphone to deliver big laughs. Period.

Valerie Nies hosts a curated night of comedy from a combination of veteran and beginner all-female, all-funny standup comics in this showcase that recurs the first Saturday of the month.

Grab friends, get drinks, and guffaw!

November Lineup: 
Ashley Overton
Emily Howell
Holli Cuomo
Lana Knight
and headliner: Arielle Norman!

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Oct
6
8:00 PM20:00

Smile More - October + Onsite Voter Registration

Smile More! is a feminist standup comedy show that’ll have the audience smiling, but not because some random dude on the street suggested it. Austin’s most unapologetically funny women break through the glass microphone to deliver big laughs. Period.

Valerie Nies hosts a curated night of comedy from a combination of veteran and beginner all-female, all-funny standup comics in this showcase that recurs the first Saturday of the month.

Grab friends, get drinks, and guffaw!

***PLUS IF YOU WANT TO VOTE IN TRAVIS COUNTY IN NOVEMBER***, but aren't registered, or moved, you can register/update your info at this event.

October Lineup: 
Allison Wojtowecz
Jonna Juul-Hansen
Brett VerVoort
Jamie Meeks
and headliner: YOLA LU!

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Sep
8
8:00 PM20:00

SMILE MORE - September + Onsite Voter Registration

Smile More! is a feminist standup comedy show that’ll have the audience smiling, but not because some random dude on the street suggested it. Austin’s most unapologetically funny women break through the glass microphone to deliver big laughs. Period.

Valerie Nies hosts a curated night of comedy from a combination of veteran and beginner all-female, all-funny standup comics in this showcase that recurs the first Saturday of the month.

Grab friends, get drinks, and guffaw!

***PLUS IF YOU WANT TO VOTE IN TRAVIS COUNTY IN NOVEMBER***, but aren't registered, or moved, you can register/update your info at this event.

September Lineup: 
Norah Franklin
Maria Geary
Rachel Hall
Sarah Szarzynski
and headliner: Melody Shifflet!

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Jul
14
8:00 PM20:00

SMILE MORE - July

Smile More! is a feminist standup comedy show that’ll have the audience smiling, but not because some random dude on the street suggested it. Austin’s most unapologetically funny women break through the glass microphone to deliver big laughs. Period.

Valerie Nies hosts a curated night of comedy from a combination of veteran and beginner all-female, all-funny standup comics in this showcase that recurs the first Saturday of the month.

Grab friends, get drinks, and guffaw!

July Lineup: 
Angelina Martin
Emily Howell
Espi Rivandeneira
Jennifer Dorsey
and headliner: Lisa Friedrich!

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Jun
2
8:00 PM20:00

SMILE MORE - June

Smile More! is a feminist standup comedy show that’ll have the audience smiling, but not because some random dude on the street suggested it. Austin’s most unapologetically funny women break through the glass microphone to deliver big laughs. Period.

Valerie Nies hosts a curated night of comedy from a combination of veteran and beginner all-female, all-funny standup comics in this showcase that recurs the first Saturday of the month.

Grab friends, get drinks, and guffaw!

June Lineup:
Jessica Leath
Becca Taute
Tori Jones
Holli Cuomo
Megan Tucei
and headliner: Lea'h Sampson!

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May
5
8:00 PM20:00

SMILE MORE - May

Smile More! is a feminist standup comedy show that’ll have the audience smiling, but not because some random dude on the street suggested it. Austin’s most unapologetically funny women break through the glass microphone to deliver big laughs. Period.

Valerie Nies hosts a curated night of comedy from a combination of veteran and beginner all-female, all-funny standup comics in this showcase that recurs the first Saturday of the month.

Grab friends, get drinks, and guffaw!

May Lineup: 
Colleen McCollough
Liz King
Marla Camp
Maria Geary
Sahana Srinivasan
and headliner: Christina Parrish!

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Jan
12
8:00 PM20:00

Still Standing @The Institution Theater

For the last six months or so, the stage at The Institution Theater has been under attack. First by the city of Austin, then by our old landlord, and now by our new landlord! And guess what? Our new landlords won. Although The Institution Theater will definitely live on, (We’re moving everything to our other building just 10 yards away.) we’re losing the stage in the warehouse at the end of January. It was a good fight. A long fight. But a good fight.

Anyway, Chris Collings and Jon Fortenbury, the wacky guys that occasionally put together the Still Standing Shows want to make sure that we leave the building in style! The have put together the final Still Standing Show that will be performed in the warehouse space and they promise that it will be the best Still Standing Show yet!

