The 1990s
51 milestones documented from 1990–1999.
The Upright Citizens Brigade Troupe Forms in Chicago
The Upright Citizens Brigade troupe formed in Chicago around 1990, when Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh began working together after training at ImprovOlympic under Del Close and Charna Halpern. Adam McKay, Horatio Sanz, and Neil Flynn also worked with the group in its early years. The four founding members developed a distinct anarchic performance style rooted in long-form improv that distinguished them from their contemporaries in the Chicago scene.
ComedySportz Houston Founded
Dianah Dulany founded ComedySportz Houston on November 8, 1990, at the River Cafe in Montrose, bringing competitive short-form improv to Houston.
Die-Nasty Founded in Edmonton
Dana Andersen, Mark Meer, David Belke, and other founding members launched Die-Nasty in Edmonton in 1991, presenting a live improvised soap opera format that evolved from an earlier show called Soap on the Rocks.
SAK Comedy Lab Founded in Orlando
Don Ferguson, Julie Barr, and Rod Friedman founded SAK Comedy Lab in Orlando, Florida in 1991. The company established itself as the primary improv venue in Central Florida and developed the long-running competitive show "Duel of Fools."
ComedySportz Philadelphia Founded
ComedySportz Philadelphia launched in 1992 as an early CSz Worldwide franchise expansion, establishing competitive short-form improv in the Philadelphia market at The Adrienne Theater on Sansom Street. The company became Philadelphia's longest-running comedy entertainment brand and subsequently founded the Philadelphia School of Improv.
WNEP Theater Founded in Chicago as Experimental Fringe Company
Don Hall, Joe Janes, and Jeff Hoover, all graduates of the Second City Training Center, founded WNEP Theater in Chicago in 1992. The name stood for 'Works No One Else Produces,' and the founding company, Level 6, launched simultaneously with an improv show at Shay's Bar and a scripted production. WNEP went on to operate as one of Chicago's most experimental fringe companies, mixing improvisation, sketch, one-acts, game shows, musicals, and performance art.
Jet City Improv Founded in Seattle
Cory Rouse founded Jet City Improv in Seattle, Washington in 1992, establishing the Pacific Northwest's primary dedicated improv venue. The company built a training program and performance schedule that sustained it as the region's leading improv institution for over three decades.
Theatre 99 Founded in Charleston
Tommy Brunett, Timmy Sherrill, and Brandy Sullivan founded Theatre 99 in Charleston, South Carolina in 1993 at 99 Spring Street, establishing one of the Southeast's primary improv venues. The company has operated continuously for over thirty years.
City Theater Company Founded in Wilmington
City Theater Company was founded in Wilmington, Delaware in 1993, establishing the state's primary intimate black box performing arts venue. The company developed Fearless Improv as its dedicated improv ensemble and entered a partnership with The Delaware Contemporary in September 2021.
ComedySportz San Antonio Established
ComedySportz San Antonio was established in 1993 as a CSz Worldwide franchise, bringing competitive short-form improv to the San Antonio market. The franchise operates at the Little Improv Theatre venue at 11950 Starcrest Dr, presenting weekly Friday and Saturday shows.
ComedySportz Indianapolis Founded
Ed Trout, Mia Lee Roberts, Lynn Burger, and Dave Ruark founded ComedySportz Indianapolis in February 1993, launching the CSz Worldwide franchise in Indiana. The founders had encountered the ComedySportz format during a Chicago visit while performing as the Below the Belt ensemble. The company claims to be Indianapolis's longest-running comedy show.
ComedySportz Portland Founded
Ruth Jenkins and Patrick Short founded ComedySportz Portland and opened publicly on April 16, 1993, establishing what became one of America's most consistent improv institutions. The company has performed over 5,400 ComedySportz shows without missing a single weekend since May 1993.
The Second City Opens Its Detroit Company, Its Third North American Stage
The Second City opened its Detroit company in 1993, its first North American expansion beyond Chicago and Toronto. The Detroit location produced original revues and a training program, developing local talent in the Midwest. The Detroit company operated for sixteen years, making it the company's longest-running outpost outside its two founding cities before its closure in 2009.
