Buffalo Improv House

Founding (2020-2021)

Dan Reitz, a Buffalo-area native who had spent years teaching improv at Magnet Theater, the People's Improv Theater (PIT), and Sarah Lawrence College in New York City, relocated back to Buffalo during the COVID-19 pandemic. Missing the improv community, Reitz launched Buffalo Improv House as a "beacon" for the city's comedy scene, creating a website and offering free introductory classes. The organization grew from those early classes into Western New York's primary improv institution, co-founded with Annie Moor.

Permanent Venue (2024)

For several years Buffalo Improv House operated without a dedicated space. In August and September 2024, the organization opened a purpose-built theatre and classroom at the Pierce Arrow Factory Complex at 255 Great Arrow Ave, Suite 207. The new venue gave the company a permanent home and expanded its capacity to host regular performances and structured training programs.

Ongoing Operations

Buffalo Improv House continues to operate at the Pierce Arrow Factory Complex, running classes, house ensemble performances, and programming connecting Buffalo audiences with the broader international improv community.

Buffalo Improv House presents long-form ensemble improv informed by Reitz's training in the New York tradition (Magnet, PIT, UCB). The company's mission explicitly aims to connect the Buffalo community with the international improv scene, positioning the city as a participant rather than a spectator in the broader art form. Training and community-building are central to the organization's identity.