Congratulations on being accepted as a performer and/or workshop instructor for the 2026 Mobile Improv Comedy Carnival, and THANK YOU for lending our foundling festival your time, energy and skills!
We’re committed to making your experience here in our festival the best it can possibly be. Whether this is your first improv festival or hundredth, you probably have some questions about what to expect at the MICC. This page will give you a lot of help, but if you find yourself with questions that it doesn’t answer, just send an email to [email protected] for quick answers!
Thank you again for joining us in our inaugural year, and we’ll see you in April!
Festival Map
Schedule
Our schedule has been set! Here are the performance times:
Friday, April 17
- 6:40 — Dad Company
- 7:05 — Close Quarters
- 7:40 — Pandemic! @ the Disco
- 8:05 — Mime vs. Mouth
- 8:40 — defrancisCo
- 9:25 — Middl ePart
- 9:50 — Once Upon a Rhyme
- 10:15 — Punch Drunk Pariah
Saturday, April 18
- 5:40 — It’s All About Amy
- 6:05 — Bay Cities Story Co.
- 6:40 — Drum Machine
- 7:05 — Last Minute Request
- 7:40 — HERE the Improvised Musical
- 8:35 — Improvable Cause
- 9:00 — Big Bang
- 9:45 — ImprovUSA
- 10:10 — Super Scaries
Workshop Schedule
Saturday, April 18
- 9am — Emotional Stakes and Character-Driven Improv (Robyn Helwig)
- 9am — Mime vs. Monologues (Mime vs Mouth)
- 9am — How to Host an Improv Show (Steven Disbrow)
- 11:30am — Being a Dream Partner (Jill Bernard)
- 11:30am — Honing Your Superpower (Dylan Rohde)
- 11:30am — IMPROVactive Storytelling (Jon Robitaille)
- 2:00pm — Improvised Music for Beginners (HERE the Improvised Musical)
- 2:00pm — Free-Form Improvisation (Will Luera)
Pre-Festival Checklist
- Form: Be sure that you have completed and submitted your Acceptance Form for performances, and Workshop Acceptance Form for workshops. (If you were selected for a performance AND a workshop, you DO need to fill out and submit both.) Double-check your act/workshop descriptions, and your technical needs.
- Names: Confirm with your performers/instructors who’s definitely coming to the festival and make sure they were included on your acceptance form(s). Each performer is getting their own registration bag, so we want to make sure we have that information right.
- Hotel: If you need a place to stay, make sure you get that set up. We have several partner hotels in Mobile with discounted room rates, that we detail in the Hotels/Loding section below. We highly encourage staying in our partner hotels (it helps our festival in the long run) but if you’d like other options, there are plenty of hotels in the downtown area, as well as AirBnB’s, etc.
- Flights: If you plan to fly in, we have helpful info in the Flights/Airports section below when shopping for flights.
Show Venue
The 2026 MICC performances will all take place on one stage at the Mobile Carnival Museum. It’s located at 355 Government St., Mobile, AL 36602. If you haven’t seen it before, it’s… a little hard to miss…
If you’re driving to the museum, please note there is free museum-only parking in two lots, immediately behind and immediately to the left of the main building. There is also plenty of nearby street parking.
Performances will be in the back room of the museum. The back room will look something like this…
Awesome, right? Just please remember that the Mobile Carnival Museum is an actual, functional museum, not a theater or a comedy club, etc., which means that the “decorations” in the back room are actually historical exhibits. If it looks delicate, it probably is. If it’s behind a barricade, there’s a really good reason for that. So – not to stifle the natural energy and creativity of improv – but please don’t cross barricades or try to physically move/handle any of the exhibits in your sets.
Also, if you find yourself interested in Mardi Gras history, performers get free tours through the museum. If nothing else, you’ll definitely soak up some local knowledge that might win you some points with the locals during your set!
