The 2020s
58 milestones documented from 2020–2029.
The Second City Ends Its Norwegian Cruise Line Entertainment Partnership
The Second City's fifteen-year Norwegian Cruise Line entertainment partnership effectively ended in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic halted global cruise operations and the company underwent its own closure and leadership transition. The partnership, which had placed Second City-trained performers on Norwegian ships since 2005, was not renewed following the company's acquisition by ZMC in February 2021. The cruise programme had been a significant revenue stream and a major employer of Second City Training Centre graduates.
Buffalo Improv House Founded
Dan Reitz, returning to Buffalo from teaching positions at Magnet Theater, the PIT, and Sarah Lawrence College, launched Buffalo Improv House during the COVID-19 pandemic, establishing Western New York's first dedicated long-form improv organization. The company opened a permanent venue at the Pierce Arrow Factory Complex in September 2024.
Dynamic El Dorado Founded in Atlanta
Dynamic El Dorado was founded in early 2020 in Atlanta's Old Fourth Ward, self-described as "inconveniently founded" at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the difficult launch conditions, the comedy incubator survived and established itself as a key venue in Atlanta's independent comedy scene.
Sour Dog Theatre Rebrands as Tightrope Theatre
In 2020 the company rebranded from Sour Dog Theatre to Tightrope Theatre, completing its transition to its Vancouver Mount Pleasant identity.
Dad Company Improv Founded in Mobile, Alabama
Dad Company Improv was founded in Mobile, Alabama in 2020 by four improv performers who are also fathers, specializing in long-form improvised one-act plays.
Chaotic Good Improv Founded in Birmingham, Alabama
Chaotic Good Improv was founded in Birmingham, Alabama in 2020, performing short-form improv shows at the Sidewalk Film Center in the city's arts district.
Big Couch Conceived in New Orleans
Scott Anderson and Carrie Moulder conceived Big Couch in 2020, planning a dedicated improv theater for New Orleans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Willow Creek Theatre Company Founded in Iowa City
Luke Brooks, Lindsay Brooks, and Kaya Schafer founded Willow Creek Theatre Company in January 2020 as Iowa City's first dedicated long-form improv nonprofit, though public performances were delayed until late 2021 by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre Closes Permanently in New York City
On 21 April 2020, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre permanently closed its Hell's Kitchen theatre and New York training centre, citing COVID-19 disruption and pre-existing financial pressures. The closure ended UCB's twenty-one-year run as New York's primary Harold training institution. UCB NYC reopened at 242 East 14th Street in September 2024 under new ownership.
The Second City Closes Its Stages and Andrew Alexander Resigns as CEO
In June 2020, The Second City closed its Chicago and Toronto stages and co-founder Andrew Alexander resigned as CEO following both the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown and a public reckoning over systemic barriers faced by Black performers and alumni. An open letter signed by hundreds of alumni documented discriminatory treatment within the company across decades. The dual crisis of pandemic closure and institutional reckoning precipitated the most significant leadership and ownership change in the company's history.
iO Chicago Announces Permanent Closure Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
iO Chicago announced it would close permanently, citing financial devastation from the COVID-19 pandemic. The theater, which opened as ImprovOlympic in 1981 and trained thousands of performers across nearly four decades, could not sustain itself through the extended closure required by public health mandates. The closure of iO Chicago marked the end of one of the most significant institutions in improv history and prompted widespread reflection about the fragility of live performance venues.
Impro Montréal Announces Closure Due to COVID-19
Vinny François announced the permanent closure of Impro Montréal in July 2020, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as the cause. The organization was subsequently revived under new leadership and relocated to Saint-Henri.
Protea Impro Founded in Hobart
Rowan Harris assembled the ensemble that became Protea Impro in November 2020 for The Burning Desire Festival in Hobart, originally under the name Practitioners of the Ephemeral Arts.
Dallas Comedy Club Opens in Deep Ellum
Ian and Rosie Caruth, Jamie Hogan, Sarah Tullos, and Claire Daigle opened Dallas Comedy Club in 2021 at 3036 Elm St in Deep Ellum, taking over the space vacated by Dallas Comedy House after its August 2020 pandemic closure. The new venue continued Deep Ellum's multi-genre comedy programming tradition.
Chaos Bloom Theater Opens in Denver
Chaos Bloom Theater opened at 70 S Broadway in Denver's Baker neighborhood in mid-2021, co-founded by Justin Francin, Amey Goerlich, and Zak Roland. Goerlich had organized outdoor community improv shows during the 2020 pandemic lockdown before the venue opened. The theater won Westword's Best Intimate Improv Club in Denver in 2024.
Crossroads Comedy Theater Established in Indianapolis
Mike Marbach, former Education Director and Artistic Director at Philly Improv Theater (2011-2020), founded Crossroads Comedy Theater and concentrated its operations in Indianapolis in 2021, bringing long-form improv training and performance to the Central Indiana comedy scene.
Levity Theatre Founded in Coeur d'Alene
Noah Johnson founded Levity Theatre in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho in 2021, establishing northern Idaho's first dedicated adult improv venue after volunteering and performing at Upfront Theatre in Bellingham, Washington. The company relocated to downtown Coeur d'Alene in June 2025.
Kismet Improv Founded in Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Luke and Taylor Bruneaux founded Kismet Improv in Fall 2021 at Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, establishing a long-form improv company in the greater Providence area.
Mockingbird Improv Founded in San Diego
Mockingbird Improv was founded in San Diego, California in 2021 as a nonprofit, continuing the improv community of Old Town Improv Company following that organization's closure in 2020.
Rails Comedy Founded in Washington, D.C.
Walker Green founded Rails Comedy in Washington, D.C. in 2021, establishing a sketch and improv comedy company at the DC Arts Center in the Adams Morgan neighborhood.
Vancouver TheatreSports League Rebrands as The Improv Centre
In 2021 the organization officially changed its name from Vancouver TheatreSports League to The Improv Centre, reflecting its evolution into a multi-format improv training and performance organization.
Vancouver TheatreSports League Renamed The Improv Centre
In 2021 the organization formally adopted The Improv Centre as its official registered name, completing the transition from its founding identity as Vancouver TheatreSports League.
The Second City Is Sold to ZMC
After the pandemic devastated live performance revenue and pushed the company into a sale process, The Second City was acquired in February 2021 by the private equity firm ZMC. The sale marked a major ownership change for the institution during a period of financial and organizational upheaval.
Charna Halpern Sells the iO Brand and Building
In 2021, after iO had closed during the pandemic, Charna Halpern sold the theater building and the iO brand to new owners who intended to reopen the institution. The sale marked the end of Halpern’s direct ownership after decades of shaping iO’s role in long-form improv.
Imposters Theater Founded in Cleveland
Michael Busch founded Imposters Theater in Cleveland, Ohio in August 2021 after returning from 15 years in the Los Angeles comedy scene, establishing what he described as Northeast Ohio's first permanent home of improv. The theater secured a permanent space in Ohio City through a 2022 Kickstarter campaign.
Garden City Improv Founded in Victoria, BC
Kevin Matviw and Nash Park founded Garden City Improv in Victoria, BC in September 2021, establishing the city's first professional improv training centre with Second City-trained instruction.
The Bit Theater Opens in Aurora, Illinois
Michael and Kelsey Bradt opened The Bit Theater in September 2021 in Aurora, Illinois, in the former Comedy Shrine space at Fox Valley Center Drive, establishing a multi-genre comedy venue with an equity-access class policy.
Big Fork Theatre Opens Dedicated Fortitude Valley Venue
Big Fork Theatre opened its own venue at Level 2, 252 St Paul's Terrace, Fortitude Valley in 2022, establishing Brisbane's only dedicated space for improv, sketch, and stand-up comedy.
Bird Comedy Theater Opens in Kansas City
The Bird Comedy Theater opened in 2022 in the Crossroads Arts District of Kansas City, Missouri, co-founded by Bobby Miller Jr. The venue quickly became the city's primary dedicated comedy space.
Anubis Improv Opens Oxford, Mississippi Location
Anubis Improv opened a second location in Oxford, Mississippi in 2022, expanding the organization's long-form improv programming to a university town market.
