Improv Companies

Connecticut's leading professional improv comedy company, founded in 2009, offering live shows at Sea Tea Comedy Theater and multi-level classes at Sea Tea Improv Studios.

Phoenix improv theater offering shows and classes at 1130 E Missouri Ave, providing improv training and live comedy performances.

The Second City's Los Angeles training center satellite, operating from 2005 to 2022 at 6560 Hollywood Boulevard. Offered multi-level improv and sketch curriculum under Artistic Director Joshua Funk. Closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and did not reopen, ending Second City's 17-year Los Angeles presence.

Cape Town improv comedy group performing unscripted, unrehearsed shows at The Masque Theatre in Muizenberg on the second Sunday of each month and at Courtyard Playhouse.

Founded in 2007, Seoul City Improv is an English-language improvisation company in Seoul, South Korea. The company brought Chicago-style improv to South Korea and performs for both expatriate and Korean audiences.

A nonprofit comedy, improv, and live arts theatre in Huntsville, founded in 2019, offering stand-up, improv, and sketch shows every Friday and Saturday plus classes in improv, sketch, and art.

Bulgaria's first long-form improv company, performing Chicago-style improvisation for over ten years in a 130-seat venue in central Sofia and hosting the annual Sofia International Improv Festival.

The only brick-and-mortar improv training facility and performance space on the Jersey Shore, hosting ComedySportz competitive improv shows and multi-level improv classes since 2019.

Skits and Giggles is an English-language improv performance group in Taichung, Taiwan, originally founded in 2007 as Taichung Improv. They offer open improv classes and performances at local venues.

An improv theatre and training center on the Danforth in Toronto, founded by Ralph MacLeod, who previously co-founded Bad Dog Theatre Company. Social Capital Theatre operates above the Black Swan pub and offers classes and performances.

Son de Impro is a theatrical improvisation company based in the Cartago area of Costa Rica, formed by former members of Liga Tica de Improvisacion. The group performs mobile improv shows throughout the country.

Staircase Improv is a Hamilton improvisation theatre and training centre with roots going back to 1996.

Station Theater is Houston's premier independent comedy performance space for long-form improv, sketch, and stand-up, operating a comedy conservatory offering training and performance opportunities.

Steel City Improv Theater is Pittsburgh's dedicated improv theater for everyday people looking to build confidence, meet new people, and laugh more through structured improv classes and shows.

One of Germany's pioneering improv theatres, founded by Thorsten Brand in 1992 at the Kellertheater Hamburg. A 20-actor ensemble performing at the Imperial Theatre and other Hamburg venues, and operating as an improv school and business theatre institute.

Established in 1993, Stella Polaris is one of the longest-running improvisation theatres in the Nordic countries. Based in Helsinki, the company performs improvised theatre and has been a cornerstone of the Finnish improv scene for over three decades.

Founded in 1996, Stjärnfall is Finland's only Swedish-language professional improvisation theatre, performing across Finland's Swedish-speaking coastal communities and offering corporate and educational workshops.

Founded in 1989 by Martin Geijer, Stockholms Improvisationsteater (SIT) is the oldest and largest improv theatre in the Nordic region, operating a permanent dedicated stage at Sigtunagatan 12 and running approximately 55 courses per year for around 900 students.

Stomping Ground Comedy is a nonprofit comedy theater and training center in Dallas founded in 2017, offering improv shows, classes, youth programs, and the Dallas Youth Improv Festival.

An English-language improvisational theatre company and school based in Zurich offering classes at all levels, corporate workshops, and regular improv shows.

New Hampshire's longest-running improv troupe, in operation since 2004, offering weekly shows, multi-level classes, musical improv workshops, and corporate training throughout New England.

Strike Theater is a Minneapolis venue hosting the long-running Improv A Go Go showcase (founded 2002) and multiple improv, sketch, and storytelling shows including ComedySportz matches.