Workshop Venue(s)
There are five different venues for our 2026 festival workshops:
Oyster City Brewing Company — 600 Government St., Mobile, AL 36602
MAC Gallery in Room 1927 — 6 Joachim St., Mobile, AL 36602
Mobile Opera Rehearsal Room — 257 Dauphin St., Mobile, AL 36602
Ben May Public Library — 701 Government St., Mobile, AL 36602
Innovation Portal — 358 St. Louis St., Mobile, AL 36602
After-Party Venue
The MICC is hosting an after-party each night after performances to show appreciation for our performers and sponsors. Each night’s party will be located at Oyster City Brewing Company, at 600 Government Street, just a 5-minute (0.3 mile) walk from the venue. Each after-party will have complimentary food and drinks, and be a great way to unwind and meet the other performers.
Note: You don’t have to have performed on that day to be invited to that night’s after-party. All MICC performers and instructors are invited to both parties.
Performer Registration
Performers and instructors should check in and register at the Carnival Museum on Friday afternoon between 4pm and 5pm. We’ll have food, badges and registration bags for everyone, so each performer needs to check in, not just one performer from each troupe. After you’re registered, please stick around, because at the end of the registration window, we’ll have a short orientation meeting in the performance space so every performer knows where to go and when. After that, you’re free to head out and explore the city, grab a seat for the festival’s first night, tour the museum, or whatever else you’d like to do.
Performer Passes/Seats
Each performer has a complimentary weekend pass to the festival. It’s not mandatory to attend, of course, but we encourage our performers to watch and cheer each other on!
During Performer Orientation, we will point out the performer-only seating area. Due to some unfortunately tight space limitations, we need to keep non-performer seating for the paid festival guests. If the performer section is filled up, there will be additional seats in several other places we will point out during orientation, as well as standing-room-only areas.
Hotels/Lodging
The Mobile Improv Comedy Carnival has several participating partner hotels that are offering exclusive rates for our festival performers and guests. Here is a breakdown.
Malaga Inn
The Malaga Inn is not only the closest and least expensive hotel choice, but also the one with the most “Mobile” character. Located right across the street from the festival venue, the Malaga is a historic hotel dating back to the 19th century that has been redone with comfortable but antique touches. It was also rated the sixth Best Haunted Hotel by US Ghost Adventures, in case that’s a bonus for you. The hotel has a ton of old Southern charm like rocking chairs, metal room keys, and even the remains of an underground tunnel once used by Confederate soldiers that you can climb down into and explore.
Festival performers and guests can take advantage of great rates:
Courtyard rooms (1 King, 2 doubles, or 2 queens): $99/night + tax
Historic rooms (1 King or 2 Queens): $119-129/night + tax
To book, please call the hotel at (251) 438-4701 and let them know you are booking with the Mobile Improv Comedy Carnival with these rates. The block rates will only be available until March 6.
Hilton Garden Inn Mobile Downtown
An excellent sweet-spot choice between comfort, convenience and price, the Hilton Garden Inn is a 5-minute (0.3 mile) walk away from the Carnival Museum, located smack in the middle of lots of walkable food, entertainment, and nightlife venues in downtown Mobile. And they’re offering great MICC-exclusive rates:
One King Bed: $159/night + tax
Two Queen Beds: $179/night + tax
To book with these rates, use this booking link or call the hotel at (251) 345-4505 and reference group code C-MIC.
The Admiral Hotel
The most luxurious hotel choice on the list, The Admiral Hotel is a downtown Mobile cultural staple, originally built in 1940, but with a very recent, swanky makeover. It’s also very close to the Carnival Museum: just a 2-block (0.1 mile) walk. Unlike the other hotels, MICC performers and guests can use our block rate for Thursday night (Apr. 16) as well, making it a great choice for those who want to come in early and explore the city. MICC performers and guests can secure this rate:
One King Bed: $189/night + tax
Two Double Beds: $199/night + tax
To book with these rates, use this booking link and be sure to complete booking by March 20.
Flights / Airports
If you’re flying into Mobile for the festival, you have a few nearby options when scheduling a flight. Here is a breakdown:
Mobile Regional Airport (MOB)
The most common choice for flying into or out of Mobile, this airport is a 25-minute (12.5 mile) drive from the venue, and has a good range of reasonably priced flights.
Mobile International Airport (BFM)
Also called Brookley Airfield, this airport is technically the closest to the venue/hotels (10 minutes/5.5 miles away), but it is likely more expensive or may have fewer options.
