The 2000s
77 milestones documented from 2000–2009.
Comedy League of America Reorganized as World Comedy League Incorporated
In 2000, the Comedy League of America, the organizational structure that had governed ComedySportz franchising since the founding in 1984, was reorganized into the World Comedy League Incorporated. The restructuring formalized the governance framework under which all ComedySportz franchises now operate, providing clearer licensing terms, shared curriculum standards, and administrative infrastructure for a network that had grown to encompass dozens of independently owned companies across the United States and the United Kingdom. The new name acknowledged the format's international reach.
KC Improv Company Founded
KC Improv Company was founded in Kansas City, Missouri in 2000, initially performing corporate and private shows before launching weekly public performances on January 1, 2012. The company grew to 25+ professional performers and four shows per week at its Westport location.
Planet Ant Theatre Launches Improv Colony
In 2000 Joshua Funk, Nancy Hayden, and Margaret Edwartowski co-founded the Improv Colony at Planet Ant Theatre in Hamtramck, launching Improv Mondays, Detroit's longest-running improv show.
Scared Scriptless Founded in Anchorage
Jason Martin, Tom Atkins, and Joan Cullins founded Scared Scriptless in 2000 at Side Street Espresso in Anchorage, Alaska, establishing the state's first professional short-form improv troupe.
Impro Australia Formed After Sydney Theatresports Inc. Liquidation
Following the liquidation of Sydney Theatresports Inc. in the late 1990s, a group of key players formed Impro Australia as a not-for-profit company, continuing the tradition of Theatresports in Sydney.
Charlotte Comedy Theater Founded
Keli Semelsberger, who trained in Chicago under Del Close, Charna Halpern, Mick Napier, Susan Messing, and Amy Poehler, founded Charlotte Comedy Theater in 2001 as Charlotte's first dedicated improv theatre. The company became a founding member of the VAPA Center and was recognized as one of the Top 50 Comedy Clubs in the US in 2016.
ComedySportz Manchester Founded
Brainne Edge founded ComedySportz Manchester in 2001, launching the UK's only ComedySportz franchise with a first charity performance intended as a one-off event.
The Second City Las Vegas Opens at the Flamingo
The Second City Las Vegas opened at Bugsy's Celebrity Theatre inside the Flamingo Las Vegas hotel in March 2001, establishing a Second City revue residency on the Las Vegas Strip.
Kevin Patrick Robbins Founds the Impatients in Toronto
In June 2001, Kevin Patrick Robbins founded The Impatients, a longform improv ensemble of twelve performers, in Toronto. The company introduced the Harold to Toronto audiences through its weekly show The Impatients: Uncaged and launched the Toronto version of the Cage Match that October.
Impatient Theatre Co. Produces the Inaugural Toronto International Improv Festival
In 2001, Impatient Productions produced the first Toronto Improv Festival, establishing what would become an annual gathering that brought guest performers from television and film to the city's long-form improv community. The festival continued every August for the duration of the company's operation and was one of the few recurring international improv festivals in Canada.
Charlie Todd Founds Improv Everywhere in New York City
In August 2001, Charlie Todd founded Improv Everywhere in New York City after improvising a bar scenario in which he impersonated musician Ben Folds for an enthusiastic crowd. Todd formalised the approach into an ongoing project with a stated mission of creating scenes of chaos and joy in public places. Improv Everywhere's missions involve coordinated groups acting in real-world settings without prior audience knowledge, distinguishing the form from stage performance improv.
The Applied Improvisation Network Is Founded to Connect Global Practitioners
The Applied Improvisation Network (AIN) is founded to support practitioners who use improv techniques in business, education, therapy, and community development. The organization creates a global community of practice for applied improv, offering a platform for sharing research, methods, and experiences among practitioners across disciplines. AIN's annual conference and online resources help establish applied improvisation as a recognized professional field distinct from entertainment-focused performance improv.
Holly Mandel Founds Improvolution, New York's First Female-Founded Improv School
Holly Mandel, a former Groundlings Main Company member and instructor, founded Improvolution in New York City in 2002, opening at 115 Macdougal Street in Greenwich Village. It was the first improv school in New York City to be founded, owned, and operated by a woman, and brought the Groundlings' character-based curriculum to the New York market as an alternative to the Harold-focused training at UCB.
Recycled Minds Comedy Founded in Boise
Sean Hancock founded Recycled Minds Comedy in Boise, Idaho in 2002 as the Treasure Valley's first weekly improv and sketch comedy show. After training at UCB and The Groundlings and performing at iO West, Hancock relaunched the organization in 2011 as a partnership with Heath Harmison.
