Who among us cannot use more laughter these days? It’s no secret that laughter keeps us feeling younger, and Charlotte is fortunate to have our very own improvisation troupe.

Founder Scott Pacitti has several improv groups under his direction and leadership. The Chuckleheads are the Charlotte improvisational theatre group portion of the Actor’s Crib, Inc. and Planet Improv.

To celebrate its 4th birthday, the Chuckleheads will be performing in the “Happy Birthday To Us IV Comedy Improv Musical Variety Extravaganza” at Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte in uptown Charlotte on Saturday, Oct. 8, beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets are available on www.planetimprov.com through Friday, Oct. 7.

Improvisation is to comedy like abstract expressionism is to art, meaning you may have heard the term, but might not be able to explain it to someone. Improvisation is spontaneous comedy, which is invented and recited at the spur of the moment. Improv, at its best, is about the invention and extemporaneous arrangement of some performance, all done offhand and at that moment in time. Probably the best known examples of improv may be “Second City” and Drew Carey’s “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”

The Oct. 8th celebration will be a combination of improvisational comedy, musical/production numbers, game show elements and the heavy-duty audience participation that has become a staple of Chuckleheads’ shows over the years.

The doors of the Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte will open at 7 p.m. A pre-show concert, featuring local acoustic musical performers The Cloers and Ang Medlin, will be presented prior to the headline comedy show.

Actor’s Crib, Inc. and Planet Improv Founder Pacitti, also the leader of the Chuckleheads, is very excited about this special celebration. The Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte is a great venue and happens to be where Chuckleheads performed its very first show. The evening will include a bunch of elements that go beyond the standard improv fair, so the audience will have the time of its life.

Throughout the show, Pacitti and the Chuckleheads will be “raffling off” prizes donated by local theatre groups and other Charlotte and vicinity corporations and organizations. As always with the Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte, drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) will be available at the venue before and during the show, as will snacks. And, there is plenty of free parking in the lot surrounding the Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte.

The Chuckleheads’ Birthday Celebration Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte 650 E. Stonewall St., Charlotte Saturday, Oct. 8 beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets: $10, when reserved prior to Saturday, Oct. 1 at www.planetimprov.com; $15 when reserved between Saturday, Oct. 1 and Friday, Oct. 7; and $20 at the door on the night of the show.