National Comedy Theatre

I love this place! I’ve been here for a girls night out and for a Mother’s Day weekend get together with multiple families and it’s always a great time. The NCT is very accommodating and fun! The family friendly shows are just that; good, clean humor that got us all laughing, from junior high to college age kids, moms, dads, heck, they even got grandma to participate on stage! If you like to laugh and can think quick (some audience participation is expected to generate topics and ideas, but it isn’t mandatory!) then head over to NCT in Mesa for a relatively inexpensive night out!

Randomly came here with my boyfriend. Such a fun interactive experience. I truly enjoyed it. Was so nice to get out and do something different.

Overall, the show was very very funny. We were not a very creative audience and they still made this night so wonderful. They have a lot of creative skits that I haven’t seen at other improv shows.
The staff was so sweet, welcoming and very entertaining. I waited outside with one of the comedians (Trisha) while the rest of the comedians and audience were getting ready for the next skit. She was so nice and it was really great to hear her story of how she became one of the weekend comedians.
There is a concession area that has a variety of drinks including alcohol.
We will definitely be back. We want to check out there uncensored night that happens once a month.

Great show for the whole family! Well priced and casual, a fun night.
There is a snack bar where you can buy popcorn, drinks including alcohol and chocolate bars. The owner runs the snack bar and she is very friendly.
If you’re looking for a more adult oriented show, the last Thursday of the month is uncensored and 18+.

I only get to visit NCT a few times a year because it’s pretty far from my house. There’s never been the faintest thought of it not being a great show. The shows have never been anything less than great.
Specifically? On the surface level, their shows are not faster, louder, or higher energy than shows in similar venues, but the content of those scenes and games are consistently built around interesting stories and characters that make for a far more memorable event than a series of randomly funny things. The show has a cohesiveness and wholeness that is often lacking in good improv.
This is a place that has a solid show, but is never afraid to grow with its audience. This is a place to experience improv as it is meant to be seen.

Fun as always. It’s an improv show similar to Who’s Line is it anyway. Audience participation is required from cheering to picking what games the comics will play. Points are kept, blue against red team.
It’s a lot of fun and the 1.5 hr hours goes by fast. They have a ten minute intermission after 1hr. They have a small snack bar. Popcorn and candy bars are $ 2. They also serve beer and non alcoholic beverages.
This is fun for everyone in the family. Bring your grandma, father, cousin, sister, girlfriend, kids. Bring the whole family!

We held a group event for 80 employees at The Venue last week and invited a crew of 7 comedians to perform the entertainment. Krissy (National Comedy Theatre) was very flexible and easy-​going during the planning process. Especially because I was planning the event out of state.
On the day of, the group showed up on time, planned a sound check and kicked off the day with great laughs. It was two teams of three (RED and BLUE) and an official referee to keep things on track. They two groups were very funny and and kept our attention for an hour. It was a great time!
After the event I polled the employees and they got great reviews. It was nice to do something different, relax, have a cocktail and great laughs for an afternoon.
Thanks Krissy!

Went for the first time last night to see my friend Josh’s improv group and the bucket of doom! So much fun, and very hilarious! They really get the audience involved which keeps the fun rolling! I can’t wait to go back and see another show!
Btw, the also sell refreshments and snacks at pretty reasonable prices. Got 3 beers and 2 bags of red vines for under 15 bucks, nice to have during the show!
Thanks again NCT!

You don’t know a good time until you hear your name sung by 5 average hot men. But seriously… Totally worth your time… small venue, intimate, great cast, and helpful staff. I didn’t know what to expect, since I bought my tickets from Gold staff; but I had such a great time. Already planning our next visit with friends, hopefully for the midnight show.

Great improv comedy show. We laughed a lot and the consessions were reasonably priced. Next time we are in Az we will go again.

NCT IS AMAZING! That is all we need to say! Thank you!

I’ve been going here for many years and just finally decided to write a review. This is a very fun place and highly recommend it for a group activity or date!

I discovered this place about 2 years ago and let me tell you — Wowser!!! If you’re looking to laugh or learn improvisational comedy — look no farther! They have a snack bar that sells beer, wine, soda, water, candy and popcorn.
The playhouse is in a strip mall and not too hard to see from the road. EVERYONE that works here is super friendly and extra conscientious; they are all beautiful and talented people!
They do «clean» shows so you can bring your kids or people that have a more traditional sense of decorum.
A solid 5 stars! Keep on rocking in the free world!

