Ticket sales are only available at the door, unless noted otherwise.
Secret Society Improv Show
See the talented performers of Mettlesome’s Secret Society perform improv comedy.
Tickets: $7 at the door
Bring Your Own Sketch
Bring Your Own Sketch (BYOS) is like an open mic, but for sketch scripts!
Scripts are read in a table-read style. You can bring your own performers to read the script, or cast volunteers from the audience.
BYOS is a great opportunity to show off your scripts, get feedback, or just have fun.
Cost: Free!
Hellathon ‘26: A Mettlesome Halloween Variety Hour
It’s a spooky, kooky Mettlesome comedy hour! A different show in hell each night!
Tickets available via Eventbrite and at the door: $9
Hush Hush
Join Hush Hush for a special comedy show full of deep laughs and true revelations. Each show, audience members add their anonymous confessions into our bucket of truth. Our cast of improv all-stars read those aloud and turn one person's wild shame into everyone's party.
Tickets: $9 at the door
SINGamajig
It’s an improvised musical for kids!
A made-up story with songs, all inspired by your suggestions.
Fun for ALL ages - no, seriously.
Help us create the world with your drawings and suggestions.
Tickets at the door: $8 per audience member age 15 and under; $5 per adult
Free Mini Musical Improv Jam
Love improv? Love singing? Come sing with other improvisers at this free musical improv jam.
Two Green Hats Presents: Who Do You Think You Are?
Two Green Hats is back with Who Do You Think You Are?, a sketch comedy show about being confident in your choices, no matter what.
Cost: Free!
Bull For Initiative: A Live Play D&D Show (Copy)
A show with high charisma.
Watch a live-play Dungeons & Dragons show with dice-rolling and improvised storytelling! Costumed improvisers role-play as recurring characters in a unique story prepared by the Dungeon Master. Audience participation (and a giant D20 dice) helps determine the fate of our bumbling heroes.
Tickets: $9 at the door
Hellathon ‘26: A Mettlesome Halloween Variety Hour
It’s a spooky, kooky Mettlesome comedy hour! A different show in hell each night!
Tickets available via Eventbrite and at the door: $9
Golden Age
One location. A world of comedy.
The cast of Golden Age will showcase a whole world of characters all based on your suggestions.
Tickets: $9 at the door
Halloween Harold Night!
Head to Harold Night in Halloween costumes! One suggestion leads to the creation of a whole new world of spooky comedy.
Tickets: $8 at the door
Free Halloween Improv Jam
Jam in Halloween costumes! Everybody who attends will get a chance to perform. Put your name in the bucket and get randomly assigned to a group. Featuring players of all experience levels.
Great for students, beginners, and veterans. Free to attend and participate.
The Bat Showcase
Just in time for Halloween, recent The Bat Workshop participants will perform a half-hour improv show in the dark.
Free Admission!
Durham Fringe Festival: Elise Janson & Willie Hinton
Durham FRINGE brings more than 50 Durham-based artists to more than 20 downtown venues over 10 days.
Durham Fringe Festival: D'Vorah Dance Arts
Durham FRINGE brings more than 50 Durham-based artists to more than 20 downtown venues over 10 days.
Hellathon ‘26: A Mettlesome Halloween Variety Hour
It’s a spooky, kooky Mettlesome comedy hour! A different show in hell each night!
Tickets available via Eventbrite and at the door: $9
MettleSketch: Off Menu
MettleSketch team Off Menu presents their October show of original comedic sketches.
Also featuring Mettlesome team Hush Hush, which will perform improv scenes based on audience members’ real secrets.
$9 at the door
The Halloween Faculty Show
This performance may be haunted. Come see members of the Mettlesome Faculty perform Halloween-inspired longform improv.
Tickets: $9 at the door
Hellathon ‘26: A Mettlesome Halloween Variety Hour (Copy)
It’s a spooky, kooky Mettlesome comedy hour! A different show in hell each night!
Tickets available via Eventbrite and at the door: $9
MettleSketch: Off Menu
MettleSketch team Off Menu presents their October show of original comedic sketches.
$9 at the door
Show And Tell & Lakehouse
The talented cast of Show and Tell will weave true stories into comedic gold, live on stage for one night only.
Plus Lakehouse! Two-time King Shit Cagematch Champions, Lakehouse performs a monoscene that is full of surprises.
Tickets: $9 at the door
The Racket - Indie Comedy ft. Chatty Yeti & Midnight Quiche
It’s The Racket! Make some noise for indie comedy night!
Tickets: $8 at the door
Improv 101 Class Showcase
This class show is the culmination of a six-week improv comedy deep dive. Come out and support the graduates of Mettlesome Instructor Andrea Howland-Myers’ Improv 101: Intro to Improv class!
Tickets: $7 at the door
Hush Hush
Join Hush Hush for a special comedy show full of deep laughs and true revelations. Each show, audience members add their anonymous confessions into our bucket of truth. Our cast of improv all-stars read those aloud and turn one person's wild shame into everyone's party.
Tickets: $9 at the door
Broken Records: Musical Improv
Experience a completely improvised musical comedy show. Watch and listen as the cast of Broken Records makes up songs on the spot with live accompaniment, based on suggestions from you, the audience.
Tickets: $9 at the door
Secret Society Improv Show
See the talented performers of Mettlesome’s Secret Society perform improv comedy.