The Second City Cleveland Opens at Playhouse Square
The Second City Cleveland opened in 2002 at the 14th Street Theatre in Playhouse Square, bringing a Second City sketch franchise to Cleveland in partnership with the arts complex.
Improv Everywhere Stages the First No Pants Subway Ride
On January 5, 2002, Charlie Todd and seven friends staged the first No Pants Subway Ride for Improv Everywhere, riding the New York City subway without trousers while behaving as if nothing were unusual. The annual event grew from seven participants to thousands and expanded to cities across North America, Europe, and Asia. No Pants Subway Ride became Improv Everywhere's most replicated mission and one of the most recognised pieces of participatory public performance worldwide.
Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed Troupe Founded in Tucson
Donnie Cianciotto founded Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed in May 2002, Tucson's first professional short-form improv group, which later became Unscrewed Theater.
The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre's Original New York Venue Closes
On November 18, 2002, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre closed its original New York City location at 161 West 22nd Street in Chelsea due to fire code violations, ending the four-year run of its founding venue. The company reopened on April 1, 2003, at 307 West 26th Street, in a former venue called the Maverick that seated 150. The compressed closure and reopening maintained the organization's continuous New York presence through the interruption.
The PIT Opens in Chelsea as New York's Populist Multi-Discipline Comedy Venue
Ali Reza Farahnakian opened The People's Improv Theater (The PIT) on 6 December 2002 at 154 West 29th Street in Chelsea, New York City. Presenting improv, sketch, stand-up, and storytelling under one roof at accessible prices, The PIT positioned itself as a neighbourhood comedy venue and training centre distinct from the Harold-focused institutional programmes.
Applied Improvisation Network Holds First European Conference in Berlin
Following its 2002 San Diego founding conference, the Applied Improvisation Network held an early World Conference in Berlin, marking the network's first major engagement with the European practitioner community. The Berlin gathering brought together trainers and coaches from German-speaking organizational development contexts alongside international delegates, establishing the AIN's presence in a region where applied improv had taken root through connections to Johnstone's Theatresports tradition and the German-speaking business coaching community.
The Players Workshop Closes After Thirty-Two Years as Chicago's Primary Improv Training School
The Players Workshop closed in the early 2000s as Josephine Forsberg retired and competition from The Second City Training Center and iO Theater's school grew to a scale the independent school could not match. The closure ended more than three decades of training that had prepared the majority of Second City performers from the late 1960s through the mid-1980s, including Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Dan Castellaneta, and Bob Odenkirk.
WNEP Theater Closes After Illinois Revenue Department Shutdown and Lease Loss
In 2003, the Illinois Department of Revenue shut down WNEP Theater in a licensing violation sweep. The company simultaneously lost its 3209 N. Halsted Street lease following a dispute with board members and landlords, ending WNEP's eleven-year run as a venue-holding organisation in Chicago.
CIC Theater Established in Chicago as Long-Form Improv Non-Profit
CIC Theater was established in 2003 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit comedy theater and training centre at 1422 W. Irving Park Road in Chicago, dedicated to the long-form improvisation tradition. The theatre provided a training curriculum and performance programme outside the institutional systems of iO and The Second City.
Comedy XPeriment Founded in Des Moines
Mr. V Van Haecke founded Comedy XPeriment in Des Moines, Iowa in 2003, establishing central Iowa's first dedicated long-running improv ensemble. The troupe grew to perform at Stoner Theater within Des Moines Performing Arts and for corporate clients throughout the region.
DSI Comedy Theater Founded in Chapel Hill
Zach Ward founded DSI Comedy Theater in 2003 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, after studying improv in Chicago, establishing the Triangle's primary improv venue and training center.
On the Fly Impro Founded in Adelaide
On the Fly Impro was founded in Adelaide, South Australia in 2003, establishing a dedicated home for Keith Johnstone-format improvisation and original improv training in the state.
ImproNOW! Established as South Australia's Theatresports Licensee
ImproNOW! became the International Theatresports Institute licensee for South Australia in 2003, positioning it as the state's sole authorised Theatresports company.
Lila Theatre Founded in San Francisco
Jill Mueller and Christopher Eickmann founded Lila Theatre in February 2003 in San Francisco, a long-form improv company that renamed to Leela Improv Theatre in 2010.
Company Renamed Bad Dog Theatre Company
On May 1, 2003, the company was renamed Bad Dog Theatre Company under co-artistic directors Kerry Griffin, Marcel St. Pierre, and workshop director Ralph MacLeod, opening its first dedicated space at 138 Danforth Avenue.
The Impatients rebrands as the Impatient Theatre Co.
