Improv theater can be traced back to World War II, when bombed-out theaters forced comedians to do improvised routines on makeshift stages at friends' homes, atop 55-gallon drums, or inside haylofts for stoic cows. Appreciate dramatic ingenuity with today’s Groupon: for $5, you get two tickets (a $6 value each) to a Duke City Improv Festival show at The Box Performance Space on 100 Gold Avenue. This Groupon is not valid for workshops or the festival's Tricklock’s The Reptilian Lounge showings.

Since its inception more than three years ago, The Box Performance Space has become a central stage for Albuquerque’s comedy. Acts from local performers and visiting teams from Denver, Phoenix, and Los Angeles will tickle as many funny bones as they can unearth at the fourth annual Duke City Improv Festival, which has been extended to two weekends (June 3–12) due to last year’s success. Rack up road-killed pedestrian points at Hit and Run: Musical Improv, a Denver-based, Broadway-style musical complete with dances and ballads. For Chaplin-esque antics, see the silent beginning of LA-based Now Improv's show. Pour frosting on a sweet evening of giggle fits with the locally induced cachinnations of The One Night Stanleys or the talented youth amusers from Cardboard Playhouse Players. No matter which show you choose, you'll reap the rewards of laughing, which include improving circulation, reducing stress hormones, and freaking out birds.