The Awkward Show by Bandit Theater

The Awkward Show is back! Mike McLendon (Outside Dog, WGIS) shares a story of his early days in Los Angeles, and Greg Tindale plays in with the cast on a set that features an infantilizing bachelor party, a ripped-from-TV life event, some curious job interview strategies, and the oldest tennis audience you can imagine. The cast includes MP Piper, Jess Lampe, Kristine Antonsen, and Mike Kroner. Directed by Chris Carter.

L.A. storyteller Jen Curcio tells the story of her late, great emotional support sweatsuit, and Eloise O'Loane (Mad Science) plays in with the cast in a set featuring a prescription for meat, a discount therapy session, a shocking soccer coach, a thrift store support group, and two cops looking to make a bust. The cast includes Coonoor Behal, MP Piper, Winnie Yeung, Casey Mills, and Mike Kroner. Chris Carter directs.

Eloise O'Loane (Mad Science) shares the story of a college relationship at its sunset, and storyteller Jen Curcio plays in with the cast. The hilarious set features an inconvenient 10th birthday party, an interplanetary romance on the rocks, a Cinco de Mayo commencement, and a heartbroken job interview. The cast includes Coonoor Behal, MP Piper, Winnie Yeung, Casey Mills, and Mike Kroner. Chris Carter directs.

Riley Dolan from Bandit's First Date tells a harrowing story from his harrier days, and Seattle actor/writer/director Geena Pietromonaco (Impenetrable) plays in with the cast. The set features a session at Bucky's new fitness boot camp, a visit to an artisanal toilet paper stand at the local farmers' market, and a request for an... intimate favor from a stranger. The cast includes Kristine Antonsen, Casey Mills, Mike Kroner, MP Piper, and Winnie Yeung. Chris Carter directs.

Seattle actor/writer/director Geena Pietromonaco (Impenetrable) shares an embarrassing story of Americans in Italy, and Riley Dolan from Bandit's First Date plays in with the cast. The set includes an inegalitarian study abroad program, a surprising visit from the fire department, a man who doesn't want to be known for his mischief, and a fateful day at an Italian restaurant. The cast includes Mike Kroner, MP Piper, Kristine Antonsen, Casey Mills, and Winnie Yeung. Chris Carter directs.

Sonia Dillane from Bandit's First Date shares the story of an early moment of self-care gone awry. Then Ben Lidgus joins the cast for a set that features a new take on Basic Training and a day in the life of a Rom-Com hero. The cast includes Mike Kroner, MP Piper, and Kristine Antonsen. Chris Carter directs.

Seattle comedy stalwart Ben Lidgus shares a story of youthful naivety, and First Date's Sonia Dillane joins the cast to create scenes featuring a changing of the guard at Boeing, someone with surprising relationship expectations, and a truly artisanal hair salon. The cast includes Casey Mills, Mike Kroner, MP Piper, and Kristine Antonsen. Chris Carter directs.

Drew Jacobson (Inkprov) tells the story of twerking in a church, and Jeff D'Angelo (also Inkprov) plays in with the team. The set features amorous teenagers who can't stand to be apart, a young man working very hard to demonstrate his self-control, parents whose low expectations are suddenly exceeded, and a meet-the-family plan that metastasizes. The cast includes Mike Kroner, Kristine Antonsen, MP Piper, Sarah Kiley, and Casey Storm. Chris Carter directs.

Jeff D'Angelo (Inkprov) tells the story of twerking in a church, and Drew Jacobson (also Inkprov) plays in with the team. The set features an extraordinary young magician, a "different" teenager just trying to fit in, someone not quite ready to come out as a hipster, and ravers with more than the usual accoutrements. The cast includes Mike Kroner, Kristine Antonsen, MP Piper, Sarah Kiley, and Casey Storm. Chris Carter directs.

Sam Cooper (Inkprov) relates the saga of his high school prom, and Sam Cathcart (First Date, Good Crash) plays in with the team. The set features a strict interpretation of the prom code, a very fancy game night, and a parent with a unique defense of their child's alleged misbehavior. The cast includes Kristine Antonsen, Sarah Kylie, Winnie Yeung, Casey Mills, MP Piper, and Mike Kroner. Directed by Chris Carter.

Sam Cathcart (First Date, Good Crash) shares a story of camping in Appalachia, and Sam Cooper (Inkprov) plays in with the team. The set features a couple considering purchasing a murder house, a niche car salesman, parents vetting childcare providers, and a man with very specific cosmetic wants. The cast includes Kristine Antonsen, Mark Ableidinger, Sarah Kylie, Winnie Yeung, Casey Mills, MP Piper, and Mike Kroner. Directed by Chris Carter.