In June 2003, after the original ensemble dissolved due to artistic differences, the company was rebranded as the Impatient Theatre Co. and launched a formal six-level training curriculum in longform improv and the Harold. Several founding members continued with the company, including Sean Tabares, Ted Hallett, and Rebecca Dreiling.
Kevin Patrick Robbins Serves as the First Artistic Director of Improvisation at Staircase Theatre
During 2004 Kevin Patrick Robbins briefly served as the first Artistic Director of Improvisation at Hamilton's Staircase Theatre. The short appointment extended his teaching and directing work into another Southern Ontario venue during the period when ITC was consolidating its Toronto base.
The Second City Hollywood Company Closes After Five Years of Operation
The Second City Hollywood company closed in 2004 after approximately five years of operation, ending the company's first Los Angeles venture. The closure reflected the challenges of establishing a permanent improv and sketch institution in a market dominated by stand-up comedy clubs and entertainment industry short-term opportunities. Alumni of the Hollywood company continued to work in Los Angeles television and film.
Improv Little Rock Founded
Brett Ihler and Clayton Aronowitz founded Improv Little Rock in approximately 2003-2004, establishing Arkansas's first continuous improv performance organization. The group developed a weekly Wednesday night show format that has run continuously for over twenty years.
Stranger Than Fiction Improv Founded in Portsmouth
Stranger Than Fiction Improv was founded in spring 2004 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, establishing the state's first and longest-running professional improv troupe.
Baltimore Improv Group Founded
Mike Subelsky founded Baltimore Improv Group in 2004, creating one of Baltimore's first organizations dedicated to improv comedy performance and training.
ImproMafia Founded in Brisbane
Wade Robinson and Luke Rimmelzwaan founded ImproMafia in Brisbane in 2004, establishing the city's first and longest-running dedicated improvisation company.
The Maydays Founded in Brighton
John Cremer founded The Maydays in Brighton in 2004, with Rebecca MacMillan teaching the company's first beginners course and creating the first improv comedy course offered in Brighton.
Off the Cuff Comedy Launches in Cedar City
Off the Cuff Comedy gave its first performance in January 2004 at the Grind Coffeehouse in Cedar City, Utah, establishing Southern Utah's first and longest-running improv theatre.
Mick Napier Publishes "Improvise: Scene from the Inside Out"
Heinemann publishes "Improvise: Scene from the Inside Out" by Mick Napier, offering a contrarian take on established improv conventions. Napier argues that many standard rules taught in improv training, such as "never say no," are oversimplifications that can limit performers rather than free them. The book provides an alternative framework grounded in character, specificity, and personal accountability, and becomes an influential counterweight to more prescriptive approaches to improv education.
The Basement Theatre Founded in Atlanta
JStar founded The Basement Theatre in April 2004 in the basement of a Buckhead office building at 175 West Wieuca Road NE, Atlanta, establishing the neighborhood's only dedicated improv venue and training program.
Improv Everywhere Stages the First MP3 Experiment in New York City
In 2004, Charlie Todd and Tyler Walker developed and staged the first MP3 Experiment, in which participants downloaded an audio file, synchronized their devices at a designated time, and followed instructions through their earphones. The format created coordinated group behavior visible to uninitiated bystanders with no visible organizational infrastructure. The MP3 Experiment became one of Improv Everywhere’s signature recurring formats, run in at least ten iterations through the 2010s and accommodating hundreds of participants per event.
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre Opens Its Los Angeles Venue in Hollywood
In 2005, the Upright Citizens Brigade opened its Los Angeles operation at 5919 Franklin Avenue in Hollywood, extending the UCB training and performance model to the West Coast. The Franklin Avenue venue offered shows and a training centre, establishing UCB's presence in the entertainment industry's primary market. The Los Angeles operation became one of the most prominent improv institutions in the city and a major employer of UCB-trained performers in the television and film industry.
The Second City Opens Hollywood Training Centre at 6560 Hollywood Blvd
The Second City opened a training centre at 6560 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, in 2005, expanding its geographic footprint to the West Coast. The Hollywood location operated as a training-focused satellite rather than a full resident producing company, offering courses across improv, sketch, musical comedy, writing, and stand-up in a 49-seat theatre.
Loose Moose Moves to Crossroads Market
Loose Moose Theatre moved to its current home at 1235 26th Avenue Southeast in Calgary's Crossroads Market in 2005.
Impro ACT Founded in Canberra
Nick Byrne and PJ Williams founded Impro ACT in Canberra in 2005, launching both a multi-level training program and the inaugural Canberra Impro Theatre Challenge (later named Improvention).
