3/8 - Lonnie Bruhn, Grace Sadie, Mark Saltveit and More!

PSICKASS 10
"Inebriation" - A St. Patrick's Day Pre-Game

The Mental State Department is pleased as punch to present an evening of problem-solving and hilarious comedy themed, in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, "Inebriation."

We can't in good conscience tell you how cheap the drinks will be if you show up at 7:15 when the doors open for a cocktail party featuring the Mental State Department's signature drink, a whiskey with beer special certain to have you feeling festive without taking all your green. The show begins at 8pm, this month featuring comedians Lonnie Bruhn, Mark Saltveit and Grace Sadie, whom we task with solving the audience's problems. The show will also feature sketch, stand-up, and special guests so famous we can't even name them yet or we'd be sued. A fun time, and a cheap date! Hosted by Shawn Fleek.

Tickets are $5 in advance via  https://www.boxofficetickets.com/go/event?id=145845 
Or $7 at the door the day of the show.

The show is open to all ages, with a full bar for those aged 21+.

Curious Comedy Theater
5225 NE MLK Blvd
Thursday, March 8th, 2012
Doors 7:15 Show 8pm - 10pm

2/9/12 - PSICKASS IX - Don Frost, Richie Stratton, Christen Manville and more!

2/9/12, Mental State Department presents, in the spirit of Valentine's Day, an evening of undying, endless love which I promise will never, ever stop. Or maybe it will. I mean come on, you've really let yourself go lately.

Featuring hilarious comedians Don Frost, Richie Stratton and Christen Manville solving your love and relationship problems! With monologues, sketches, games, and stand-up from surprise guests. Live music! Food and drinks (21+ with ID).

Love is fleeting, and this show will have many of love's most endearing qualities. See the romance! Feel the drama! Experience the tragicomedy that will be PSICKASS IX: "on abandonment," at Curious Comedy Theater, Thursday 2/9 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $5 in Advance, $7 at the door

Presented by the Executive Committee of the Mental State Department

Advance Tricket Prices available at https://www.boxofficetickets.com/go/event?id=145845

12.8.11 - PSICKASS 7 - Todd Armstrong, Bri Pruett and Nick Walker

PSICKASS 7 will take place on 12.8.11 at Curious Comedy Theater, featuring the problem solving talents of Todd Armstrong (host at Helium Comedy Club and Harvey's), Bri Pruett (Pipes) and Nick Walker (stand-up genius). Musical guest TBA.

Featuring sketch comedy from The Executive Committee of the Mental State Department, Shawn Fleek, Jay Dean, Joe Hieronymus and Whitney Streed, with special guests Jeff Oliver, Jen Allen, Christian Ricketts and Richie Stratton.

Cost is $5 in advance or $7 at the door. Show is open to all ages, and a full bar is available for the legal drinkers. Doors open at 7:30, show starts at 8pm.

Funny U. Opens Wednesday 11/2 !

What's Funny U.? It's a two-month Occupation of the Weekly Recurring Humor Night.

FU is an evening of comedy, in three parts. It's a comedy writers' workshop, facilitated by MSD, open to the public, intended for comedians and those who wish to become comedians. It's also an hour-long live comedy podcast taping by the Mental State Department. It's even an open mic that gives preferential treatment to comedians who write and attend. FU is five fun weeks between 11/2 and 12/28, every other calendar week, where you can see comedians of every level honing their craft.

At 8:00: Homeroom! - Participants will help each other write jokes, perform them in front of each other, and will receive preferential spots at the open mic later on in the evening. Wanna do a little extra time? Want to bump someone? Come to Homeroom and work on your craft and maybe you'll get your wish.

At 9:30: Study Hall! - Live podcast taping. The Executive Committee of the Mental State Department deliver hilarious special reports on the week in problem-solving. Guest comedians perform. It's a crazy fun time, with a live audience, and it all ends up on the internet so you can listen to it and think about it long afterward.

At 10:45: Recess Open Mic - Homeroom participants and other locals perform in the medium of comedy. A great mic to try out new material in front of a warm and friendly crowd! A better place to bring your A-game and impress comedians, bookers and agents. A perfect room to spot up-and-coming talent.

Tonic Lounge - 3100 NE Sandy - FREE - 21+

11/10/11 - PSIXASS - Six Month Anniversary Show

Problems abound in Portland! We have an Occupation in our downtown parks, making it very hard for people to sell drugs and drink beer there. Our Mayor just went to Asia for ten days and basically told them not to burn the house down. The weather just changed and everyone got depressed at the same time. The Mental State Department has declared an emergency PSICKASS (which happens to co-incide with our 6-month anniversary show) to solve these problems before they get TOO BIG TO SOLVE.