Instant Theatre Company Founded in Vancouver
Instant Theatre Company was founded in Vancouver in 1993 or 1994, beginning in Gastown and establishing long-form improv as a complement to the city's existing Theatresports tradition.
Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre Founded in New Jersey
Laura Ekstrand and Janet Sales co-founded Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre in 1994 in New Jersey, a scripted repertory company that later added improv programming and rebranded as Vivid Stage in 2021.
YTV Begins National Television Coverage of the Canadian Improv Games
During the 1990s, YTV, a Canadian cable television network, began providing hour-long live coverage of the Canadian Improv Games national tournament. The broadcasts transformed a regionally distributed theatre festival into a nationally visible program, allowing students across the country to see peers competing at the National Arts Centre. The television presence established improvisation as a recognized youth performing arts activity in Canada and drove significant growth in regional participation.
The Off Broadway Theatre Opens in Salt Lake City
The Off Broadway Theatre opened in Salt Lake City in 1994, hosting both original scripted productions and live improv comedy including the first performances of Quick Wits Comedy.
Charna Halpern and Del Close Publish "Truth in Comedy"
In 1994, Charna Halpern, Del Close, and Kim “Howard” Johnson published “Truth in Comedy: The Manual of Improvisation,” the first book to systematically document the Harold long-form structure and the teaching principles underlying iO Theater. The book articulated the Harold’s architecture, the concept of group mind, and the principle of total acceptance through agreement, making the form accessible to practitioners and teachers outside iO for the first time.
Whole World Improv Theatre Gives First Performance
Whole World Improv Theatre performed its first public show in September 1994 before an audience of twenty-five at Eddie's Attic in Decatur, Georgia, under the direction of founder David Webster.
Quick Wits Comedy Founded in Utah
Bob Bedore and Rob Bogue gave the first Quick Wits Comedy performance on October 8, 1994, at The Off Broadway Theatre in Salt Lake City, establishing the founding institution of Utah's improv community.
ImprovOlympic Moves to Its First Permanent Chicago Home on Clark Street
In 1995, ImprovOlympic moved to its first permanent Chicago home at 3541 North Clark Street in Wrigleyville, ending more than a decade of renting performance space at changing addresses. The Clark Street building housed two performance spaces, the downstairs Cabaret and the upstairs theatre later named the Del Close Theater after his death in 1999, and gave the organisation institutional stability to expand its house team system and training programme.
Dad's Garage Opens in Atlanta with 'Fun with Science'
Nine Florida State University graduates co-founded Dad's Garage Theatre Company in Atlanta, presenting their first show, 'Fun with Science,' on 23 June 1995. The founding group chose Atlanta in anticipation of the economic activity around the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Whole World Improv Theatre Opens Spring Street Venue
In June 1995, David Webster and Jennifer Horne opened Whole World Improv Theatre's permanent home at 1216 Spring Street NW in Midtown Atlanta, funded by their honeymoon savings.
Staircase Improv Founded in Hamilton, Ontario
Hugh MacLeod and Kathy Garneau founded Staircase Improv in Hamilton, Ontario in 1996, renovating the former 1914 Dundurn Station power substation into a community improv venue without government or corporate support.
The Upright Citizens Brigade Troupe Relocates from Chicago to New York
In 1996, the Upright Citizens Brigade troupe relocated from Chicago to New York City, performing at venues including KGB Bar while developing the pitch that led to their Comedy Central television deal. The move positioned the group at the center of the New York alternative comedy scene and set the groundwork for the permanent Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre they would open three years later.
Impro Melbourne Founded as Theatresports Melbourne
Russell Fletcher and Christine Keogh founded the company in 1996 as Theatresports Melbourne, establishing Melbourne's first Keith Johnstone-format improv company of the modern era.
ComedySportz Richmond Founded
ComedySportz Richmond was founded in 1996 as a CSz Worldwide franchise in Richmond, Virginia, establishing one of the Southeast's longest-running improv institutions. The nonprofit organization operated continuously through multiple venue relocations over more than 25 years.
