Tucson Improv Movement
Tucson Improv Movement (T.I.M.) is a Tucson, Arizona long-form improv venue and school founded on October 25, 2012 by Justin Lukasewicz, who had previously performed in North Carolina. Located at 414 East 9th Street near historic Fourth Avenue, T.I.M. presents more than six shows per week, has trained more than five hundred students, and runs the annual Tucson Comedy Arts Festival (since 2015) and the Cactus Flower Comedy Festival celebrating women and non-binary comedians (since 2016). The Soap Box, Tucson's longest-running long-form team, has performed weekly at T.I.M. since October 2014.
History
Founding (2012)
Justin Lukasewicz, who had performed improv in North Carolina, founded Tucson Improv Movement on October 25, 2012, with the explicit goal of bringing long-form improv to Tucson. The first T.I.M. Improv 101 class launched that same day, and the first stage show followed on December 15, 2012, at the Red Barn Theater. T.I.M. established a permanent home at 414 East 9th Street, just off historic Fourth Avenue.
The Soap Box and Weekly Programming
The Soap Box, Tucson's longest-running long-form improv team, began performing weekly at T.I.M. in October 2014 and has maintained that schedule continuously. T.I.M.'s TIM Comedy School offers monthly starting Improv 101 and 201 classes, Stand Up 101, and sketch, with more than ninety regular performers and five hundred students trained through the program.
Annual Festivals
T.I.M. launched the Tucson Comedy Arts Festival in November 2015 as an annual showcase drawing performers from beyond the local community. In February 2016 the organization launched the Cactus Flower Comedy Festival specifically celebrating women and non-binary comedians.
Artistic Identity
Tucson Improv Movement centers long-form improv in Tucson through the TIM Comedy School's monthly-starting class curriculum and a weekly programming schedule anchored by The Soap Box. The Tucson Comedy Arts Festival and Cactus Flower Comedy Festival extend the company's commitment to the broader regional comedy community.
Key Events
Tucson Improv Movement Founded
Justin Lukasewicz founded Tucson Improv Movement on October 25, 2012, in Tucson, Arizona, with the first Improv 101 class on the founding day and the first public performance at Red Barn Theater on December 15, 2012.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Tucson Improv Movement. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/companies/tucson-improv-movement
The Improv Archive. "Tucson Improv Movement." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/companies/tucson-improv-movement.
The Improv Archive. "Tucson Improv Movement." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/companies/tucson-improv-movement. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.