Liz & Ben: The Dictionary of Moments

Comedians and real-life couple Liz Butler and Ben Jardine are dreaming big. With improv, really anything is possible: performer and audience can dream anything up together. Improv can be about the past, the present, and the future; what was, what is, and what could be. And Butler and Jardine are dreaming big for their return to The Foundry for a run of summer shows.

Berkshire audiences will know Butler, a Pittsfield-native, and Jardine from their sold out Foundry performances, including Live from International Waters (2022 New Zealand Fringe Award nominee), Fun Night (2024), Perpetual Soup (2024) and Swingers (2025). They also taught improv at the Foundry in 2024.

The pair met in an improv class on the other side of the world, in New Zealand, in 2019. Since then, they’ve performed all over the world (though mostly the US and Scotland) making people laugh and dream through improv comedy.

Their summer run at the Foundry is extra special because it features shows created by and with friends from Australia and New Zealand. The three shows will feature Butler and Jardine, as well as a rotating cast of performers from New York City and the Berkshires.
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The pair pays homage to the Berkshire’s literary tradition with The Dictionary of Moments. It’s a hybrid show of live-written tales and spontaneous scenes that celebrates the world of short fiction. The Dictionary of Moments is the brainchild of legendary Australian improviser Jason Geary. Geary started the show as a podcast and later brought it to the 2025 New Zealand Improv Festival, where Jardine was a member of the cast.

“The show reinvents storytelling onstage,” says Geary. “Each performance is a one-of-a-kind experience where language leaps off the page and into vivid, unscripted life. It’s part literary experiment, part theatrical adventure.”

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Liz Butler is an artist, improvisor, singer, director and performer from Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Liz trained as an opera singer before falling in love with devised theatre, improvisation and clowning. In New Zealand, she co-founded the Yellow Cat Collective, a company dedicated to performance work with feminist themes, and she taught improv workshops at the NZ Improv Festival. She performed at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe Festival with her shows We’re Doing Something and American Football. She has trained at Chicago’s iO Theater and the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York, and is a member of improv teams Happy to Be Here, and GUPS (winner of Best New Team at the 2025 Yes, Andies comedy awards). The magic of collaboration drives her work and career, and she loves facilitating workshops that allow others to have their own personal and creative revelations. She lives in Brooklyn, NY. @lizzbutts on Instagram

Ben Jardine is a New Zealand-American writer, improviser, and musician, who grew up in Los Angeles, California. Ben has a degree in Creative Writing from Pitzer College, where he was a creative producer for a non-profit music and arts festival. He has trained at Chicago’s iO Theater and the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York. His written work has appeared in various publications in the US and New Zealand, including magazines and poetry books. He loves telling stories through fiction, long-form improv and music, via characters that entertain and captivate audiences. He lives in Brooklyn, NY. @thebentalist on Instagram
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TICKETS
Community Tickets (Limited Amount): $15
General Admission: $25
Pay-It-Forward (Helps Subsidize Community Tickets): $35
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Seating/Bar: 30 minutes before showtime.
This event is indoors.
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Venue Accessibility: We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible event environment for all attendees. We strive to provide an event that is welcoming, accommodating, and supportive of diverse accessibility needs.

Our venue is wheelchair accessible. Accessible parking spaces and restrooms are available. And wheelchair accessible seating is available upon request. Please contact us at [email protected] or 413.232.5222 for accessibility coordination.
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Parking is limited at the venue so please utilize the three public parking lots in Town. One is across from the Post Office, one is behind Berkshire Bank and the other is just off Main Street. They are clearly marked. Do not park at Trúc Orient Express Restaurant or the Post Office or you might receive a ticket.

Visit Amici Berkshires for dinner before the show and with your ticket receive 10% off your meal.

All sales are final – The Foundry is unable to make any returns or exchanges.

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