Robert Gravel, Co-Founder of the Ligue Nationale d'Improvisation, Dies
Robert Gravel, who co-founded the Ligue Nationale d'Improvisation with Yvon Leduc in 1977, died in 1996. Gravel was an actor, director, and playwright associated with the Nouveau Theatre Experimental in Montreal who brought to the LNI a commitment to the format as genuine theatrical investigation. His death removed the co-founder most closely associated with the organization's theatrical ambitions and posed the institutional challenge of sustaining a format so deeply shaped by its founding personalities.
iO West Opens in Hollywood as the Los Angeles Satellite of iO Theater
Paul Vaillancourt, a Chicago-trained improviser, founded iO West in 1997 with institutional backing from Charna Halpern, bringing the Harold-based long-form curriculum of iO Chicago to Los Angeles. The theatre launched at the Stella Adler Theater on Hollywood Blvd and later settled at the Palmer Building at 6366 Hollywood Blvd in 2000.
ImprovOlympic West Opens in Hollywood, Bringing the Harold to Los Angeles
ImprovOlympic West opened in Hollywood in 1997, Los Angeles, extending the iO brand to the West Coast and bringing the Harold tradition and Del Close's pedagogical legacy to a new city. iO West provides training and performance opportunities for Los Angeles-based improvisers and becomes an important venue for the city's growing improv scene. The opening represents the first major expansion of an established Chicago improv institution into the Los Angeles market.
The Playground Theater Founded in Chicago as a Non-Profit Improv Co-Op
A collective of Chicago improvisers founded the Playground Theater in 1997 as a non-profit co-operative governed by its member ensembles. Distinct from The Second City and iO in its governance model, the Playground gave performing companies collective control over programming and institutional decisions. The theatre operated itinerantly for its first two years before establishing a permanent space on Lincoln Avenue in 1999.
Four Day Weekend Founded in Fort Worth
David Ahearn, Frank Ford, and David Wilk founded Four Day Weekend in Fort Worth, Texas in 1997, establishing one of the Southwest's primary long-form improv companies. The company built a permanent venue on Houston Street and developed a national reputation for corporate entertainment programming.
ComedySportz St. Louis Founded
ComedySportz St. Louis launched in fall 1998 at Union Station under Eric Karwisch and Clancy Hathaway, drawing its founding ensemble from existing St. Louis improv groups. The franchise navigated organizational disruptions in 1999-2000 before stabilizing as a continuous CSz Worldwide franchise in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
Ligue Nationale d'Improvisation Partners with the Festival Just for Laughs
In 1998, the Ligue Nationale d'Improvisation entered a partnership with the Festival Just for Laughs in Montreal and returned to television through associated broadcasting arrangements. The Just for Laughs partnership brought the LNI's format before international comedy industry audiences and connected the French-language competitive improv tradition to the English-language comedy festival circuit operating out of the same city. The partnership represented the LNI's first sustained engagement with the English-language comedy industry.
Improv Asylum Opens in Boston
Paul D'Amato, Norm Laviolette, and Chet Harding opened Improv Asylum at 216 Hanover St in Boston's North End in May 1998, after their previous performance home converted its space to music. Securing a $75,000 SBA loan, they built what became New England's premier comedy institution, performing over 7,500 shows for more than 2 million audience members over 27 years.
Keith Johnstone Establishes the International Theatresports Institute
On May 23, 1998, Keith Johnstone formalized the international licensing of his competitive formats by establishing the International Theatresports Institute. The ITI grants performance rights for Theatresports, Maestro Impro (also known as Micetro), and Gorilla Theatre, and distributes official format guides co-authored by Johnstone with Patti Stiles and Shawn Kinley. The institute provided a legal and pedagogical framework for the hundreds of organisations worldwide that perform Theatresports under licence.
International Theatresports Institute Founded by Keith Johnstone
Keith Johnstone founded the International Theatresports Institute on May 23, 1998 in Calgary, creating the worldwide licensing and community organization for his Theatresports, Maestro Impro, and Gorilla Theatre formats.
"Whose Line Is It Anyway?" US Version Premieres
The American adaptation of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" premieres on ABC, hosted by Drew Carey with a core ensemble including Colin Mochrie, Ryan Stiles, and Wayne Brady. The show runs for eight seasons and brings short-form improv games to millions of American viewers, creating widespread public awareness of improvisational comedy as a performance art. "Whose Line" introduces many Americans to improv for the first time and inspires a generation of performers to study the form.
