This January, OTC Comedy is celebrating 22 years of laughs with a special birthday show on Friday, January 16 at 8 PM at the OTC Comedy Theater. Admission is still just $10, with tickets available at otccomedy.com.
What started as a small idea between four college students has grown into one of Cedar City’s longest-running and most beloved live comedy traditions. On January 16, 2004, OTC Comedy was born out of a simple frustration, there just weren’t enough opportunities to perform improv at Southern Utah University. Instead of waiting, the group found its own stage.
That first stage was The Grind Coffeehouse. When OTC performed its very first show there, no one expected what happened next, 101 people showed up. For a brand-new improv group with no track record, it was a surprise, and a clear sign that Cedar City was hungry for something different.
Over the next 22 years, OTC Comedy evolved from coffeehouse shows to a full-fledged theater, but the spirit has stayed the same, fast, funny, audience-driven improv built on trust, creativity, and community. Along the way, more than 250 improvisers have taken the stage with OTC as core cast members, regular guest performers, and special one-night collaborators, each helping shape what OTC Comedy is today.
The 22nd Birthday Show will honor that history by welcoming back some familiar faces. Audience members can expect performances from favorite past cast members like Nick Denhalter, Calvin and Danielle Susi-Dittmore, Marco Vega, and others, sharing the stage with the current cast for a night that blends nostalgia with fresh surprises.
OTC Comedy’s regular Friday shows continue to be a staple of downtown Cedar City, and January marks the start of another year of weekly laughter. There will be no show on January 2, but OTC’s first show of 2026 kicks off Friday, January 9 at 8 PM, followed by the birthday celebration on January 16.
Whether audiences have been with OTC since the coffeehouse days or are attending for the first time, the 22nd birthday show is a chance to laugh, reminisce, and celebrate what happens when a few people take a chance on an idea and a community shows up.
The 22nd Birthday Show takes place Friday, January 16 at 8 PM at the OTC Comedy Theater, 913 S. Main Street, Cedar City. Tickets are $10 and available now at otccomedy.com.