Poland's first and longest-running theatrical improvisation school, founded in Warsaw in 2012, offering a full curriculum from beginner to advanced and hosting shows at dedicated venue Resort Komedii; co-organiser of the Warsaw Improv Festival.

Edinburgh's improv comedy theatre company, founded in 2009. Offers structured courses and training, inclusive events, and regular shows. Established The TBC Improv Theatre as a pop-up venue from 2015 to 2019 and has since expanded to the UK, Hong Kong, and Spain.

TBC Improv HK is the Hong Kong branch of international improv company TBC Improv, founded in 2014. They teach classes, perform shows, and run corporate training programs.

Almaty's permanent improv theatre, located at Keremet 7/40. Hosts improv shows for up to 60 people; all performances are unscripted with no pre-written material.

Founded in 2015, Tag Out Theatre is an Amsterdam-based improv company producing regular shows, open jams, and performance marathons for the city's improv community.

Founded in 1999 by Mari Rinaldi and Andy Ferrari, Teatribù is Milan's most internationally recognised improv association, offering a three-year structured improvisation curriculum, completely improvised shows, and corporate training; recipient of the City of Milan's Ambrogini d'oro award in 2017.

Improv and sketch comedy ensemble founded in 2006, operating from their own venue in Santurce, San Juan with regular daily shows.

Founded in 1973, Teatro Libre is one of Colombia's most important independent theatre companies. While primarily a scripted theatre, the company has incorporated improvisational techniques influenced by Augusto Boal and commedia dell'arte traditions, contributing to the broader ecosystem of improvised performance in Latin America.

Active since 2007, Teatro a Molla is Bologna's leading theatrical improvisation company, performing comic and dramatic improv shows while running an improv theatre school and corporate experiential workshops.

Israel's central hub for improv training and performance, founded by pioneers of the Israeli scene.

Founded by Mick Napier and fellow Indiana University alumni originally under the name Metraform. The company renamed itself the Annoyance after finding a permanent theatre on Broadway and Belmont. The Annoyance produced Co-Ed Prison Sluts, which became the longest-running original musical in Chicago history. The theatre's philosophy emphasizes individual performer power as a counterpoint to orthodox yes-and doctrine.

Johannesburg-based long-form improv, clown, and sketch comedy school, part of a global network with hubs in Toronto, Mexico, Amsterdam, and South Africa. Offers five-level curriculum and open shows.

A Mexico City-based English and Spanish language improv company that brings Chicago-style long-form improvisation to Mexico. The Assembly MX produces shows and offers training programs.

A Toronto performance venue opened in September 2017 by the merger of Unit 102 Actors Company and Leroy Street Theatre. The Assembly hosts improv, sketch, and theatrical performances on Queen Street West.

The Basement is an Atlanta improv and comedy venue.

Kansas City improv comedy theater in the Crossroads Arts District offering improv shows and classes.

The Bit Theater is an improv comedy venue and training center in Aurora, Illinois, offering long-form and short-form improv shows, classes for all ages, and community events.

Cork's longest-established improv troupe performing short-form improvisational comedy from audience suggestions, with sellout shows at Cork Arts Theatre and appearances at regional arts festivals.

The only dedicated improv theater in New Mexico, founded in 2007 as part of Cardboard Playhouse Theatre Company (501c3), hosting weekly shows by multiple improv troupes and offering training programs.

An English-language improv troupe in Istanbul that performs regularly at YOTA Stage in Taksim. The Clap has been part of the growing English-language comedy scene in Turkey.

The Comedy Store Players have performed weekly improvised comedy at The Comedy Store in London since 1985. The troupe was founded by members including Mike Myers, Neil Mullarkey, and Kit Hollerbach. The Players perform short-form improvisation influenced by both the Theatresports tradition and American improv. Their Wednesday and Sunday residencies make them one of the longest-running improv acts in the world.

Founded in 1963 by Alan Myerson and Jessica Myerson (later Irene Riordan), both former members of the Compass Players and Second City. The Committee was a satirical improvisation company in San Francisco's North Beach district. The company is historically significant as the site where Del Close first experimented with long-form structures that would evolve into the Harold. Larry Hankin, Howard Hesseman, and Peter Bonerz were among its notable members.