Boomerang Comedy Theater Founded in Baton Rouge
Angi and Travis Noote founded Boomerang Comedy Theater in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 2022, establishing a structured four-level improv curriculum and performance program in the Louisiana capital.
Buffalo Comedy Collective Founded in Buffalo, New York
Meghan Joyce and Scott Wojtanik founded Buffalo Comedy Collective in Buffalo, New York in 2022 as the ComedySportz Buffalo franchise, bringing competitive short-form improv to Western New York.
Handsome Bevel Improv Founded in Regina
Stenberg, Vince Good, and Linden Kohut founded Handsome Bevel Improv in Regina, Saskatchewan in late 2022, establishing an independent improv company in a city with an already active improv scene.
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre Is Acquired by New Ownership
In March 2022, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre was acquired by Mike McAvoy, former CEO of The Onion, and Jimmy Miller, co-founder of Mosaic talent management, backed by Elysian Park Ventures. The acquisition transferred ownership of the UCB brand and operations from the founding members to new institutional ownership for the first time in the organisation's history. The transition set the stage for the phased reopening of UCB venues in Los Angeles and New York.
Third Space Tulsa Founded in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Third Space Tulsa was founded in May 2022 through the Third Space Society nonprofit in Tulsa, Oklahoma, combining improv comedy with mental health and community wellness programming.
The Second City Reopens Its Chicago Stage Under ZMC Ownership
The Second City reopened its Chicago and Toronto stages in 2022 under new ZMC ownership, returning to live performance after more than two years of pandemic closure and institutional restructuring. Ed Wells was named CEO in September 2022 to lead the reconstituted organisation. The reopening included programming and operational changes intended to address the equity concerns raised by alumni during the June 2020 reckoning.
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre Reopens in New York Under New Ownership
In September 2022, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre reopened a New York City performance venue under new ownership, more than two years after its April 2020 closure during the COVID-19 pandemic. The reopening restored UCB Theatre as a fixture of the New York comedy scene, offering shows and classes under the Upright Citizens Brigade name. A Los Angeles location followed in September 2024, completing the organisation's return to full operations.
Kevin Patrick Robbins Begins Coaching the McMaster Improv Team at McMaster University
Kevin Patrick Robbins began coaching the McMaster Improv Team at McMaster University in Hamilton in September 2022. The move extended his long-form teaching into a new university setting and helped grow the student club from a small group into a larger active ensemble during the 2022-23 school year.
Second City Hollywood Closes After 17 Years
Second City Hollywood closed in October 2022 after seventeen years at 6560 Hollywood Boulevard. In June 2023, The Second City announced it would no longer pursue a brick-and-mortar Los Angeles space.
Second City Toronto Opens at One York Street
The Second City Toronto opened its current home at One York Street in November 2022, its third major venue after the Old Firehall and the 1997 theatre district location.
Applied Improvisation Network World Conference Centres on Sustainability
The Applied Improvisation Network's 2023 World Conference adopted sustainability as its central theme, connecting applied improv methods to questions of environmental and organizational resilience. The conference demonstrated the network's capacity to engage with substantive challenges beyond performance training and individual skill development, positioning the field within global conversations about systemic change and adaptive response to complex problems. The sustainability focus reflected two decades of growth from a 30-person founding gathering to a community of more than 5,000 practitioners.
Faraway Theater Founded in Birmingham
Michael Greene, Jacob Simmons, and Tim Casper, the three members of Birmingham long-form improv group Gladys, founded Faraway Theater in Birmingham, Alabama in 2023, establishing the city's only dedicated improv comedy theatre. The founders brought training from the New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles improv traditions to build Alabama's primary improv institution.
Blah Blah Blah Improv Founded in Gold Coast
Mandy Plumb founded Blah Blah Blah Improv in January 2023 in Coolangatta on the Gold Coast, bringing dedicated improv programming to the Queensland-New South Wales border region.
Keith Johnstone Dies in Calgary at Age Ninety
Keith Johnstone died on March 11, 2023, at Rockyview General Hospital in Calgary, Alberta, at the age of ninety. Johnstone created the Theatresports competitive format in the late 1970s and authored Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre (1979) and Impro for Storytellers (1998), two of the most widely read books in improvisational performance. His emphasis on status, spontaneity, and acceptance shaped the pedagogy of improvisation schools across North America, Europe, and Australia.