The Second City Begins Its Norwegian Cruise Line Partnership
In 2005, The Second City expanded its reach onto Norwegian Cruise Line ships, taking revue comedy, improv shows, and passenger workshops onto the high seas. The partnership became a notable offstage employment pipeline for performers and a visible example of improv comedy being adapted for cruise entertainment.
Magnet Theater Founded in New York City by Chicago-Trained Improvisers
Armando Diaz, Ed Herbstman, and Shannon Manning, all trained under Del Close at iO Theater in Chicago, founded Magnet Theater in March 2005 at 254 West 29th Street in Chelsea, New York City. The theatre established a full long-form training curriculum and performance programme, with a particular emphasis on musical improvisation that made it the acknowledged New York centre for that form.
Patricia Ryan Madson Publishes “Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up”
Bell Tower published “Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up” by Patricia Ryan Madson, bringing improv principles to a general audience interested in spontaneous living. Madson distilled her decades of teaching improvisation at Stanford University into thirteen maxims for engaging fully with life, framing improv not as performance technique but as a philosophy for daily living. The book became one of the most widely read introductions to improv philosophy for non-performers.
Jackrabbit Slim becomes the Impatient Theatre Co.'s first Harold team
In June 2005, students from the Impatient Theatre Co.'s inaugural class cohort formed Jackrabbit Slim, the company's first Harold team. The team had learned and performed the Harold format without having seen a live professional performance of the form, marking the success of the Impatient Theatre Co.'s approach to curriculum-based Harold training in Toronto.
Contemporary Theater Company Founded in Wakefield
A group of young local artists founded Contemporary Theater Company as The Courthouse Summer Theater Company in June 2005 in Wakefield, Rhode Island, to restore live theatre to southern Rhode Island.
ImprovOlympic Changes Its Name to iO Theatre Following a Trademark Dispute
After years of operating under the ImprovOlympic name, the theater officially becomes iO Theatre following a dispute with the International Olympic Committee over the use of "Olympic" in the name. The renaming marks a transition in the theater's identity as it continues to evolve as Chicago's premier long-form improv institution. Despite the name change, iO maintains the tradition and pedagogical approach that Del Close and Charna Halpern established at its founding.
Philly Improv Theater Founded and Launched at Philadelphia Improv Festival
Greg Maughan, Bobbi Block, Matt Holmes, and Alexis Simpson co-founded Philly Improv Theater as a nonprofit in October 2005, publicly launching the organisation at the First Annual Philadelphia Improv Festival on 4 November 2005. PHIT became the primary improv training and performance organisation in Philadelphia.
Impatient Theatre Co. opens its first dedicated training centre
On November 1, 2005, the Impatient Theatre Co. opened its first dedicated training centre at Wellington Street West and Spadina Avenue in Toronto. The studio established the Impatient Theatre Co. as a fixed institution in the city's improv community and initiated a period of rapid enrolment growth that led the company to relocate to a larger space at Queen Street West and Roncesvalles within two years.
iO South Opens in Raleigh
iO South opened in 2006 as a joint venture between iO Chicago and ComedyWorx of Raleigh, establishing iO's third training center and the only iO franchise in the Southeast.
Hoopla Impro Founded in Balham, London
Steve Roe and Edgar Fernando founded Hoopla Impro in January 2006 as a free weekly workshop at The Bedford in Balham, South London, which grew by word of mouth into the UK's largest improv training company.
Miles Stroth Founds the Miles Stroth Workshop in Los Angeles
Miles Stroth, a former student of Del Close who had taught at iO West, founded the Miles Stroth Workshop in Los Angeles in 2007. The organisation began as a teaching enterprise and grew into a performing venue; it rebranded as The Pack Theater in 2015 with five named co-founders.
ColdTowne Theater Founded in Austin
Brian Lazzaro and Mary Borsellino founded ColdTowne Theater in Austin, Texas in 2007, establishing a community-focused long-form improv and sketch comedy venue in the East Austin arts district.
The Box Performance Space Opens in Albuquerque
The Box Performance Space opened in 2007 in downtown Albuquerque, establishing the only dedicated improv theatre in New Mexico.
Die-Nasty Reaches 500th Episode
On February 12, 2007, the Government of Alberta recognized Die-Nasty as the company performed its 500th episode, marking one of the longest-running improvised serial works in North American comedy.
Howdy Stranger Founded in New Jersey
Ryan Huban founded Howdy Stranger in northern New Jersey in 2008, building an improv troupe and training organization that grew to train thousands of students and win the NYC Tournament of Improvisers in 2019. The organization performs regularly at HACPAC and venues across New Jersey.
