Impro ACT

Founding (2005)

Nick Byrne and PJ Williams founded Impro ACT in Canberra in 2005 after recognising that improvisation organisations in Australian cities were not coordinating their activities or sharing international guests effectively. From its first year, the company provided classes at all levels alongside performances spanning comedic, dramatic, musical, physical, and experimental styles of unscripted theatre.

Improvention

Improvention, the Canberra International Festival of Improvisation, began in 2005 as the graduation show of Impro ACT's first courses, at which point it was called the Canberra Impro Theatre Challenge. Byrne and Williams grew the festival into an international event bringing more than 100 artists and 50 workshops to Canberra, with a participatory Canberra Impro Challenge section running alongside the main program.

Venues and Community

Impro ACT teaches classes at PASH (Performing Arts Services Hub) in the Canberra CBD and is listed as a resident company at the Ainslie and Gorman Arts Centre.

Impro ACT anchors Canberra's improv scene with a full training curriculum and the annual Improvention festival, connecting the ACT to national and international improvisation communities since 2005.