Impro Australia

Origins: Sydney Theatresports Inc. (1985)

Theatresports arrived in Sydney in 1985, with performances beginning at Belvoir Street Theatre in Surry Hills. The original company, Sydney Theatresports Inc., became the first Australian incarnation of a dedicated improvisational theatre company and ran Theatresports in Sydney from the outset.

Transition to Impro Australia (~2000)

Sydney Theatresports Inc. went into liquidation in the late 1990s after attempting to purchase the Valhalla Cinema in Glebe, a bid to secure a permanent home for improvised comedy in Sydney. The following year, a group of key players from the original company came together and formed Impro Australia, a not-for-profit entity that carries the company's lineage into the present.

Programming and Ongoing Work

Impro Australia performs Theatresports at a range of Sydney venues including Belvoir Street Theatre and the Enmore Theatre, where the annual TheatreSports All-Stars shows have drawn large audiences. The company also runs the TheatreSports Schools Challenge (TSC) across NSW schools, providing competitive improvisation for secondary students.

Licensing and Scope

Impro Australia holds the New South Wales licence for the Theatresports format, granted through the International Theatresports Institute. The company also holds the Australian registered trademark for the word Theatresports when used in a performance context. In 2025 the company celebrated 40 years of continuous Theatresports performance in Sydney.

Impro Australia carries four decades of Sydney Theatresports history, operating as the NSW state Theatresports licensee and holder of the Australian performance trademark for the format.