The first improvisational theatre company in the United States, founded by David Shepherd and Paul Sills. The Compass opened on July 5, 1955 at the Hi-Hat Lounge near the University of Chicago. The company featured Mike Nichols, Elaine May, Shelley Berman, and Barbara Harris among others. It later expanded to a St. Louis branch before closing in 1958.

The first and only dedicated improv comedy theatre in Dubai. Home to Theatresports Middle East, affiliated with the International Theatresports Institute, the Playhouse performs Keith Johnstone's Maestro format weekly alongside other improv shows. Founded through Dubomedy Arts, the UAE's first comedy school.

The longest-running improv comedy show in Dublin, performing every Sunday night at The International Bar since 1992. An award-winning team and cornerstone of the Irish improv scene for over three decades.

The Focus Theater is Rochester's dedicated comedy venue offering improv shows, stand-up, and sketch performances alongside improv classes and workshops.

Founded in 2014, The Free Association is a London-based improv theatre and school that focuses on long-form Chicago-style improvisation. The company has helped bring Harold-based and other long-form structures to the UK improv scene.

Founded by Josh Lenn and Katarina Wahlberg, The Garage has been creating improvised shows and building an international improv community in Stockholm for over a decade. The club hosts the Sweden International Improv Festival (#SWIMP).

The Good Friend Theater (formerly CSz Houston) is Houston's longest-running improv comedy company, founded in 1990, presenting the ComedySportz format and offering improv training classes and corporate workshops.

Founded by Gary Austin in 1974 on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. The Groundlings is an improvisational and sketch comedy theatre and school that has produced an extraordinary number of Saturday Night Live cast members and Hollywood comedians including Phil Hartman, Jon Lovitz, Lisa Kudrow, Will Ferrell, Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, and Kristen Wiig. The company uses a short-form and sketch-based approach distinct from the Chicago long-form tradition.

Lawrence's dedicated improv home since 2015, hosting weekly improv shows and free Tuesday night improv workshops open to all.

Chennai-based improv comedy group performing regular shows at venues in the city, including the Baggy's Half Boiled Improv Show.

Founded in 1999, The Hideout Theatre is Austin's longest-running improv comedy theatre. Located for 26 years on Congress Avenue in downtown Austin, the theatre produced long-form improvisation and hosted the Out of Bounds Comedy Festival, one of the largest improv festivals in the United States. In 2025, the Congress Avenue building was sold by its owner; the new owners plan to convert the space to a bar. The Hideout held farewell performances at the Congress Avenue location November 13-16, 2025, then relocated to Art Hub ATX in South Austin — a 4,000 sq ft facility with a 100-seat theater, two classrooms, and a coffeehouse — continuing full operations under the same ownership and artistic leadership.

The Home Comedy Theater is an 80-seat improv comedy venue and training center in Chicago's East Lakeview neighborhood, specializing in long-form improvisation performances and classes.

Chennai's first all-woman improv comedy ensemble, founded by Shalini Vijayakumar, who previously performed with The Half-Boiled Inc. Active as of 2022.

Zimbabwe's only dedicated improv comedy troupe, founded in 2008 by Kevin Hanssen. Specialises in short-form improv with occasional long-form storytelling, performing primarily at Harare's iconic Reps Theatre and in dinner-theatre settings. Has represented Zimbabwe at international improv festivals including The Heat at The Improv Centre, Vancouver.

Founded in 2001, The Improfessionals is Paris's first and longest-running English-language improv troupe, performing regularly at venues such as Théâtre Essaion.

A Mumbai-based improv comedy company that performs shows and offers training. The Improv has been part of the growing stand-up and improv comedy scene in India's entertainment capital.

A Prague improv school and performance group offering weekly beginner, intermediate, and advanced courses alongside regular Monday night shows and corporate workshop packages.

