Friday Nite Improvs

Just look at that FACE!!! The moment you spot it in the audience, or behind the lens of his camera, how can you not SMILE and feel instantly GLAD?

We at IRTE want to give a HUGE shout-out and heartfelt THANK YOU to one of our dearest and longest-standing friends, Roberto C. Tobar. We are so proud to know him and have been impressed by him and his talent since well before IRTE even launched - way back in the good ol’ Gotham City Improv days.

Roberto has been there for us since before the very beginning. Smart, sweet, and outrageously talented, he’s an incredible photographer and a true connoisseur of all things off-beat comedy. He’s seen it all, and documented it all. In fact, 99.9% of the photos on our website are courtesy of the one and only Mr. Tobar (go check them out!).

Thanks to his generosity and kindness, we’ve been able to document our shows from day one. If you see him in your audience, trust us, you’re one lucky performer.

And as if all that weren’t enough, he even donated to our annual fundraiser.

Thank you, Roberto. We love you and are endlessly grateful.

Photo courtesy of Mindy Tucker

Hi FNI folks. Ben Mayer here. I wanted to pass along the heartbreaking news that we lost our friend and fellow performer, Steve Werber to cancer today. If you were lucky enough to see Steve perform at FNI, you know how funny he was. But if you were even luckier and became his friend, you also knew what a good person he was. FNI wouldn’t have been the same without Steve, and all of us will miss him and the absolute beacon of light he brought into our lives. Get out there and “dig that ditch” in his honor. And may his memory be a blessing to you all. Miss FNI and all of you. The picture below (courtesy of Louis Stein) is TWENTY FIVE years old, and shows Steve (as always) being funnier than me while doing FNI around a Pitt set for True West.

Love,

Ben

With a heavy heart, we say goodbye to our friend Steven Werber.

You were one of the best.

- Signed, the producers of Swedish Children's Television

We are now accepting applications for our 2024 Arcade Academy Diversity Scholarships! We are offering two tracks: improv and comedy writing (which includes stand-up and sketch comedy classes). The deadline for applications is DECEMBER 14 2023.

For more information, including a form to apply, visit our website: https://www.arcadecomedytheater.com/classes/scholarship/

It's , which in southwest PA means . Arcade Comedy Theater is the brainchild of several FNI alumni and has been producing improv every week for ten years. A generous donor has offered a challenge grant - if Arcade can raise $15k from online donors, they will donate $5k to hit the goal! If you're a comedy fan in the Pittsburgh area, consider giving to: https://www.givebigpittsburgh.com/organizations/arcade-comedy-theater

Friday Nite Improvs All-audience-participation improv comedy.

Go on in.

Huge Congratulations to FNI alum, Eric Appel for his Best Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie Emmy nomination for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story! We are so proud!

HUGE congratulations to FNI frequent performer and friend, Eric Appel for directing, co-writing, and executive producing the upcoming “Weird Al” Yankovic bio-pic starring Daniel Radcliffe. We are super proud of Eric and all of our FNI alumni doing big things! Go, Eric!

“Weird Al” Yankovic Biopic to Star Daniel Radcliffe Weird: The “Weird Al” Yankovic Story is a Funny or Die–produced film coming to the Roku Channel

It's today and many FNI alums are fundraising for Arcade Comedy Theater, which has been helping the improv scene in Pittsburgh grow from the seeds FNI planted (and keeping FNI alive with throwback shows). If you've got a few bucks to spare, consider giving to Arcade today to help for years to come

Support Arcade Comedy Theater in #GiveBigPittsburgh! | Give Big Pittsburgh I’m ready to support Arcade Comedy Theater on November 30, 2021 during Give Big Pittsburgh. Learn more about Arcade Comedy Theater and all the other organizations participating in .