8-9:30 pm: Improv all-stars of Austin, The Known Wizards, headline this improv comedy showcase with spontaneous scenes, hilarious games, surprisingly good songs, and fantastic stories all made up on the spot based on audience input. Featuring… A Slice of Heist: Our most recent Improv 601 graduates perform a long-form show based on the Heist genre and audience suggestions. Student Lottery — Three current Merlin Works Improv students will be randomly selected from the audience to play with The Known Wizards! The Known Wizards — Merlin Works faculty troupe, round out the evening with spontaneous scenes, hilarious games, surprisingly good songs, and fantastic stories all made up on the spot based on audience input.
10 pm: An Open Mic without the mic that allows performers to use the whole stage or just a part of it to perform a maximum of 5 minutes of anything. No Shames of old have witnessed magicians, sketches, readings, stand-ups, storytellers, dancers, performance artists, and musicians. Austin No Shame has two simple rules: No hurting the Stage, and No hurting any one in the audience. Come join Austin’s best incubator of creativity: No Shame.
Karina Dominguez is the registrar and assistant to the Dean of Merlin Works Institute of Improvisation. She graduated from the Merlin Works program in December 2011 with three performances of "The Amazing Improvised Race." She is a full-time actor with commercial credits such as Burger King, Ford, Totino's, H-E-B and various departments for the State of Texas. She was last seen in the opening episode of the second season of "American Crime", and as the welcome video ranger in the second season of HBO's "The Leftovers", and as Helah in the first season of "The Chosen". She also performs on-stage in various Austin, TX plays including for Capital T Theatre, The Vortex, Vestige Group, Pollyanna Theater among others.