Pensacola International Airport (PNS)
If you can manage a one-hour (give or take) drive, Pensacola International Airport typically has cheaper flight options than Mobile Regional, and a 350% funnier airport code.
Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport (GPT)
Also about an hour’s drive from the venue, Gulfport will sometimes have equally or more affordable options than Pensacola.
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
At the furthest end of the distance-price equation, New Orleans will likely have the cheapest flight options, but the airport is about 2 to 2.5 hours’ drive away from the venue (depending on time of day).
Enjoying the City
If you want to plan out some activities and take in the local culture, the best thing to do would be to visit the site of one of our festival partners, Visit Mobile. You can scope out some local events (including a fantastic new improv festival we’ve been hearing about), build a custom itinerary, read about local hot spots, eateries, etc.
If you want to hit a few highlights, here are a couple:
USS Alabama
Mobile is home to a decommissioned World War II battleship, the USS Alabama. It’s basically our most known landmark, tourist attraction, and school field trip. You can actually board and walk around a real battleship and WW2-era submarine. History buffs, WW2 enthusiasts, and people who want an iconic Mobile experience can head here. Open most days 8am-5pm, $18/person.
Bellingrath Gardens & Home
You’re not a true Mobilian unless you’ve “been to Bellingrath” at least once. A historic home, it’s been a destination for visitors from far and wide since the 1930’s who flock to see stunning floral displays, and old Southern opulence. Open 8am to 5pm, $16-25/person (depending on whether you want to see just the gardens, or gardens and home).
Magnolia Grove Golf Course
If you’re a golfer, you’ll love teeing off at Magnolia Grove, the Mobile entry in the famous Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, the largest golf construction project in history. It’s 3 courses and 54 holes of what the New York Times called “some of the best public golf on Earth.”
Gulf Shores/Beaches
Mobile is right on the edge of Mobile Bay, but the city is more “port vibes” – those looking for “beach vibes” are best served by a 45-ish minute drive to Gulf Shores, Alabama, where you can soak in the sand and sun and waves. If that sounds like too much travel, Dauphin Island is half the distance, and has public beaches with more of a “quiet nature” atmosphere, and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, the area’s best aquarium (especially for those interested in marine science, as it’s also an active lab).
Downtown Mobile
If you want to hit the best spots in walking distance from the Carnival Museum, there’s plenty to see and do in downtown Mobile.
Colonial Fort Conde
Just a 5-minute walk away from the Carnival Musuem, Colonial Fort Conde is a mostly-reconstructed 18th century French fort with lots of fun historical exhibits and tidbits.
Exploreum Science Center
Only 5 minutes by foot from the venue, the Exploreum is a large hands-on science museum that also has interesting documentaries in a huge IMAX theater.
Saenger Theater
A 4-minute walk from the venue, the Saenger Theater has been bringing in world-class live entertainment to downtown Mobile for a century. Even if you don’t catch a show there, a walk through the building can give you a look at some awesome nostalgic Art Deco vibes.
Bienville Square
One of downtown Mobile’s most well-known photo backdrops, Bienville Square is home to lovely shade trees, numerous relaxing benches, an iconic Mobile fountain, and the city’s most unafraid-of-humans squirrels.
National Maritime Museum of the Gulf
One of Mobile’s newer tourist attractions, the NMMOG is about a 10-minute walk from the venue, and specializes in exhibits about the Gulf of Mexico, the shipping industry, and other maritime activities.
Crescent Theater
Originally opened as a vaudeville theater in 1885, the Crescent has undergone a number of reinventions and re-openings in the 140 years since, most recently in 2025 as a combination movie-theater/live comedy venue. They’ve supported the MICC and are definitely worth a stop, as they play more cult-classic movies and bring in regional and sometimes national-level stand-up acts.
Social Media
We’re currently asking accepted performers to hold off on making any announcements regarding their participation in the festival while finalize the lineup and create the custom images/frames for the announcements. But once that’s done, we’d love for you to share with your friends, family and fans that you’re helping us kick off our festival! Our most active social media is on Facebook, but we also have profiles on Instagram, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), and Bluesky.
There are also some performer- and instructor-specific social media sites you can sign up on to specifically meet and converse with other MICC performers/instructors: