Improv Cincinnati

Founding (2016)

Colin Thornton and Jon Ulrich co-founded Improv Cincinnati in 2016. Thornton had co-founded a college improv team in 1999 and brought nearly two decades of performance and teaching experience to the venture. The organization launched with 9 students in its first class cohort and built steadily through word-of-mouth and community engagement in Cincinnati's Clifton neighborhood.

Growth and Clifton Comedy Theatre

Improv Cincinnati established its home at 404 Ludlow Ave in Clifton's Gaslight District, operating as the Clifton Comedy Theatre. The organization grew to over 300 enrolled students annually across its multi-level curriculum spanning improv, sketch writing, character workshops, and youth classes. The venue presents high-energy comedy performances every weekend.

Ongoing Operations

Improv Cincinnati continues to operate at 404 Ludlow Ave as a training center and performing venue, marking its tenth anniversary in 2026.

Improv Cincinnati presents a hybrid education-and-performance model, with structured class tracks serving beginner through advanced students alongside a regular weekend performance schedule. The multi-level curriculum covers improv, sketch writing, character work, and youth programming, positioning the Clifton Comedy Theatre as Cincinnati's primary comedy training institution and a producing venue for its student and ensemble performers.

Improv Cincinnati presents mainstage shows featuring curated casts of performers alongside house team productions at the Clifton Comedy Theatre. Local Strays is among the house teams performing regularly on the 404 Ludlow Avenue stage. Jams and Showcases bring together performers of all levels in collaborative formats, with graduating class showcases serving as public culminations of the multi-level training curriculum. The Stacked All-Star Comedy Show features assembled performers in a variety format. FAQ Shows offer audience-facing explanatory formats introducing new attendees to improv conventions. Corporate training events and private event productions extend the programming calendar beyond the public-facing show schedule.

Improv Cincinnati was co-founded in 2016 by Colin Thornton and Jon Ulrich, opening at the Clifton Comedy Theatre at 404 Ludlow Avenue in Cincinnati's Clifton Gaslight District. The organization launched with nine enrolled students and grew to more than 300 enrolled within its first years, establishing one of the fastest-growing comedy training programs in the Midwest. Operating from a black-box venue, it built a curriculum spanning beginner through advanced levels of improv alongside sketch and musical comedy, with summer camp programs extending training to younger students.

In 2024, Improv Cincinnati received recognition as CityBeat's best improv and sketch comedy group in Cincinnati, affirming its position as the city's leading comedy institution. The organization's rapid enrollment growth from nine to 300-plus students reflects the unmet demand for structured comedy training in Cincinnati prior to its founding. Its instructor roster of 14 teachers, including Alex Morris, Colette Lindemann, and Teddy Shivers, has built a teaching pipeline that sustains programming across multiple simultaneous class levels, and its corporate training arm has connected the company to business clients beyond the performing arts community.