Musical improv comedy troupe debuts in Winston-Salem

“Instant Musical” blends improv comedy and musical theatre onstage for laughs

Winston-Salem, NC (April 30, 2025) – Winston-Salem’s comedy scene expands as Instant Musical hits the stage for the first time on May 8 and 10. The new show combines classic improv comedy with Broadway-style musical theatre to create a brand new one-act musical each evening, made up on the spot. Featuring a talented cast of local actors, improvisers, and singers, Instant Musical delivers audiences with an entirely original, undeniably hilarious show each performance.

Instant Musical premieres at the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts with three performances: Thursday, May 8 at 8pm, Saturday May 10 at 3pm (a family-friendly Instant Musical: For Kids performance), and Saturday May 10 at 10pm (an adults-only Instant Musical: After Dark performance). Audiences will be invited to participate by making suggestions for performers to incorporate into the improvised musical.

Winston-Salem’s newest (and only musical theatre-themed) improv comedy troupe is led by director and experienced Chicago improviser Kate Carson-Groner and music director/AIM Enrichment Director Trevor Gabriel. The pair has teamed up to present this all-new experience in assocation with Spirit Gum Theatre Company, sharing a performance space with the established community theatre’s production of Five Times in One Night (running May 2-4 and 9-11 in the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts).

Tickets for Instant Musical (8pm on Thursday, May 8), Instant Musical: For Kids (3pm on Saturday, May 10), and Instant Musical: After Dark (10pm on Saturday, May 10) are available for $10 (+tax/fees) at intothearts.org, over the phone at 336-722-2585, or in person at the front desk of the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts (251 N Spruce Street).