Featuring the comedy stylings of Seth Murphy, Paul Weiner, Megan Tucei, Jon Fortenbury, Jaci Kramer, Tanveer Arora, Valerie Nies, Symply Courney, and Tai Nguyen! And the evening will be hosted by Chris Collings!

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Jan
6
10:00 PM22:00

SMILE MORE January!

Smile More! is a monthly feminist standup comedy show that’ll have the audience smiling, but not because some random dude on the street suggested it. Austin’s most unapologetically funny women break through the glass microphone to deliver big laughs. Period.

Valerie Nies hosts a curated night of comedy from a combination of veteran and beginner all-female, all-funny standup comics in this showcase that recurs the first Saturday of the month.

Grab friends, get drinks, and guffaw!

January Lineup: 
Sam Noorani
Norah Franklin
Rachel Hall
Brett VerVoort
and headliner: Kat Combs

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Jan
6
8:00 PM20:00

The Last Hurrah! (Improv w/Red Handed)

The Last Hurrah! (This time we really mean it!) at The Institution Theater
Sat., Jan. 6th at 8 pm
$5

After nearly seven years, The Institution Theater finally has to move out of the warehouse location that we’ve called home. But luckily we’re only losing half our home and after January 2018, The Institution Theater will be housed in our other building just 10 yards away! So we’re moving but we’re not moving very far.

Anyway, after tons of final shows and last night in our original theater performances, this time we really have to go. So we’re going out with a bang by featuring final performances on the original Institution Theater stage of some of the improv troupes that have called The Institution Theater home! Our first week of “The Last Hurrah – This Time We Really Mean It!” performances features two exciting, unique and oddball troupes – Camp sLaughter and Red Handed!

Camp sLaughter is Austin’s premier improvised cult horror movie troupe, creating a chilling and hilarious horror movie right in front of your very eyes. Featuring: Sushant Sethi, Jessica Soos, Marcone Cangussu, Chelsea Beth, and Juese Cutler

Red Handed takes the classic Harold, fast-forwards it, and transforms it into a high-energy supersonic format that consistently delights audiences. Red Handed is a lively group of improvisers who have been performing together for a over a year as a team (coached by veteran performer Clifton Highfield) and bringing their snappy style to ColdTowne Theater, The New Movement, The Institution Theater, and The Hideout Theatre in Austin and at the Bexar Stage, and Alamo City Improv in San Antonio. In 2017 they were champions in The New Movement’s The Knockout competition. Featuring Ethan Stites, Amanda Smith, Brandon Martin, Tim Brewer, Valerie Nies, Jennifer Dorsey, Regina Soto and Ben Howell!

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Aug
22
7:30 PM19:30

Nite Howl

 

School is back in session and you know you need a laugh! This Tuesday, Nite Howl has the Professor of Comedy himself, Duncan Carson, headlining this bill full of Future Comics of America! Come out and get some FREE education!! The porch is ready for you! 

Headliner: 
Duncan Carson - Sure Thing

Features: 
Holli Cuomo
Leo Garcia
Valerie Nies
Josh Castro

Hosted by Emily Howell 😎

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Aug
5
10:00 PM22:00

SMILE MORE August

 

Smile More! is a monthly feminist standup comedy show that’ll have the audience smiling, but not because some random dude on the street suggested it. Austin’s most unapologetically funny women break through the glass microphone to deliver big laughs. Period.
Valerie Nies hosts a curated night of comedy from a combination of veteran and beginner all-female, all-funny standup comics in this showcase that recurs the first Saturday of the month.
Grab friends, get drinks, and guffaw!
AUGUST LINEUP
Jaci Kramer
Marley Cullers
Meghan Ross
Norah Franklin
and JASMINE ELLIS

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Jul
1
10:00 PM22:00

SMILE MORE July

Smile More! is a monthly feminist standup comedy show that’ll have the audience smiling, but not because some random dude on the street suggested it. Austin’s most unapologetically funny women break through the glass microphone to deliver big laughs. Period.

Valerie Nies hosts a curated night of comedy from a combination of veteran and beginner all-female, all-funny standup comics in this showcase that recurs the first Saturday of the month.

Grab friends, get drinks, and guffaw!

JULY LINEUP

Allison O'Conor
Cassidy Wienecke
Kat Combs
Tess Hermes
and ARIELLE NORMAN

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