Blanche Improv Founded in London
Lelda founded Blanche Improv in June 2023, establishing a female-led long-form improv company focused on giving underrepresented performers stage time.
Home Comedy Theater Established in Chicago's East Lakeview
Cesar Jaime, a twenty-year iO Theater veteran, signed a lease for the Home Comedy Theater at 2843 N. Halsted Street in Chicago's East Lakeview neighbourhood in July 2023, establishing the venue with a founding circle that included Liz Allen, Peter Gwinn, and Susan Messing. The 80-seat theatre with bar and restaurant, oriented around the Harold and the Del Close long-form tradition, began operations in the 2024–2025 season.
The Second City Opens Its First New York City Location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
The Second City opened its first New York City location at 64 North 9th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on 16 November 2023, launching its inaugural Mainstage revue three days after the Training Center opened for classes on 13 November 2023. The opening represented the organisation's first expansion into New York in its sixty-four-year history.
ImprovBoston Closes After 40+ Years, Citing COVID-Era Financial Losses
ImprovBoston permanently ended its operations on 31 December 2023 after more than forty years in the Cambridge improv and comedy scene. The organisation cited financial pressures that began with the COVID-19 pandemic closure in March 2020 and from which it was unable to recover despite a 2021 revival attempt.
Wayward Improvised Theatre Founded in Ottawa
Wayward Improvised Theatre was founded in Ottawa, Ontario in 2024 by an experienced leadership group, presenting short-form, long-form, narrative, and Maestro improv formats at Arts Court.
Big Couch Opens Physical Venue in Bywater
Big Couch opened its physical performance space in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans in January 2024, giving the city a dedicated improv theater after years of planning.
Coast Improv Founded on Sunshine Coast
Alistair Cook founded Coast Improv in March 2024 on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, introducing a free-of-charge community improv program to the region.
The Revival Opens 150-Seat Theatre in Chicago's South Loop Film Row
On 9 May 2024, The Revival opened at 906 S. Wabash Avenue in Chicago's South Loop, a building historically associated with Chicago's 'Film Row,' which once housed distribution offices for MGM, Paramount, and Warner Bros. The new 150-seat theatre was approximately 50 per cent larger than the Hyde Park venue, marking the end of the Revival's nine-year presence at 55th and University.
Improv North Founded in Manchester
Freya Parker and Paul Foxcroft founded Improv North in Manchester in 2024, launching taster sessions in September 2024 and introducing long-form organic improvisation to the city.
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre Opens New York Venue at 242 East 14th Street
In September 2024, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre opened a new New York City venue at 242 East 14th Street in the East Village, completing the organisation's return to active operations in both cities after the pandemic closure of all its original locations. The East 14th Street venue marked the first permanent Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City under the McAvoy-Miller ownership group, which had reopened the Los Angeles Franklin Avenue location in September 2022.
HUGE Theater Closes Permanently
HUGE Theater closed permanently in October 2024 after fifteen years as the Twin Cities' primary long-form improv venue. Founder Jill Bernard cited financial pressures including rising costs and the lasting impact of the 2020-2021 pandemic closure on the company's audience base.
Leela Improv Theatre Opens Raleigh Location
Jill Eickmann and Christopher Eickmann opened a Raleigh, North Carolina location of their San Francisco-based Leela improv institution in 2025 at 309 N Boylan Ave in Glenwood South, extending Leela's heart-centered long-form improv curriculum to the Triangle area.
ComedySportz Houston Rebrands as The Good Friend Theater
ComedySportz Houston rebranded as The Good Friend Theater in July 2025 and relocated from EaDo to 8301 Jones Road in Jersey Village, opening to a sold-out crowd on July 22, 2025.
The Free Association Opens Permanent Southwark Venue
The Free Association opened its first permanent home at Arch 26, Old Union Yard Arches, Southwark on October 16, 2025, with a 104-seat theatre, cafe-bar, and classroom on a 10-year lease.