Seattle improv star Erika Lowe tells a bananas story of her time in the art world. Then Robbie Lowe (Mad Science) plays in with the cast on a set featuring a lax nuclear facility attendant, suspicious activity in a casino vault, a surprising VIP on a plane flight, and a long-haul trucker who falls for fine art. The cast features MP Piper, Mark Ableidinger, Winnie Yeung, Jeffrey Nickels, Sarah Kylie, Kristine Antonsen, and Coonoor Behal. Chris Carter directs.

Robbie Lite (Mad Science) turns on the wayback machine and takes us to a 2nd grade sleepover! Then Seattle improv fixture Erika Lowe plays with the cast on a set that features a morning-after conversation, a perilous piñata, a treasured collection of "books," unaccountable Boomers, some young toughs, and a couple reliving an accident that befell their wedding. The cast features Jeffrey Nickels, Sarah Kylie, Kristine Antonsen, MP Piper, Mark Ableidinger, Winnie Yeung, and Coonoor Behal. Chris Carter directs.

Chrysta Storm from Swipe Right shares a story of high school romance. The set features a relationship crumbling in a drug store, an optimist expecting love, a surprising rave afterparty, a theatrical agent pushing raunch, and a commitment-phobe talking about faith. The cast features Jeffrey Nickels, Sarah Kylie, Kristine Antonsen, MP Piper, Mark Ableidinger, Winnie Yeung, and Casey Mills. Chris Carter directs.

Proud foodie Coonoor Behal (The Couples Quiz) shares the story of a meal gone wrong, and Chrysta Storm (Swipe Right) plays in with the cast in a set that features high expectations in Trader Joe's, ridiculous expectations ahead of prom, an explorer of mediocrity, a shameless first date, and a little something special from the tax preparer. The cast features Jeffrey Nickels, Sarah Kylie, Kristine Antonsen, MP Piper, Mark Ableidinger, Winnie Yeung, and Casey Mills. Chris Carter directs.

Menudo's Carlos Orlando shares the story of a recent surprise playdate with a friend, and Vince Yap plays in with the cast. The set includes an astronaut dad, a coy police commissioner, a visit to Disneyland that's full of surprises, an unreasonable ride home, and a presumptuous mentor. The cast includes Coonoor Behal, Jeffrey Nickels, Sarah Kylie, MP Piper, Casey Mills, Mark Ableidinger, and Winnie Yeung. Chris Carter directs.

This week we have two guests from L.A.! Vince Yap tells an awkward story of high school romance thwarted, and Carlos Orlando plays in with the cast on a set that includes a stepped-on psychology teacher, a woman with an irresistible name, a hockey team undone by their nicknames, parents having a T-A-L-K with their typical son, and a manager offering some unwanted career counseling! The cast includes Coonoor Behal, Jeffrey Nickels, Sarah Kylie, MP Piper, Casey Mills, Mark Ableidinger, and Winnie Yeung. Chris Carter directs.

This week Bandit stalwart Kevin McVey shares an almost inspiring story from his high school robotics team. And Courtney Vineys plays in with the cast on a set that features an "average" boyfriend who confesses his ex-dorkdom, a robot with low self esteem, a wildly imprecise eyewitness, an FBI recruit finding Quantico underwhelming, and a pep talk for low expectations. The cast includes MP Piper, Kristine Antonsen, Mark Ableidinger, Jeffrey Nickels, Casey Mills, Coonoor Behal, and Winnie Yeung. Directed by Chris Carter.

Twitch gamer and self-described silly goose Courtney Vineys shares with us how constantly lying to hairdressers eventually made her fear for her locks. Then Bandit's Kevin McVey (Mad Science) plays in with the cast on a set that includes an elaborately dishonest therapy patient, a third date at drama-heavy Applebees, a school assembly with a very serious principal, and a man who reluctantly lets himself become the canvas for a new kind of artiste. The cast includes MP Piper, Kristine Antonsen, Mark Ableidinger, Jeffrey Nickels, Casey Mills, Coonoor Behal, and Winnie Yeung. Directed by Chris Carter.

Bandit founder and Artistic Director Annie Barry shares the story of a bad time on the Jersey Shore, and The Reader's Grant Michael Scott plays in with the cast. The set features quicksand! and a highly allergic diner on a quest for adventure! and a green witch weeding the relationship garden! The cast features Sarah Kylie, Mark Ableidinger, Winnie Yeung, Jeffrey Nickels, and Kristine Antonsen. Directed by Chris Carter.