Fun! I went with my friend Alexis who takes improv classes there… It was a good time! Good intimate space, well organized, beer and concessions. I will definitely be going again. Though the all ages thing is great for families, my group kept getting glares from the über Christian grandma in front of us for various suggestions we threw out… It was kind of ridiculous. It’s a comedy club, gettoverit lady. Anyway, I also noticed while I was there — in a couple of weeks, one of my favorite comedians is going to be there, Kevin McDonald!!! So I’ll be back. If you like improv — check it out!

My wife and I have the opportunity to go to several shows in the past month and have had a blast! The beauty of Improv Comedy is that it is always a new show.
The players use suggestions from the audience for their hilarious scenes. And the «5 Things» game is one of funniest parts of the show, and demonstrates how gifted the players are.
Highly recommend attending their show, they always have great offers. You will leave every show with a huge smile as the players high 5 the entire audience when they leave. A must watch in Phoenix.

A hilarious family – friendly night out!
I took my 17 year old daughter and 13 year old son to NCT last Friday night. We had a fantastic time! The performers are top notch, and the family friendly atmosphere was fantastic. They have a policy that no performer, or audience member, can say anything lude, crude or indecent and I really appreciated that.
The audience is involved throughout and the games they played were great.
If you’re looking for a great night out I recommend it highly!

It was my 30^th birthday and took my huge group there because I’ve always trusted Unilocal not to steer me wrong. We had to leave in the middle because it was THAT bad, we didn’t «boo» or anything rude. It was not funny… At all. We are very easily entertained, but this was awful. Go to another improv, my husband and I have gone to many others and been entertained —, I understand any improv will not always be amazing, but I’ve never been to one this bad.
This venue was nicer than others I’ve been to, but the talent was just NOT there. It felt like a bunch of high school kids getting together on the weekends who thought they were hilarious to themselves. That’s the best way I can describe it. Without my people taking up 2.5 rows, there were about 10 other people there last night.
Save yourself the $ 14 and go anywhere else for laughs. I tried to save my group money by not going to see Adam Corolla last night, big mistake. Luckily, my birthday was salvaged by a quick trip to a bar.

I guess I expected to be blown away by an average of almost five stars — I just wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I laughed, and I was entertained, but I was kind of let down. It’s still worth going, but maybe I need to go on a non-​holiday-​ish day to get the full effect. We went last night for black Friday — and I suppose I was hoping for a mix of guys and gals — but all eight players were fellas.
It is not easy to be funny — especially when it’s on the fly — so I give credit where credit’s due, what these players do is not so simple. That said, I would only give a thumbs up to about half of them — as the other half just didn’t cut the mustard.
The seats weren’t what I’d call comfortable — like straight from the auditorium from your elementary school that needed to be renovated back in the ’80’s. The concessions were plentiful, and reasonably priced — so no complaints there. The wait staff was courteous as well.
I don’t think it makes me a bad person to want more of an adult theme for the late night show either. I think it’s perfectly reasonable to do a family friendly show in the early evening — but then let the players act a little more tongue in cheek for the late night show — to satisfy those of us who prefer grown up humor. That would be my biggest bit of feedback — you could tell that some of them really had great «decisions» that they had to reign in due to the «brown bag rule» (rule that does not allow for any non-​PG humor).

Funny, funny, funny!
I recommend it!
First time at ANY comedy show and such a great experience! I was a little skeptical if it was really improv but it is because they use audience’s suggestions.
It is a small tiny place and you can possibly miss it if you’re not paying attention when you’re driving by.
Definitely, have fun at this place! It’s fun to watch and fun to be part of it!
In your birthday month, you can get a free ticket if you’re on the mailing list.
Seems like a great date place if you’re looking for a date idea in Arizona.

I wasn’t sure what to expect and I have been to improve before and I know it is different every time. I decided to go here because I wasn’t sure what else to do in Arizona and I didn’t feel like going partying or drinking.
This place is in the middle of a small strip mall. It looks shady from the outside, which is why you can’t judge a book by its cover because on the inside it is pretty awesome. There are pictures everywhere and the bathroom has character with all the red mirrors all over the walls.
Now onto the show. The show was amazing, I really like how they included the audience for suggestions and input. They had a bunch of different skits and performed as 2 teams competing against each other.
Tip: I found discounted tickets here on
so if you want discounted tickets for a comedy show in Arizona check it out.