The Good Friend Theater
The Good Friend Theater is a Houston, Texas short-form improv company with roots in ComedySportz Houston, which Dianah Dulany founded on November 8, 1990, as the city's first competitive improv franchise. Operating as ComedySportz Houston for thirty-four years across multiple Houston venues, including the CSz Arena in EaDo from 2016 to 2025, the organization rebranded as The Good Friend Theater in July 2025 following a relocation to 8301 Jones Road in Jersey Village. The Good Friend Theater continues to present the ComedySportz show format and operates the Houston School of Improv and a ComedySportz High School League active since 1995.
History
ComedySportz Houston Founding (1990)
Dianah Dulany founded ComedySportz Houston on November 8, 1990, premiering at the River Cafe in the Montrose neighborhood. The company brought the competitive short-form improv format, established by Dick Chudnow in Milwaukee in 1984, to Houston audiences.
Venue History
The company operated from River Cafe in Montrose (1990), Treebeards in downtown Houston (1994), Lambert Hall (1998), and Town and Country Boulevard (2004) before opening the CSz Arena at 2201 Preston Street in EaDo, East Downtown Houston, in 2016.
Houston School of Improv and High School League
ComedySportz Houston established the Houston School of Improv as its training wing, and in 1995 launched a ComedySportz High School League that grew to include more than eighteen participating schools across multiple Houston-area districts, becoming one of the largest high school improv programs in the country.
Rebrand and Relocation (2025)
In July 2025 the organization rebranded from ComedySportz Houston to The Good Friend Theater and relocated from EaDo to 8301 Jones Road in Jersey Village in the Cy-Fair area. The sold-out opening night at the new venue was July 22, 2025, and an official ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on January 17, 2026, when the Mayor of Jersey Village declared it ComedySportz and Good Friend Theater Day.
Artistic Identity
The Good Friend Theater presents the ComedySportz competitive short-form format with a family-friendly programming commitment, alongside the Houston School of Improv curriculum and one of the country's largest ComedySportz High School Leagues. The 2025 rebrand expanded the organization's identity while retaining the competitive improv format that has anchored its programming since 1990.
Key Events
ComedySportz Houston Founded
Dianah Dulany founded ComedySportz Houston on November 8, 1990, at the River Cafe in Montrose, bringing competitive short-form improv to Houston.
ComedySportz Houston Rebrands as The Good Friend Theater
ComedySportz Houston rebranded as The Good Friend Theater in July 2025 and relocated from EaDo to 8301 Jones Road in Jersey Village, opening to a sold-out crowd on July 22, 2025.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). The Good Friend Theater. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/companies/good-friend-theater
The Improv Archive. "The Good Friend Theater." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/companies/good-friend-theater.
The Improv Archive. "The Good Friend Theater." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/companies/good-friend-theater. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.