Upright Citizens Brigade Television Series Premieres on Comedy Central
On August 19, 1998, the Upright Citizens Brigade television series premiered on Comedy Central, featuring sketch comedy developed by Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh. The program ran three seasons through 2000 and introduced the group's anarchic, anti-authoritarian comedy to a national American audience. Its success raised the troupe's profile and accelerated the opening of their permanent New York theatre six months later.
Vancouver International Improv Festival Launches
Instant Theatre Company launched the Vancouver International Improv Festival in 1999, establishing one of North America's longest-running dedicated improv festivals.
Tickle Me Pickle Founded in Richmond, BC
Jon Lee-Son founded Tickle Me Pickle Theatre Sports Improv Society in Richmond, British Columbia in 1999, creating the first organized improv troupe in the city and the predecessor organization to Richmond Improv Theatre Society.
The Hideout Theatre Opens on Congress Avenue in Austin
Sean Hill and Shana Merlin co-founded The Hideout Theatre in Austin, Texas in 1999, opening at 617 Congress Avenue in a building that had previously housed a pawn shop. The theatre operated at that address for more than twenty-five years as Austin's primary dedicated improv venue.
The Second City Opens a Hollywood Company in Los Angeles
The Second City opened a Hollywood company in Los Angeles in 1999, establishing its first West Coast presence. The Hollywood location produced original satirical revues and offered training programs in the Los Angeles market, bringing the Second City format to the city most closely associated with the television and film careers of Second City alumni. The Hollywood company operated until 2004.
Tatiana Maslany Performs with General Fools
Tatiana Maslany performed and toured with General Fools Improvisational Theatre for approximately seven years in her early career, becoming a certified improv instructor through the company before her screen career began.
Just The Funny Founded in Miami
Nine veteran improv performers founded Just The Funny in Miami, Florida in January 1999, presenting their first show at the Absinthe House Cinematheque on March 5, 1999. The company grew through several venue relocations before establishing its permanent home at 3119 Coral Way and founding the Miami Improv Festival.
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre Opens in Chelsea, Bringing the Harold to New York
Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh opened the UCB Theatre on 4 February 1999 at 161 West 22nd Street in Chelsea, New York City. Centred on the Harold and a structured training curriculum, UCB became the most influential improv training institution in New York over the following two decades.
Del Close Dies in Chicago, Leaving a Transformed Improvisational Art Form
Del Close died on March 4 in Chicago, leaving behind a legacy that defined an era of American improvisational theater. Close trained hundreds of performers who went on to careers in comedy, television, and film, and his development of the Harold as a long-form structure transformed the practice of improvised performance. He is remembered for his uncompromising commitment to improvisation as a serious art form and for everything he built at ImprovOlympic.
ComedySportz Utah Founded in Provo
Tonia and Curt Doussett founded ComedySportz Utah in March 1999 in Provo, acquiring the Utah franchise rights to the competitive short-form improv format; the company later rebranded as ComedyBox Utah.
Keith Johnstone Publishes "Impro for Storytellers"
Keith Johnstone publishes "Impro for Storytellers," a comprehensive follow-up to his landmark "Impro" that expands his theories of narrative, status, and spontaneity with additional exercises, games, and insights from decades of teaching and directing. The book addresses the specific challenges of sustained narrative in improvisation, offering tools for developing longer and more structured improvisational pieces. It becomes an important companion to "Impro" for practitioners working in longer forms.
The First Del Close Marathon Held in New York
The inaugural Del Close Marathon was held in New York City, organized by the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre as a tribute to Del Close. The marathon ran continuously for more than 50 hours and featured dozens of improv teams performing back-to-back, establishing an annual tradition that became one of the most significant events in the improv calendar. The DCM grew to include hundreds of teams and thousands of performances, drawing improvisers from around the world.
National Comedy Theatre Founded in San Diego
Gary Kramer founded National Comedy Theatre in October 1999 at 3717 India Street in San Diego's Mission Hills neighborhood, beginning what would become the longest-running show in San Diego history.