Cape Town improv company founded in 2020 by Justine Beukes, Thomas Dods, and Tamith Hattingh, offering classes, workshops, and live shows.

The Improv Centre is a live comedy venue on Granville Island in Vancouver, BC, operating as a registered charity and presenting unscripted performances including TheatreSports shows multiple times weekly. The society has offered improv classes and workshops for all skill levels for over 40 years.

Founded in 2013, The Improv Company is Singapore's dedicated improvisation theatre. The company runs training programs and produces shows, serving as the primary hub for improv in Southeast Asia.

Singapore's dedicated improv school and performance group, fostering a vibrant local community.

Founded in 2012, The Improv Conspiracy is a Melbourne-based improv theatre and school that focuses on Chicago-style long-form improvisation. The company helped bring Harold-based improv to Australia and operates a comprehensive training program modeled on American improv school curricula.

Melbourne's home for long-form improv, offering weekly shows and a comprehensive training program based on the Chicago style.

The Improv Embassy is Ottawa's school for improv comedy classes, workshops, and shows, and produces the annual Ottawa Improv Festival.

Hanoi-based community space and training centre described as Vietnam's first dedicated improv hub. Founded and directed by Le Kim Thanh, The Improv Hub offers foundational courses, bilingual shows, and community events from its location at 14 Ngo Quyen, Hoan Kiem.

The Improv Pit is a Chicago-style improv comedy venue and training center in Collingwood, Melbourne, hosting weekly Thursday night shows and offering 8-week workshop courses across multiple levels.

Founded in 2022 by Neil Curran and Quinton O'Reilly, The Improv Playground is a Dublin improv community space running weekly drop-in workshops on Monday evenings and shows on Saturday nights at The Teachers Club.

St. Louis improv comedy theater and training center with over 15 years of shows and classes serving the St. Louis improv community.

Mumbai-based improv performing group founded in 2014, with four performers.

An improv theatre company in Rosario, Argentina, founded by director Cristian Marchesi in 2002, with over 1,500 performances specialising in competitive improv matches featuring audience participation.

Based in Johannesburg, The Long Shots are a South African improv comedy troupe that performs long-form improvisation. They have helped develop the improv scene in Gauteng and perform regularly in Johannesburg venues.

Award-winning improv comedy and theatre company based in Brighton, offering shows, courses, and corporate training in Brighton and London. Hosts an annual improv retreat and performs at major UK festivals.

The Nest Theatre is a Columbus improv theater and training center co-founded by Tera DeFrancisco and Rance Rizzutto in 2016.

Founded in 2009, The Nursery Theatre is a dedicated improv venue and school in North London. It offers a comprehensive curriculum and produces regular shows, contributing to the growth of the London improv community.

Utah's longest-running nonprofit community theater, home of the 'Laughing Stock' improv comedy show running continuously since 1994, also offering 6-week improv classes.

Co-founded by Ali Farahnakian and Armando Diaz as a home for long-form improvisation, sketch comedy, and stand-up in New York City. Farahnakian trained at iO Chicago under Del Close and Charna Halpern. The PIT also operates a location in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Founded in 2007 by Miles Stroth in Los Angeles. The Pack Theater is an independent improv and sketch comedy venue that provides an alternative to the larger UCB and Groundlings institutions in the LA comedy scene.

One of three improv successor companies formed when The Committee disbanded in 1972, carrying forward a strand of the ensemble improv tradition in the Bay Area. Named alongside Improvisation Inc. and The Wing as direct inheritors of The Committee's approach.

The first nonprofit improv cooperative of its kind in the United States, founded by Doug Diefenbach. The Playground opened its first permanent home in March 1999 as a sixty-seat venue. The theatre features four improv groups per night, each performing approximately 25 minutes in whatever form they choose. It vacated its longtime Halsted Street location in 2021 and relocated to North Clark Street.

An improvisational theatre in Greenwich Village founded by Theodore J. Flicker, a former member of the Compass Players. The original Off-Broadway production opened November 22, 1960 and ran for 1,249 performances. The cast included Tom Aldredge, George Segal, and Joan Darling, with later members including Buck Henry and Gene Hackman. The Premise subsequently moved to London's West End.

