DeRay Davis

From the South Side of Chicago, DeRay Davis has made himself into a comedic force. He puts on one of the best live shows we've ever seen at the Improv. He's a presence in Hollywood -- you can catch him in FX's "Snowfall" and you saw him on "Empire" -- you've seen him on Netflix, and he has ruled the MTV networks as the host of "Hip Hop Squares" and "Joking Off." He's bringing the fireworks Fourth of July weekend.

All sales are final. Refunds and exchanges are offered only when a show is canceled or rescheduled.

Admission Policies

• Please note: An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. Senior citizens and people with underlying medical conditions are especially vulnerable. By visiting our establishment, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19.
• Patrons must be 18 or older to attend events or classes at the DC Improv. Any exceptions are clearly noted in the event descriptions.
• There is a two-item minimum per customer. This can be any combination of food items or beverages. Bottled water and soft drinks count as items. (The two-item minimum does not apply to comedy classes.)
• Coupons or passes for free admission cannot be used for a show listed as a "special event."

Seating Policies

• Matinees, the first show of any evening in our main showroom and all shows in our lounge showroom are seated by time of arrival. The earlier you arrive, the more options you'll have. Please note that the size of your party can affect what options are available to you, as certain tables and areas are designated for larger parties.
• "Late shows" in the main showroom have assigned seating. Assignments are made in order of ticket purchase. Generally speaking, the earlier you buy tickets, the closer you will be to the stage.
• If tickets are designated as being at a "reserved table," your party will have a table to itself. For general admission tickets, if your party does not fill an entire table, you may be sharing a table with other patrons.

Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, comedian-turned-actor DeRay Davis can most recently be "scene" starring on the FX hit "Snowfall."

After his wildly successful 1 hour Showtime Comedy Special, "DeRay Davis: Power Play" that aired to rave reviews, Davis continues to ascend on what can only be described as the Samuel E. Jackson Formula; a path and pattern of consistent, feature film and network television roles!After his first, single card credit, as “Spooner” in John Carpenter’s remake of "The Fog" (2005), it has been eleven years (and counting) of back to back, prominently featured/starring roles in both film (32+) and television (50+) staring opposite Hollywood heavy hitters."License to Wed" opposite John Krasinski, "Semi-Pro" opposite Will Ferrell, "Imagine That" opposite Eddie Murphy, "Life As We Know It" opposite Katherine Heigl, "Old Dogs" opposite Robin Williams & John Travolta, "21 Jump Street" (2012) opposite Channing Tatum & Johnny Depp, "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" opposite Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson - just to name a few.

Between takes, on the afore mentioned nationally released feature films, Davis continued to star and sometimes contribute as producer/writer in a steady stream of network television movies, mini-series, variety shows and sitcoms. One of DeRay’s first credited writer/ Voice Over roles was on Kanye West's earlier Albums (and you thought that was Bernie Mac, didn’t you?) Davis contributed 5+ voice over character roles on multiple Seasons of "The Boondocks," Adult Swim’s "Black Dynamite" and continued sharpening his comedic craft by starring on almost every season of Nick Cannon’s "Wild n Out" from its conception to current airing on MTV as well as "Hip-Hop Squares," "Short Circuitz" and Hosting the game show "Mind of a Man" on GSN. This led to his currently starring as Host on MTV2’s "Joking Off."

Davis transformed his torridly rough upbringing, status as a working actor and fatherhood into a live show that stays fresh and ever changing according to whatever is happening in his daily life while he continues to develop and hone his streetwise mentality smoothly and efficiently onto the comedy-club circuit. He achieved his career breakthrough at the Laffapalooza Festival in Atlanta, GA, and then scored a 3-peat by winning the Comedy Central Laugh Riots Competition and landing covetable spots in the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival as well as the Budweiser Def Comedy Jam Competition.

From the Hood to Hollywood – nothing is off limits and no one is safe from DeRay’s hilarious, sidesplitting anecdotes. He continues to sell out venues both domestically and internationally.His highly anticipated 1st ever Netflix special “DeRay Davis: How to Act Black” smashed the cultural landscape on November 14, 2017 and was so popular it shut down the Netflix server TWICE! Davis is continuing to ascend. He also appeared opposite Taraji P. Henson’s “Cookie Lyons” as her go-to hitman/cousin “Jermel” in seasons 1 and 2 of the Lee Daniels and Danny Strong creative collaboration "Empire" on the FOX network.