Richmond Improv Theatre Society

Tickle Me Pickle (1999)

Jon Lee-Son, a lifelong Richmond resident, founded the Tickle Me Pickle Theatre Sports Improv Society in 1999, establishing the first organized improv troupe in the city. TMP ran charity improv shows under the banner "Laughter is the Best Medicine" and operated youth and kids programming, building a community base in the Richmond arts scene over two decades.

Richmond Improv Theatre Society

The organization restructured as Richmond Improv Theatre Society, continuing the mission and community of TMP. Jon Lee-Son serves as President of RITS; Aidan Wright holds the role of Artistic Director. The society runs classes, workshops, and drop-in sessions for participants from beginners through experienced performers, with a stated focus on building an inclusive, joyful, and connected local community through improvisation.

Context

RICHMOND is distinct from Vancouver's improv scene despite its proximity; RITS serves the suburban Richmond community separately from Vancouver-based organizations such as The Improv Centre and Instant Theatre.

Richmond Improv Theatre Society continues the improv community built by Tickle Me Pickle since 1999, serving Richmond, BC through accessible classes and community-building performance.

Richmond Improv Theatre Society regularly presents showcases featuring its four resident performance troupes: Bored of Directors, Home of Sapiens, No Mortgage, and Those Types. Each troupe performs original long-form and short-form improv sets for Richmond-area audiences. Seasonal productions such as Spring Fever bring themed performance events to the calendar. Drop-in community jams operate alongside troupe showcases, giving students at various class levels a low-stakes performance outlet. The organization also presents workshops with visiting artists as stand-alone events.

Richmond's improv community traces its origins to 1999 or 2000, when Jon Lee-Son founded Tickle Me Pickle (TMP), an ensemble that became the cornerstone of improv comedy in the city south of Vancouver. TMP operated for more than a decade before the organization formalized as a registered not-for-profit society in 2013, then rebranded fully as Richmond Improv Theatre Society (RITS) in 2022. The group holds the distinction of being the only improv organization in Richmond, BC, filling a gap in a culturally diverse suburban city that had no dedicated comedy training venue. In 2024 and 2025, RITS secured its first City of Richmond Arts and Culture Operating Assistance Grant, marking a significant step toward institutional recognition.

The organization has anchored its identity in cultural inclusion and accessibility, drawing participants from Richmond's multilingual, multi-ethnic communities through classes and drop-in sessions designed for all ages and experience levels. The five core values it publicly espouses -- community, equity, joy, excellence, and professionalism -- shape both its pedagogical approach and its troupe culture. By developing four distinct performance troupes from within its student body, RITS has created a ladder from beginner participation to ensemble performance that sustains ongoing community engagement.