Study Hall: Comedy Inspired By Lectures

🎓Study Hall is back in session! Saturday 5/23 @ 7pm at IF Theater Followed by @redcurbcomedy at 8:30pm! 📚Hosted by Dr. Jason Aukerman (IU Professor and Director of the Ray Bradbury Center) and featuring a cast of smart and hilarious improvisers, Study Hall mixes lectures and improv to create a show that’s always educational, always entertaining, and never the same twice. 🧠Joining Dr. Aukerman is our first guest to announce: Keirsten Roath is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Indiana with over three decades of experience in the mental health field. She currently serves as the Assistant Director of Counseling & Consultation Services at Marian University. Keirsten holds undergraduate degrees in Social Work and Psychology from Purdue University and a Master's Degree in Social Work from Indiana University Indianapolis. Passionate about helping others navigate life's challenges, she specializes in working with couples and individuals who feel stuck and are seeking meaningful change. Outside of her clinical work, Keirsten is also passionate about IMRPOV! She is a graduate of the Crossroads Comedy Theater program and will be performing with her group “Shelf Sabatoge” in the 2026 Indy Fringe Festival. 🚨Double feature night! Catch Study Hall at 7pm, then Red Curb Comedy at 8:30pm. Save when you grab tickets to both and make a night of it. Whether you’re the class clown or the class president, we have something for you! 👉For info on upcoming shows, becoming a lecturer, classes, or bringing Study Hall to your organization: StudyHallShow.com.

Crossroads Founder Mike Marbach and attorney Michael Murphy dropped by @indianalawyernews podcast last week. They were there to discuss their Improv For Lawyers CLE course with host Maura Johnson. This course aims to teach you what law school does not. Listen to them talk about how the same skills that make a great improviser - also make a better lawyer. The next course is 7/10/26 and you can enroll at xroadscomedyindy.com/lawyers. Follow and listen to The Indiana Lawyer with Maura Johnson on ‪@IBJMediaCorp ’s podcast network. Available wherever you get your pods. EPISODE NOTES Listening, adaptability and quick thinking aren’t typically taught in law school, but two professionals argue they should be. They say improv training can sharpen courtroom performance, client negotiations and overall well-being. Mike Marbach, founder of Crossroads Comedy in Indianapolis, and Michael Murphy, a clinical law professor at Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law, created a continuing legal education program built on improv exercises. The course links each exercise to legal practice, covering active listening, the “yes, and” approach to negotiation, emotional authenticity in court and projecting expertise on short notice. They also address a common hurdle for attorneys: dropping a rigid professional persona to fully engage in learning. Murphy, a former trial lawyer and in-house counsel, says improv-based CLEs outperform traditional lecture formats and help lawyers stay present and recover when proceedings go off track. PODCAST SERIES DESCRIPTION Navigating the legal world can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. The Indiana Lawyer Podcast is here to help you understand the laws impacting your life, work, and community. Whether you’re a legal professional, a business owner, or someone who wants to know how Indiana law shapes the world around you, this podcast is for you. Hosted by reporter Maura Johnson, the podcast is here to bring you clarity and insights like no one else can. This podcast is brought to you by Taft, Today’s Modern Law Firm

The case is closed for Study Hall’s April show. Like any good conspiracy theory we’re never really gone. We’re back on Saturday, 5/16 @ 7pm at IF Theatre. Get info and tickets - and throw your grad cap in the ring to lecture at an upcoming show - at StudyHallShow.com. Get your tickets for Study Hall and Red Curb and have yourself a good time. Some more pics and video to come. Big thanks you to our host Dr. Jason Aukerman and our guests - Rob Saler and Andrew Whitehead - for three informative lectures on conspiracy theories. We learned how faith gets conspiratorial, why facts don’t matter to conspiracy theorists, and what does into teaching a class all about conspiracy theories. Thanks to all our performers to tackling though topics and finding the fun. Thanks to everyone that came out to conspire with us. Thanks to Jay in the tech booth. Thanks to Justo, Shelbi, and the rest of the IF staff. #improv #comedy #indianapolis #lectures #studyhallshow

Study Hall returns @iftheatre_indy with a special Conspiracy Theory Edition! Put on your tin foil hat, or leave it on, and come out to learn all about conspiratorial thinking with our panel of experts! 4/18 @ 7pm. Tickets at IFTheatre.org. Guest speakers break down conspiratorial thinking, how it starts, how it spreads, where it thrives, and why it sticks, and then our cast of Indy improvisers takes what they learned, or thought they learned, and runs with it. Though the topics are real and lean serious, the improv does not. Expect big laughs, smart scenes, and questionable conclusions that may or may not hold up under scrutiny. It’s a fast, weird, hilarious night where curiosity fuels comedy, paranoia fuels scenes, and everything just might be connected 🤯 Dr. Jason Aukerman is a Professor of American Studies and English Literature at Indiana University Indianapolis and Director of the Ray Bradbury Center. His work celebrates Bradbury’s legacy while exploring topics like horror, science fiction, and conspiracy theories. October is his favorite month. Andrew Whitehead is a sociology professor at Indiana University Indianapolis and serves as executive director of the Association of Religion Data Archives. His work focuses on religion in public life, and he is also a research fellow with the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. Rob Saler is Associate Professor of Religion and Culture at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. He has published on theology and punk rock, Radiohead, and conspiracy theories, among many other things. Study Hall is hosted by IU Indianapolis Professor and Director of the Ray Bradbury Center, Dr. Jason Aukerman. The improv cast features both faces well known to Indy audiences and some new ones you will get to know including including George Azar, Holly Brooke, Eliza Brown, Kelsey Griffin, Ezri Braid-Grizzel, Mai Khuu, Will Pfaffenberger, Brandon Wilson, Chad Woodward. Study Hall is directed by Crossroads Comedy Theater founder, Mike Marbach.