Director of Gram Worthy Grant Michael Scott shares a fresh tale of awkwardness from his wife's company's kickball outing. Bandit's founder Annie Barry plays in with the cast on a set that visits a bloody baptism, encounters a coworker's captivating wife, and spends some time with a sad sack reliving the best two minutes of his life. The cast includes Coonoor Behal, Sarah Kylie, Mark Ableidinger, Winnie Yeung, Jeffrey Nickels, and Kristine Antonsen. Directed by Chris Carter.

The Harold Experience's Zef Husain shares the story of a younger self's amorous optimism on Long Island. Daytrip's Sandra Akins plays in on a set featuring a very-open-casket wake, a friend trip to the DMV under false pretenses, and Frodo & Jeffrey-Sam's encounter with Gollum on their journey out of Queens. The cast includes Winnie Yeung, Jeffrey Nickels, and Kristine Antonsen. Chris Carter directs.

Sandra Akins from Second City's Emergency Contact and The Pack Theater's Daytrip shares the horrors of her first job, and Zef Husain (also of Emergency Contact) plays in with the team. The set features an awful working brunch spread, a challenging tenure in not-a-ColdStone, orientation day at a preschool, and some patient first responders at a Subway. The Awkward Show cast includes Winnie Yeung, Jeffrey Nickels, and Kristine Antonsen. Chris Carter directs.

Hannah Monson of The Reader shares their drunk quirk. John Michael Jennings from Gram Worthy joins the cast in a set featuring a flatulent bus passenger, the Drunk Justice League, and a date that's going great but comes with a warning. The cast includes Jeffrey Nickels, Mark Ableidinger, and Sarah Kylie. Chris Carter directs.

John Michael Jennings takes a break from the cast of Gram Worthy to tell The Awkward Show about the time he was fired by Disney World. The set visits a Disney lockdown, experiences a complex breakup, observes the martyring of Joan of Arc, and takes the Space Mountain ride a little too far. Hannah Monson of The Reader plays in with the cast, which includes Jeffrey Nickels, Mark Ableidinger, and Sarah Kylie. Chris Carter directs.

Richard Lee shares the intimate story of his first sexual experience, and Awkward Show alumnus and Gram Worthy stalwart Tim Leung plays in with the team. The set includes a brutal Ultimate Frisbee match, parents dissatisfied with their teen daughter's lack of sex, and a special relationship between a grown man and a mall cop. The cast includes Jeffrey Nickels, Coonoor Behal, Mark Ableidinger, and Sarah Kylie.

Awkward Show alumnus and Gram Worthy stalwart Tim Leung shares a tale of well-earned gastric distress, and polymath performer and creator Richard Lee plays in with the team. The set includes a man who can't resist eating desiccant packets, an office culture that reveres scatological humor, and a man on his way to the bottom in the meanest company in town. Get those moist chips! The cast includes Jeffrey Nickels, Coonoor Behal, Mark Ableidinger, and Sarah Kylie.

Stand-up comedian Paul Curry, who performs on Bandit's The Reader, shares a tale of gig work turned ambush! Then storyteller Jen Curcio plays in with the cast in the set that follows, where we join a meet-the-family situation with a young couple, go on a paranoid whale watching trip, eavesdrop on a rock band in transition, and visit a workplace structured like a reality TV show. The cast includes Mark Ableidinger, Sarah Kylie, Jeffrey Nickels, Kristine Antonsen, and Winnie Yeung. Chris Carter directs and hosts.

Storyteller and writer Jen Curcio shares a nightmare job story, and comedian Paul Curry from The Reader plays in with the cast. We visit a workplace run on a philosophy of duress, an upscale restaurant specializing in downer cuisine, and we go on a journey of self-improvement with a very impatient man. The cast includes Mark Ableidinger, Sarah Kylie, Jeffrey Nickels, Kristine Antonsen, and Winnie Yeung. Chris Carter directs and hosts.

John Wachter of The Reader shares the epic tale of a post-hookup disaster, and Cailey Nickerson from Gram Worthy plays in with the cast. The set features suspicious teenagers and police, corn demons, a revolutionary economics dissertation, and a visit from the Illuminati! The cast includes Casey Mills, Kristine Antonsen, Jeffrey Nickels, Mark Ableidinger, and Sarah Kylie. Directed by Chris Carter.

