The shelf life for a local improv team is nine months to a year. Apparently, River City Improv is not your average team. Comprised completely of Calvin College alum, the Grand Rapids-based improv team has been providing side-splitting antics on stage since 1994.

When a fan randomly approached Marc Maron on the street a few years ago and told him his comedic style is a crossbreed of Iggy Pop and Woody Allen, the New Jersey-born comic agreed.

In fact, Maron agreed with the branding so much he added the comparison into his official bio. But now, the veteran 48-year-old comic and "WTF" podcast host says things have changed.

A man sitting on death row with guards conversing doesn't sound like an all too hilarious situation. Leave it to the Don't We Boys to find the humor in it.

A church might not be the most common — or even ideal — venue for a comedy show, but Anjelah Johnson is enthusiastic about her opportunity to perform at Fountain Street Church as a part of the second installment of the comedy festival.

"The funny thing is, I started comedy at a church," Johnson said. "I took a joke writing class at my church ...We had to perform at the church as a part of our graduation."

"Dark, absurd, honest, relatable." These are the words Dan Cummins chooses to describe himself with. Where these descriptors lack in meaning, words like 'angry,' 'cynical,' 'maniacal' and 'slightly cruel' fill in the empty spaces.

When Kevin Nealon nervously approached Andy Kaufman on the sidewalk in front of The Improv in Hollywood back in the late ‘70s, it proved to be a surreal moment – one he vividly remembers.

While many may be in summer mourning, at least there is one great thing about fall we can all agree on: the diverse entertainment options local arts groups give us. With ArtPrize in its fifth year, the UICA and Kendall College for Arts and Design merging and Miller Auditorium and Broadway Grand Rapids continuing to bring in touring Broadway hits, our arts scene is growing by the year. 

The most exposure the majority of us Americans have had to rugby probably happened in one of Matt Damon's glorious moments in Clint Eastwood's Invictus. Marco Riolo, vice president and tournament director of the Grand Rapids Rugby Football Club hopes to change that, starting with Rugby City, U.S.A., a term given to Grand Rapids.