Study Hall returns @iftheatre_indy with a special Conspiracy Theory Edition! Put on your tin foil hat, or leave it on, and come out to learn all about conspiratorial thinking with a panel of experts! 4/18 @ 7pm. Tickets at IFTheatre.org. Guest speakers break down conspiratorial thinking, how it starts, how it spreads, where it thrives, and why it sticks, and then our cast of Indy improvisers takes what they learned, or thought they learned, and runs with it. Though the topics are real and lean serious, the improv does not. Expect big laughs, smart scenes, and questionable conclusions that may or may not hold up under scrutiny. It’s a fast, weird, hilarious night where curiosity fuels comedy, paranoia fuels scenes, and everything just might be connected 🤯

We were lucky enough to have, Nick Ramey, the Indianapolis Program Manager for Armed Services Arts Partnership on Study Hall last month. We partner with ASAP to offer free classes to veterans and service members as well as spouses, family members, caregivers, and survivors. Nick talked about what drew him to ASAP, what the organization offers people, how it helps, and more. Armed Services Arts Partnership offers a wide variety of classes in Indianapolis and online as well as several other cities around the country. We are running an improv basics class starting on Thursday 4/7! If you or someone you know is military connected, check out ASAPASAP.org. There’s an Armed Services Arts Partnership alumni comedy show tonight! 7pm, doors open at 6pm. Visit asapasap.org for tickets

🎓At the 3/21 @studyhallshow , our host, @jason.aukerman , gave a really great lecture about the #MandelaEffect and included some great examples clipped here. Are there any examples you know of not included here? 👀😵‍💫 🔗For the full lecture, show tickets for 4/18 @ 7pm on #ConspiracyTheories @iftheatre_indy , and info on how to appear on Study Hall visit the link in our bio - StudyHallShow.com #StudyHallShow #Indianapolis #StudyHallIndy #IndyComedy

Georgetown Professor, multi-time Study Hall lecturer, and all around good person, Adam Rothman, wrote an article for the Journal of American History inspired by a Study Hall Philly show 🎉 Academics inspiring improv inspiring academics 🤯 Study Hall getting ink in those academic papes 🎓 The next live Study Hall show will be 4/18 at 7pm @iftheatre_indy . Philly is on break, but will be back soon! If you are interested in being a guest in an upcoming Study Hall show visit StudyHallShow.com 🎓

🎓 Study Hall is back in session! 🗓️ Saturday 3/21 @ 7pm at IF Theater 🎟️ Tickets at StudyHallShow.com 🤓Hosted by Dr. Jason Aukerman (IU Professor and Director of the Ray Bradbury Center) and featuring a cast of smart and hilarious improvisers, Study Hall mixes lectures and improv to create a show that’s always educational, always entertaining, and never the same twice. MARCH 21ST FEATURES: 🎓”WAIT… That’s Not How We Remember it: The Mandela Effect” with Dr. Jason Aukerman 🎓”Your Brain On Music” with musicologist, Nate Foley. 🎓”From Service to Stage: the Mission of Armed Services Arts Partnership” with their Indiana Program Director, Nick Ramey: 🎭 Double feature night! Catch Study Hall at 7pm, then Red Curb Comedy at 8:30pm. Save when you grab tickets to both and make a night of it. Whether you’re the class clown or the class president, we have something for you! For info on upcoming shows, becoming a lecturer, classes, or bringing Study Hall to your organization: StudyHallShow.com.

⚖️ CALLING ALL INDY LAWYERS 📣 Join this fun and interactive workshop and learn how improv skills can benefit legal professionals! ⭐️ Approved for 3 Non-Legal Subject Matter Credits! 🗓️ Friday, 4/17 @ 9:30am - 12:45pm. 🔗 ImprovLawyers.com or use the link in bio. 💰 Save $50 through 3/22! 🎉This isn’t a lecture or another Zoom webinar. It’s an engaging, interactive experience that strengthens your presence, professionalism, and adaptability whether you’re handling tough clients, arguing a case, navigating everyday conversations, or trying to come at problems with a new perspective. You do not have need any improv experience. No one is going to make you perform or improvise a song on the spot. And no trust falls here! You don’t need to be funny, but you will have fun! #indylawyers #indylaw #indianalaw #continuinglegaleducation #improvlawyers

🎉Big thanks to Jason Aukerman, Matt Meier, and Coye Lloyd for great talks tonight! Thanks to our amazing cast, Jay our tech, the IF Theater staff, and all the awesome people that came out to support Crossroads and love comedy 🙌 🎟️We’re back at IF on 3/21 @ 7pm. Tickets are on sale now. Very show had new lectures and new laughs. #Indy #indianapolis #studyhallshow #improv

Here’s a moment from our January 17th show in Indianapolis. What does driver’s ed get right that sex ed gets wrong? Professor of Human Sexuality at IU Indianapolis and community educator, Serena Van Orman, dropped by to tell us. 🎓See Study Hall Indy Monthly! 🗓️3rd Saturdays @ 7pm 📍IF Theatre, 7/19 E St Clair Street, Indianapolis 🎟️StudyHallShow.com ‼️We share the night with Red Curb Comedy! See both Study Hall at 7pm and Red Curb at 8:30pm and save a few bucks. Follow them @redcurbcomedy 🍺Small selection of drinks available in the Study Hall Cafeteria (IF Theatre concessions window)