Queerly Beloved: We are Gathered Here to Laugh at This Thing Called Life
The Drama Room sign on stage at Jet City Improv
The Evergreen Echo
As a cultured Queer, I only recently learned straight people also do improv. Jet City Improv’s monthly Queerly Beloved, quite obviously, is not one of those instances.
With an all LGBTQ+ cast, Queerly Beloved is by, and for, the Queer community. Friends and allies are encouraged to join for the interactive show as well, but only if they are ready for a night of chaotic glee and gaiety.
Funneling into the Drama Room at University Heights Center, I noticed a basket at the front of the stage prompting viewers to submit the gayest thing they’d ever heard or said. I reflected on phrases like, “I thought she was a lesbian, but she’s just Turkish” and “Please don’t bring twinks around me, it’s triggering.” These prompts would later be collected for use in the various scenes laid out for the night.
As I settled into my seat, a family sat beside me. Excitement was bubbling up inside the daughter as she talked about her two kittens back home and how there was a boy in her class who was “definitely gay, but denied it.” Her statement made me wonder if this is how the 11-year-olds I grew up with talked about me. Probably.
The show consisted of a series of improv games with prompts and feedback pulled from the crowd. This format usually ensures each show is unique and adapted to the audience watching.
‘Story Story Die’ was one of the first games played. The rules were simple: continue the story when pointed at, but if you mess up or hesitate, you’re booted from the game. Audience members suggested a mood for the story, and one by one the crew died off through hilarious means.
The show even had a line up of ‘Expert Panelists’. The panelists were challenged to answer questions from the audience without repeating themselves, hesitating, or deviating from the prompt. If they broke any of these three rules, another panelist could interrupt and take over answering the question. Whoever was speaking at the end of the given time was declared the winner. Important questions such as “Tegan or Sara?” and “When will dildos stop being flesh-toned?” were presented to the panelists.
‘Timeline’ examined how our everyday choices could impact the future. A former house manager who had signed an NDA presented their timeline-altering narrative of quitting that job. The improvisers laid out a scene of bequeathment and revenge, with a good dose of hilarity. Imagine being offered the house you managed, only to have that offer taken away for talking about the job at an improv show. Well, that’s just what’s predicted to be in store for this audience member.
Even the relationship between Michelle Obama and George Bush was explored on stage. Friends? Lovers? Co-authors of a picture book George himself illustrated? Yes, yes, and yes.
Presumedly the “fish people” acted by Queerly Beloved’s performers
The Evergreen Echo
A “sort of teacher” in the crowd presented their case of changing a child’s mind about algebra. The genius child went on to create a race of fish people. The fish people would soon battle with the humanoid descendants of the kittens belonging to the young girl beside me for power over the world.
Ty Wedl, the host of January’s Queerly Beloved and a Jet City Ensemble member, spoke with me about his experience: “Improv gives me a creative outlet that I desperately need. After long days at work, I can always count on my improv community to lift my spirits and blow me away with the hilarious and mind-blowing things they create on stage. Improv is a little bit of an escape from the outside world and I love that. I also just love being around the improv community.”
While improv is already a crucial outlet for many members of Jet City Improv, Queerly Beloved plays a special role. “Every month, there’s a place for Queer performers—making Queer art for Queer people—and I can’t express how important that is,” Wedl shared. “We also host our PRISM Pride Jam earlier in the day, and a lot of times, you’ll see our jam students join us on stage. Not only this, but we partner with local drag performers and invite them to join us on stage when we can. It is a night of pure joy and it’s always a good time.”
If you would like to get inspired and laugh with fellow Queer people and comrades, Queerly Beloved’s next spotlight is on February 14, 2026. Jet City Improv also offers classes for those feeling ready to perform. Maybe you’ll be the next expert panelist answering our burning questions about Queer culture.
Queerly Beloved provided me a glimpse into a world of delight and hijinks—a world where it is safe and beloved to be Queer. Spaces like those provided by Jet City Improv honor and uplift the LGBTQ+ community, providing a humorous reprieve from a reality that is not always kind to us. When we come together as a community, we remind each other of the safety in one other’s laughter.
**Editor’s Note: Yes, the headline is paraphrased from the opening lyrics to Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy.”
