Improv Theater Israel

Anna Preminger founded Improv Theater Israel in 2007 after graduating from Seminar Hakibbutzim acting school in Tel Aviv. She studied longform improv in the United States, training at Improv Olympic (iO) in Chicago, The Pit in New York, and the Annoyance Theater before returning to Israel to establish a permanent home for improvisation.

The theatre opened at Yitzhak Sadeh Street 32 in Tel Aviv, becoming the first dedicated improv venue in the country. Preminger built a training program offering courses for all levels, from beginners to professional performers, eventually expanding classes to Haifa and Jerusalem.

Over nearly two decades, Improv Theater Israel developed a roster of original productions and launched the Tel Aviv International Improv Festival, an annual event featuring international performers alongside Israeli improvisers. The company trained hundreds of students, many of whom went on to establish dozens of independent improv groups across Israel.

Improv Theater Israel works from a strong pedagogical foundation, combining regular public performance with training programmes that have built the talent base for the wider Israeli improv scene.

Three Improvisers is the theatre's flagship longform show, featuring three performers and a live musician creating extended scenes on stage. Additional original productions include The Beat, The Cabinet, Anna's Friends, Istra Balagina, and Iltornativi, all created and premiered at the Tel Aviv venue. The Tel Aviv International Improv Festival brings international improvisers to Israel for performances and workshops alongside local artists. The theatre also produces Whose Line Is It Anyway?-style corporate performances for business clients.

Improv Theater Israel established the art form in a country that had no dedicated improv venue or training program before 2007. Anna Preminger's training at iO Chicago, The Pit NYC, and the Annoyance Theater brought American longform traditions directly to Tel Aviv. The company trained hundreds of students who went on to form dozens of independent improv groups across Israel, creating a national improv scene that did not exist before Preminger's founding. By expanding courses to Haifa and Jerusalem, the theatre decentralized improv training beyond Tel Aviv.