Improv New Mexico

Founding (2019)

Peter and Danette Sills founded Improv New Mexico in 2019 under the Stage Santa Fe banner, establishing a home for improv comedy in Northern New Mexico. The organization provides both performance and training programming, serving the Santa Fe community and reaching toward the broader Albuquerque market.

Leadership Transition

Rachel Michaela took on the role of Executive Director, guiding the organization's programming and outreach. Improv New Mexico serves one of the smaller urban markets for organized improv in the Southwest, filling a gap in a region with limited dedicated comedy infrastructure.

Improv New Mexico brings improv performance and training to Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico, serving a region with limited dedicated comedy infrastructure.

Under its statewide initiative IMPROV4NEWMEXICO (IMPROV4NM), the organization operates on a pay-what-you-can model for improv classes across the state. Improv4Schools is a high-school teen program that introduces improvisation to young performers. Improv4Educators teaches teachers how to apply improv techniques in classroom settings. The REMIX Team program allows students to rehearse with Improv NM coaches and perform for live audiences.

Improv New Mexico, founded in 2019 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, expanded its initial Santa Fe base into a statewide operation through the IMPROV4NM initiative. The organization's pay-what-you-can pricing model removed financial barriers to improv training across New Mexico's communities. By creating dedicated programs for high-school students and educators alongside adult classes, Improv NM built a pipeline connecting youth and professional development improv in a state with limited access to traditional improv training centers.