A 149-seat cabaret-style comedy club founded by John Stoops, intentionally located at the historic site of the original Compass Players. The Revival opened exactly 60 years after the Compass Players first performed in Hyde Park.

Vietnam's first improv comedy theatre, founded in 2015 in Hanoi by Long. The Rotten Grapes has performed over 150 bilingual (English and Vietnamese) shows across Hanoi, Da Nang, and Saigon over eight years, and also offers beginner improv courses.

The Rozzie Square Theater is Boston's only brick-and-mortar comedy club owned by a woman and Asian American, founded in 2018 through a collaboration between CSz Boston and Riot Improv, offering ComedySportz shows and improv classes.

The most influential comedy institution in North America, founded on December 16, 1959 by Paul Sills, Bernie Sahlins, and Howard Alk. The name is an ironic reference to A.J. Liebling's derogatory 1952 New Yorker description of Chicago. The Second City launched the careers of John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, and hundreds of other performers. Andrew Alexander purchased the company from Sahlins in 1985.

A fully licensed Second City mainstage franchise, opening in 2002 at the 14th Street Theatre in Playhouse Square, offering improvisational comedy, musical comedy, and avant-garde fare. Cited by Wikipedia's Improvisational Theatre article as one of the Second City franchises that quickly closed due to mismanagement and over-reliance on scripted scenes. The 14th Street Theatre later converted to a private dining space (Cibreo Privato). Company operations ceased approximately 2003.

The Second City's Detroit-area outpost, originally opened in 1993. The Detroit company has produced mainstage revues and operated training programs, extending The Second City's reach into the Midwest.

The Second City's Las Vegas satellite, operating at Bugsy's Celebrity Theatre inside the Flamingo Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip from spring 2001 to summer 2008. Ran nine performers plus a musical director for over seven years before the casino hotel format proved unsustainable. Part of The Second City's aggressive franchise expansion of the early 2000s.

The New York outpost of The Second City, opened on November 16, 2023 in a 12,000-square-foot space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The facility houses two cabaret-style theatres, seven training center classrooms, and a full-service restaurant and bar.

The Toronto outpost of The Second City, first opened on Adelaide Street East in 1973. Andrew Alexander licensed the Canadian rights from Bernie Sahlins for one dollar and borrowed $7,000 to reopen the theatre in 1974. The company moved through several locations including the Old Firehall on Lombard Street before settling into a 28,700-square-foot space at One York Street in November 2022. Second City Toronto launched the careers of John Candy, Dan Aykroyd, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Martin Short, and many others.

One of three improv successor companies formed after The Committee dissolved in 1972. The Wing was performing at The Tivoli when The Committee gave its final blackout. It is one of three documented post-Committee companies (alongside Improvisation Inc. and The Pitchell Players) that briefly continued the San Francisco ensemble improv tradition.

One of Germany's most established improvisational theatre groups, performing competitive improv since the 1990s.

Charleston's home for improv comedy since 2000, a 130-seat theater co-founded by Brandy Sullivan and Greg Tavares offering improv shows Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, plus classes for adults and teens.

The Theatre Guild of Ancón is the oldest continuously operating theatre in Panama, founded in 1950 by Panamanian and American citizens. In addition to classic dramas and musicals, the company produces the long-running improvisational comedy show Improv8.

A nonprofit improv-centered theater education collective founded in 2022, focused on community empowerment and inclusive improv, and producers of the Make Em Laugh, OK festival.

The first school dedicated to teaching the art of improvisation in the Philippines. Third World Improv started the Manila Improv Festival in 2015, which has grown into Asia's largest improvisational theater festival.

Founded in 2014 in Lyon, Théâtre Improvidence is France's first theatre dedicated exclusively to improvisation, presenting a diverse programme of improv shows and running the École Improvidence training school for all skill levels; it has since expanded to Bordeaux.