The Awkward Show by Bandit Theater

A quick suggie pull ("hustle!") from the Glasgow Improv tool leads to a discussion of first/last jobs and good manners. The set that follows features substantial financial transactions to express affection, an elite Zamboni driver, a restaurant patron looking for feedback, dining utensils in revolt, a bizarro high school social scene, and a presenter demanding a meeting's attendees m...

A tiny cast (Kristine and the Jesses!) shares stories ofscarier childhood times. The set that follows features new and exciting playground equipment, immersion therapy for facing fears, robot etiquette, and fifth graders at the edge. The cast includes Jess Lechtenberg, Kristine Antonsen, and Jess Lampe. Chris Carter directs.

Stories of commencement speakers both good and dead lead to scenes about staying in college, looking so good in wedding photos you want some solos, maybe the best excuse to skip book club, a will reading, giving little kids more responsibilities, and (spoilers) some graduation speeches! The cast includes Jess Lechtenberg, Mike Kroner, Coonoor Behal, Winnie Yeung, Kristine Antonsen and Jess Lampe....

The group digs into some of the ways a dad can fall short. The set that follows includes a kid pitting dads against each other, a swampy grandma, unsatisfying bedtime rituals, and a Sears team doing their best with all the phallic products they have to sell. The cast includes Coonoor Behal, Mike Kroner, Winnie Yeung, Jess Lechtenberg, Kristine Antonsen, and Geena Pietromonaco. Chris Carter directs...

Jess Lechtenberg kicks off a lively chat with the story of a surprising choice by a fellow bus rider. The set that follows features heavy testing in the fitting room, some creative window washers, a vampire accountant, and Day 3 of the Safety & Charging into Action seminar. The cast includes Jess Lampe, Mike Kroner, MP Piper, Geena Pietromonaco, Kristine Antonsen, Sarah Kylie, and Jess Lechten...

Chris shares a fashion story from his junior high school days. The set that follows features parents forcing their culture on their teenager, a fun shopping trip for urban gear at the PX, a tailor trying to make their customers’ mistakes seem visionary, the arbiters of fashion strong-arming predictions out of their intern, and a couple whose marriage holds together because of the adventures their...

Chris and the cast talk mother figures and divorce. The setthat follows features a scrupulous ex-girlfriend, an unusual vision of family life, a misguided Maid of Honor, unavailable dads, an intimate firing, acquaintances in couples therapy, and a new kind of Santa. The cast features Coonoor Behal, Mike Kroner, MP Piper, and Jess Lechtenberg. Chris Carter directs.

A debate about Daylight Saving time leads to a broader conversation about how we have been raising and/or failing our children. The set that follows features a husband vowing to try less, mothers who want the best for their children, adults failed by the education system but elevated to critical positions, and a team workshopping a new economics-themed musical. The cast features Geena Pietromonaco...

For our last show of 2025, we brought in SL Rao (Jet City), who shares a story about conflict avoidance and then plays in with the cast. The set that follows includes a CEO with a problematic advice giver, a man who does super deep background research before a first date, detectives trying to unpack ambiguous murder clues, and a team trying to put the "ultimate" back in ultimate frisbee. The cast...

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,...

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 f...

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 Sc...

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 Antons...

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...

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 Pip...

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 Lechtenbe...

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...

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...

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,...

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 L...

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 Lechten...

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...