Mee-Ow Show
The Mee-Ow Show is Northwestern University’s long-running student-produced program of improv, sketch comedy, and music. It started in 1974, created by Josh Lazar and Paul Warshauer as an alternative to the Waa-Mu Show. The first performance, called Just in Time, took place in the McCormick Auditorium of Norris University Center.
In 1975–76, Bill Nuss and Dusty Kay reshaped Mee-Ow into an improvisational comedy sketch show inspired by The Second City and Kentucky Fried Theater, the format that still guides the show today. The name Mee-Ow nods to the Wildcats mascot and serves as a playful homage to Waa-Mu.
Mee-Ow features short-form sketches (usually 2–4 minutes) and rapid-fire improv games (typically under 3 minutes). A live rock band was added in 1984, and the band continues to play with the show. The group performs two main shows in the Winter Quarter, with occasional spring improv as well.
The show has a strong alumni network, including notable actors and comedians like Ana Gasteyer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Seth Meyers. Northwestern celebrated the 40th anniversary in 2014 with alumni participation, and 2024 marked its 50th anniversary.
An archive of Mee-Ow’s history is kept at the Northwestern University Archives in the Deering Library.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 07:07 (CET).