Cailey Nickerson from Jet City Improv and Bandit's Gram Worthy tells the story of a platonic hang gone wrong, and John Wachter of The Reader plays in with the cast. Within the set, we meet a competitive dater, an architect with extraordinary expectations for dating, and a father giving his son a strange version of "the talk," with a couple of stops at a popular (and surprisingly sexy) retail chain. The cast includes Coonoor Behal, Casey Mills, Kristine Antonsen, Jeffrey Nickels, Mark Ableidinger, and Sarah Kylie. Directed by Chris Carter.

Mad Science's Mike Kroner shares an intimate story from his days exacting depositions for an insurance company. Bandit performer Mia Iseman plays in with the cast. Get ready for baseball and HOA meetings and sexy times among the superannuated! The cast includes Kristine Antonsen, Jeffrey Nickels, Winnie Yeung, Mark Ableidinger, and Sarah Kylie. Directed by Chris Carter.

Mia Iseman (formerly of The Reader) shares an embarrassing story about being on a kind of non-student exchange program one summer in Chihuahua, Mexico. Mike Kroner from Bandit's Mad Science plays in with the cast; we meet doctors and aliens and Ernest Hemingway! The cast includes Kristine Antonsen, Jeffrey Nickels, Winnie Yeung, Mark Ableidinger, and Sarah Kylie. Directed by Chris Carter.

Fancy Cafeteria's Matt Jurasek shares the story of a fateful Christmas Eve, a Norwegian wedding cake, and getting rear-ended in a seasonally appropriate way. Isaac Hansen of Gram Worthy plays in with the cast. The cast includes Coonoor Behal, Kristine Antonsen, Jeffrey Nickels, Winnie Yeung, and Casey Mills. Directed by Chris Carter.

Gram Worthy's Isaac Hansen tells the epic tale of Jaegerfest, where dreams of greatness (via Jaeger Bombs) never die. Matt Jurasek of Fancy Cafeteria plays in with the cast. The cast includes Coonoor Behal, Kristine Antonsen, Jeffrey Nickels, Winnie Yeung, and Casey Mills. Directed by Chris Carter.

Awkward Show regular Jeffrey Nickels shares a story about an ill-planned road-trip from Portland to San Francisco and the colorful characters he picked up through craigslist personals. Swipe Right's Zak Nelson plays with The Awkward Show cast. The cast includes: Sarah Kylie, Kristine Antonsen, Coonoor Behal, Mark Ableidinger & Casey Mills. Chris Carter directs and produces.

SketchFest Seattle Artistic Director Zak Nelson, who performs improv at Bandit on Swipe Right, looks back on his awkward efforts to make friends during his first year in college. And Jeffrey Nickels, from The Awkward Show at Bandit, plays with The Awkward Show cast. Hm. Yep. That's right. The cast includes: Sarah Kylie, Kristine Antonsen, Coonoor Behal, Mark Ableidinger & Casey Mills. Chris Carter directs and produces.

Jenn Petti of Seattle's premier musical improv team, Fancy Cafeteria, shares a story of teenage folly in uncovering a handsome high-school teacher's mysterious past. And Tamara Aranguiz, from the cast of Bandit Theater's Mad Science (and a PhD candidate at the University of Washington), improvises with the cast of The Awkward Show.  The cast includes: Sarah Kylie, Winnie Yeung, Kristine Antonsen, Coonoor Behal, Mark Ableidinger, Casey Mills, and Jeffrey Nickels. Chris Carter directs and produces.

Tamara Aranguiz, from the cast of Bandit Theater's Mad Science (and a PhD candidate at the University of Washington), shares how when she was 12 she discovered that her parents' marriage was in trouble, and Jenn Petti of Seattle's premier musical Fancy Cafeteria improvises with the cast of The Awkward Show.  The cast includes: Sarah Kylie, Winnie Yeung, Kristine Antonsen, Coonoor Behal, Mark Ableidinger, Casey Mills, and Jeffrey Nickels. Chris Carter directs and produces.

Episode 2! Directors and performers at Bandit Theater in Seattle, Lynn Trickey and Erica McIntyre join The Awkward Show to share awkward stories of living abroad and secret Santa-ing a crush. The cast of The Awkward Show includes Casey Mills, Mark Ableidinger, Sarah Kylie, Winnie Yeung, and Tim Leung. Chris Carter directs & produces.

UCB stalwarts Josh Simpson & Jake Jabbour join us for some awkwardness. Jake shares a story of a (not so) romantic road trip, and Josh reveals why he doesn't like Star Wars. Pressure makes diamonds, and adults make bad decisions. This episode's cast features Sarah Kylie, Casey Mills, Kristine Antonsen, Mark Ableidinger & Jeffrey Nickels. Hosted and directed by Chris Carter.