Auggie Smith is a Portland legend. In person or on stage his candor and gentle demeanor, combined with his total willingness to fly off the handle, have made stories of Auggie's jokes into epics, memorable yarns where the comic suddenly stops using the microphone, and starts screaming so loudly as he leaves the stage that the entire already-captive audience grows even more hushed, to hear his every word. He is relevant, biting and he is right, even when he proves you wrong, from your left.

Ron Funches just lit up America via television recently. Conan O'Brien, kid. What TV show were you on? "Nickelodeon GUTS?" Sit down, kid. This is Ron Funches. Portland is graced by his presence but every so often, and the magic rains like gold from the sky. He will float in on a cloud of mystery, drop incredible amounts of levity in what seems like just an instant, and he will glide away to do it to someone else. His majesty will enlighten the audience for centuries.

Gabe Dinger is a familiar face to anyone who has attended a Portland comedy show. He's memorable. Some might say the memories he leaves you with are the somewhat-depraved, hilarious bits he gets away with delivering through his shit-eating grin. But the longer you listen, the more you realize that he's not as terrible a person as he seems. He's a really smart guy, playing stupid-who-is-actually-smart. The joke is on you for laughing, not him for making you laugh.

Our special musical guests are The Band Currently Known As The Band Formerly Known As Too Big To Fail. One problem is the band's name, which the audience will solve during the show, while the comedians solve everyone else's problems.

If you miss this show, you will suffer for it.

11/10/11 - PSIXASS - Six Month Anniversary! 7:30pm Doors - 8pm Show - All Ages Welcome - Tickets are $5 in advance or $7 at the door.

10/13 - Ian Karmel, Veronica Heath, Alex Falcone, Costume Party!!

Mental State Department Presents...

Problem Solving Initiative: Creating + Kindly Announcing Silly Solutions FIVE

The Mental State Department is proud to announce we are having a Halloween Party October 13th, at the Curious Comedy Theater (5225 NE MLK). MSD invites all the brilliant and beautiful people of Portland to dress in their scariest, stupidest costumes and attend! We usually have a strict dress code, but we're waiving it: your Slutty Hot Dog Costume is proper attire for this event.

Guests include Ian Karmel (Portland's Funniest Person, Talkin' Ball, Portlandia) Veronica Heath (Regular Feature at Harvey's Comedy Club) and Alex Falcone ("Read It And Weep" podcast,  ComedySportz), who will be participating in PSICKASS.

PSICKASS is a challenge for comedians to complete in front of an audience: spectators submit problems they need solved, and visiting comedians go to work for just 30 minutes creating hilarious solutions to all the problems. Along the way, the Mental State Department performs sketches and commercials, invites special guests to perform and make celebrity cameo appearances, along with live music, contests, and much more. This variety show packs belly-laughs and head-scratchers from floor-to-ceiling!

Doors open on October 13th at 7:30 pm and the show starts at 8.

Featuring live music from Ira Novos, with special secret guests to be announced!

Tickets are $5 in advance, $7 at the door, or $5 at the door if you wear a Halloween costume (the box office will decide what constitutes an actual costume). This show is 21+, and we have a full bar available, including the Mental State Department's Signature "Brain with an Irish Coffee Chaser." Use the link to order tickets in advance and save! Or wear a costume for $2 off the door price. Mark your calendars for 10/13 at 7:30, Curious Comedy Theater. We hope to see you there!

9-8-11 - Virginia Jones, Chris Castles, Tim Hammer and more!

Mental State Department Presents PSICKASSIV:
Problem Solving Initiative: Creating + Kindly Announcing Silly Solutions

Portland, OR -

The Mental State Department, Portland's premiere hosts of intellectual
and political stand-up, sketch comedy, and fun, once again present an
evening of entertainment and surprises at the Curious Comedy Theater.
An extra-governmental agency with a dual mandate: to provide laughter
and solutions, MSD brings people together to laugh and think.

PSICKASS is a challenge for comedians to complete in front of an
audience: spectators submit problems they need solved, and visiting
comedians go to work for just 30 minutes creating hilarious solutions
to all the problems. Along the way, the Mental State Department
performs sketches and commercials, invites special guests to perform
and make celebrity cameo appearances, along with live music, contests,
and much more. This variety show packs belly-laughs and
head-scratchers from floor-to-ceiling!

The next show will feature the problem-solving talents of Virginia Jones
(Host at Helium Comedy Club), Chris Castles (King of Eugene) and Tim
Hammer (King of the One-Liner, Time Hammer), with special guest
Kevin-Michael Moore (host of the long-running Boiler Room comedy
night) music by guitar virtuoso Jason Nguyen, and much much more.

Doors open on September 8th at 7:30 pm. The show starts at precisely
8pm, and the cost is $5 in advance, $7 at the door. This show is 21+,
and we have a full bar available.

Curious Comedy Theater - 5225 NE MLK BLVD