Tickets: $7 at the door
Free Improv Jam
Everybody who attends will get a chance to perform. Put your name in the bucket and get randomly assigned to a group. Featuring players of all experience levels.
Great for students, beginners, and veterans! Free to attend and participate.
Harold Night
One suggestion leads to the creation of a whole new world of comedy.
Tickets: $8 at the door
![[SOLD OUT] GIANT ROBOT FIGHT CLUB](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56d8f6b522482ef0c3d8c948/1785275296434-UDX95LQJ1LGGZ679XSNB/IMG_5416.jpg)
[SOLD OUT] GIANT ROBOT FIGHT CLUB
Durham favorite GIANT ROBOT FIGHT CLUB brings their epic battles to the Mettlesome stage.
Tickets available via Eventbrite and at the door: $15 regular seating / $30 ringside seating
Golden Age
One location. A world of comedy.
The cast of Golden Age will showcase a whole world of characters all based on your suggestions.
Tickets: $9 at the door
The Racket - Indie Comedy ft. Aerosheep & Mango! Mango!
It’s The Racket! Make some noise for indie comedy night!
Tickets: $8 at the door
Show And Tell ft. Fatherly
The talented cast of Show and Tell will weave true stories into comedic gold, live on stage for one night only.
Tickets: $9 at the door
Bull City Press Presents
Come ready to this reading series from Durham’s own Bull City Press for engaging poetry, fiction, and nonfiction from established and emerging writers.
Admission: Free!
Improv 301 Class Showcase
This class show is the culmination of a seven-week improv comedy deep dive. Come out and support the graduates of Mettlesome Instructor John McKinney’s Improv 301: Improv Longform class!
Tickets: $7 at the door
SINGamajig
It’s an improvised musical for kids!
A made-up story with songs, all inspired by your suggestions.
Fun for ALL ages - no, seriously.
Help us create the world with your drawings and suggestions.
Tickets at the door: $8 per audience member age 15 and under; $5 per adult
Improv 201 Class Showcase
This class show is the culmination of a seven-week improv comedy deep dive. Come out and support the graduates of Mettlesome Instructors Charles Givens’ and Aditya Pabba’s Improv 201: Game of the Scene class!
Tickets: $7 at the door
Improv 201 Class Showcase
This class show is the culmination of a seven-week improv comedy deep dive. Come out and support the graduates of Mettlesome Instructors April Dudash’s and Jess Bowers’ Improv 201: Game of the Scene class!
Tickets: $7 at the door
Improv 101 Class Showcase
This class show is the culmination of a six-week improv comedy deep dive. Come out and support the graduates of Mettlesome Instructors Ross White’s and Kevin Delgado’s Improv 101: Intro to Improv class!
Tickets: $7 at the door
Hush Hush
Join Hush Hush for a special comedy show full of deep laughs and true revelations. Each show, audience members add their anonymous confessions into our bucket of truth. Our cast of improv all-stars read those aloud and turn one person's wild shame into everyone's party.
Tickets: $9 at the door
Broken Records: Musical Improv
Experience a completely improvised musical comedy show. Watch and listen as the cast of Broken Records makes up songs on the spot with live accompaniment, based on suggestions from you, the audience.
Tickets: $9 at the door
The Racket - Indie Comedy ft. Show Us Your Teeth and Rigsbee Ave.
It’s The Racket! Make some noise for indie comedy night!
Tickets: $8 at the door
LOOK DIFFERENT Presents: Bring Back Vine
LOOK DIFFERENT is a quarterly meetup for Triangle documentarians, generously supported by the Southern Documentary Fund. Come through!
Free Admission, but please RSVP here.
Sketch 301 Class Showcase
This showcase is the culmination of a seven-week sketch comedy deep dive from Daniel Duncan’s and Kara Phelps’ Sketch 301: Writing for the Stage class. Come see the graduates show off their comedic sketches!
Tickets at the door: $7
Make/Do Puppet Slam
Join Makeshift Puppetry on this spooky fall evening for short-form (and often in-progress!) puppetry performances.
Tickets are free, and this event is currently sold out. But feel free to check in at the Mettlesome Theater box office/bar cart in case seats open up before the performance begins at 6:30PM.
Golden Age
One location. A world of comedy.
The cast of Golden Age will showcase a whole world of characters all based on your suggestions.
Tickets: $9 at the door
Drag Comedy Hour
In celebration of Durham Pride, Mettlesome's first-ever drag open stage will feature the talents of local drag performers!
Tickets: $9 at the door
The Alphabet Hour
A Mettlesome all-queer cast takes the stage to turn personal, real-life experiences into unscripted comedy.
Tickets: $8 at the door
PRIDE Short-Form Improv Show
It’s Durham Pride Weekend! A cast of improvisers will bring your suggestions to life for a hilariously good time. (Don’t worry, we’ll never pull you on stage unless you want to be there.)
Tickets: $8 at the door
Advanced Study Musical Improv Class Showcase
This high-energy showcase features students from Mettlesome Instructor Matthew Schmitz’s Advanced Study Musical Improv class! They’ll perform a fully improvised musical comedy, making up scenes and songs on the spot with live accompaniment.
Tickets at the door: $7
Sounds Gay, I'm In
Queer super-team laughs with a special guest artist!
Tickets: $9 at the door