Improv Asylum

Founding (1997-1998)

Paul D'Amato, Norm Laviolette, and Chet Harding were performing together in a troupe called Rock Hard Improv at the Hard Rock Cafe on Clarendon Street in Boston when the venue converted its performance space to music in spring 1997. The three incorporated in summer 1997, secured a $75,000 SBA loan, signed a five-year lease on a vacant restaurant at 216 Hanover St in Boston's North End, and opened in May 1998.

Growth and Reputation

Over the following 27 years, Improv Asylum became one of New England's premier comedy institutions, performing over 7,500 shows for more than 2 million audience members. The company was repeatedly voted Boston's Best Comedy and expanded to include a co-working space alongside its theatrical programming.

Flood and Rebuild (2025)

In March 2025, St. Patrick's Day weekend flooding deposited a foot and a half of water in the original 216 Hanover St venue. The company temporarily relocated to 74 Warrenton St ("The Lil Chuck") while undertaking a full million-dollar rebuild of the original space. The original location reopened in October 2025.

Improv Asylum's mainstage show blends scripted sketch comedy with improvised scenes, combining theatrical precision with spontaneous performance in a single cohesive program. This hybrid format distinguishes the company from purely improvised shows and from purely scripted sketch revues, situating it in the tradition of Chicago review-style comedy adapted for the Boston market.

The North End Justifies the Means — the current all-improv mainstage revue featuring six performers building lightning-paced scenes from audience suggestions, running on weekends at the 216 Hanover Street basement theatre. Lost in Boston — a Wednesday-night all-improv revue spotlighting local talent and surprise drop-in guests. Fruit Basket — a Thursday showcase for LGBTQIA+ performers from the Improv Asylum community. House Teams — a Tuesday series in which advanced Training Center students perform 20-minute long-form sets. Boston's Theater of Magic at The Liberty Hotel — a separate magic-and-comedy production co-produced by Improv Asylum, winner of the 2025 TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice Award. Comedy Trolley Tours of Boston — a mobile improv format running through the city's streets. Roar! at MGM Grand — an ongoing partnership bringing Improv Asylum programming to the MGM Grand casino property at National Harbor.

Improv Asylum was conceived by Paul D'Amato, Chet Harding, and Norm Laviolette, who had performed together as Rock Hard Improv at Boston's Hard Rock Cafe before securing an SBA loan and signing a lease on a vacant European restaurant on Hanover Street in Boston's North End. The company held its first public show in May 1998 and has maintained continuous performances ever since, mounting more than 10,000 shows for well over two million audience members across its history. The Boston Globe named it one of its Best of the Best 2025 comedy clubs, continuing a run of similar recognition spanning multiple decades.

Beyond the main stage, Improv Asylum has expanded into a diversified comedy enterprise. Asylum Team Building serves corporations applying improv principles to workplace development. The Training Center, cited as Boston's best comedy school for several consecutive years, feeds a pipeline of local performers who appear in the House Teams and Fruit Basket series before advancing to guest slots on the mainstage. The company also operates satellite programming at Patriot Place and the Roar! engagement at MGM Grand, extending Boston's home-grown improv brand into regional entertainment markets.