Second Beat Improv Theater

Founding (2017)

Sam Haldiman opened Second Beat Improv Theater on January 7, 2017 at 6040 North Seventh Street in central Phoenix following a late-2016 crowdfunding campaign. Haldiman had trained in short-form improv with Jester'z in Scottsdale beginning in 2000, relocated to Chicago in 2005 to study long-form at iO Theater and Annoyance Theater, and returned to Phoenix in 2008 where he served as programming director and training director at The Torch Theatre before launching his own company.

Development and Relocation

Second Beat relocated to a new location in October 2019, establishing a more permanent home for its long-form programming. The theater distinguishes itself from short-form venues in the Phoenix market by explicitly centering ensemble work and artistic advancement in the Harold and long-form tradition.

Ongoing Operations

Second Beat continues to operate in Phoenix as the city's dedicated long-form improv institution, offering classes and performances rooted in Haldiman's Chicago training background.

Second Beat Improv Theater centers long-form improv training and performance, explicitly distinguishing itself from the short-form competitive format. Haldiman's background at iO Theater and Annoyance Theater informs a curriculum focused on ensemble development, artistic risk-taking, and the advancement of long-form craft. The theater serves Phoenix improvisers seeking training in the Chicago long-form tradition.

Second Beat Improv Theater presents the Skewed News Hour on the second Friday of each month, a topical long-form show produced by Sam Haldiman riffing on current events. The Improv Triple Play is a recurring Saturday format that combines multiple ensemble sets on one bill, including performances by the two-person show Salmon Shane. Displacers, the theater's Harold team, performs on third Saturdays as a showcase of long-form ensemble work. Log Roll Jam stages on second Saturdays, pairing randomly drawn duos against each other in fast-paced scenes with audience voting. Improv After Dark, on third Saturdays, offers a later-night performance format.

Sam Haldiman began improvising in 2000 with short-form training at Jester'z in Scottsdale before relocating to Chicago to study long-form at iO Theater and the Annoyance Theater. Returning to Phoenix in 2008, he joined The Torch Theatre and served as its programming and training director, developing a detailed understanding of the Phoenix market before founding Second Beat Improv Theater on January 7, 2017. His explicit goal was to advance long-form improvisation as a distinct artistic practice in a metro area where short-form had historically dominated. The theater relocated in October 2019 to its current location at 1130 East Missouri Avenue in Phoenix, providing a more permanent home for its training and performance programs.

Second Beat's four-level class curriculum emphasizes ensemble-based character work and scene development, drawing students who have described the training as transformative in building both comedic skill and interpersonal confidence. By creating dedicated formats for Harold-style long-form alongside more competitive jam structures, the theater has cultivated a community of practitioners who engage with improv as an ongoing artistic discipline rather than a drop-in recreational activity. Its programming philosophy -- distinguishing itself from the short-form game-show tradition -- has filled an identifiable niche in Phoenix's broader comedy landscape.