Curious Comedy Theater Founded in Portland
Stacey Hallal founded Curious Comedy Theater in 2008 in Portland, Oregon, as the city's first and only nonprofit dedicated to comedy, combining performance and literacy outreach programming.
Impro Montréal Founded in Montreal
Vinny François founded Impro Montréal in Montreal in 2008, creating a bilingual improv school and performance venue on boulevard Saint-Laurent in the Plateau neighbourhood.
The Maydays Begin Komedia Brighton Residency
From 2008, The Maydays began a monthly residency at Komedia Brighton and sent members to train at iO Theater and the Annoyance Theatre in Chicago, establishing the company as England's long-form improv vanguard.
Improv Everywhere Stages Frozen Grand Central in New York
On January 31, 2008, 207 participants in an Improv Everywhere mission simultaneously froze in place for five minutes inside New York City's Grand Central Terminal. Video of the Frozen Grand Central mission spread rapidly online and accumulated more than thirty-five million views, making it one of the most-watched viral videos of 2008. The mission demonstrated the documentary potential of public performance art and significantly expanded Improv Everywhere's international following.
No Pants Subway Ride Expands Internationally for the First Time
In January 2008, the No Pants Subway Ride was replicated internationally for the first time, with nine cities staging simultaneous pantless subway rides alongside New York’s event. New York’s participation reached approximately 900 riders that year, a tenfold increase from the previous year. The international expansion transformed a local New York recurring prank into a globally coordinated public performance event that by 2012 operated in 59 cities across 27 countries.
Carolina Improv Company Founded in Myrtle Beach
Gina Trimarco founded Carolina Improv Company in September 2008 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, bringing Chicago-trained short-form improv and professional training to the South Carolina coast.
Go Comedy! Improv Theater Founded in Ferndale
Pj Jacokes, Chris DiAngelo, Tommy LeRoy, and Gerald Knight founded Go Comedy! Improv Theater in November 2008 in downtown Ferndale, Michigan, establishing the primary professional improv venue in Metro Detroit.
The Second City Detroit Company Closes After Sixteen Years
The Second City Detroit company closed in 2009 after sixteen years of operation, a consequence of the city's severe economic decline during the 2008 financial crisis. Detroit was among the American cities hardest affected by the recession, and the closure ended one of the few institutionally supported comedy venues in the Great Lakes region. The Detroit company had been the company's most durable regional outpost after Chicago and Toronto.
HUGE Theater Founded in Minneapolis
Jill Bernard founded HUGE Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2009, establishing the Twin Cities' first dedicated long-form improv venue. The company grew to include house ensembles, a training program, and the annual HUGE Improv Festival.
Spontaneous Combustion Atlanta Improv Festival Launched
JStar and Becky Brett Caldwell launched Spontaneous Combustion Atlanta in 2009, an annual international improv festival hosted at The Basement Theatre that drew groups and instructors from across the United States and Canada.
OKC Improv Founded in Oklahoma City
OKC Improv was founded in 2009 in Oklahoma City, establishing the Plaza District venue that would become Oklahoma's primary improv showcase and teaching institution.
Santa Fe Improv Founded
Ben Taxy founded Santa Fe Improv in 2009 as New Mexico's dedicated long-form improv organization, which later incorporated as a nonprofit in 2019 and opened a permanent theater space in 2020.
The Nursery Theatre Founded in London
Jules Munns, Judith Amsenga, Heather Urquhart, and Robin Steegman founded The Nursery Theatre in 2009 as a UK arts educational charity promoting improv participation.
Sea Tea Improv Founded in Hartford
Six co-founders launched Sea Tea Improv on April 1, 2009, in Hartford, Connecticut, establishing what would grow into the state's largest professional comedy company.
Richmond Comedy Coalition Founded
Matt Newman, Katie Holcomb, and David Pijor founded the Richmond Comedy Coalition in June 2009, presenting their first show at Art6 Gallery after Richmond's ComedySportz franchise closed. The organization opened a permanent venue at 8 W Broad St in 2013 and restructured as Broad Street Comedy, Inc. (501(c)(3)) in 2014.
The Improv Shop Founded in St. Louis
Kevin McKernan placed the first advertisement for The Improv Shop in October 2009, and Andy Sloey joined as co-founder in 2010, establishing St. Louis's primary long-form improv training institution.
TBC Improv Founded in Edinburgh
Lauren Berning, Fernando Fresquez, and Sacha Timaeus founded TBC Improv with their first show at the Pleasance Cabaret Bar on December 10, 2009, establishing Edinburgh's first dedicated improv organisation.