Improvisational theatre, often called improvisation or improv, is the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted: created spontaneously by the performers. In its purest form, the dialogue, action, story, and characters are created collaboratively by the players as the improvisation unfolds in present time, without use of an already prepared, written script.
Ryan Lee Stiles is an American-Canadian actor, comedian, and producer whose work is often associated with improvisational comedy. He is best known for his work on the original British series and American version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and for his role as Lewis Kiniski on The Drew Carey Show. He also played Herb Melnick on the CBS comedy Two and a Half Men and was a performer on the show Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza.
The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise and is the first ongoing improvisational theater troupe to be continually based in Chicago, with training programs and live theatres in Toronto and Los Angeles. The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959, and has since become one of the most influential and prolific comedy theatres in the world. In February 2021, ZMC, a private equity investment firm based in Manhattan, purchased the Second City.
Second Nature is a long-form improvisational theatre troupe based in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California.
Matthew Gregory Besser is an American actor, comedian, director, producer, and writer, best known as one of the four founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy troupe, who had their own show on Comedy Central from 1998–2000. He currently hosts the improvisation-based podcast Improv4humans on the Earwolf podcasting network.
Matthew Paul Walsh is an American comedian and actor, best known for his role as Mike McLintock in Veep for which he received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He is a founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy troupe, with which he co-starred in the original television series and the 2015 reboot. He also previously starred in short-lived comedy programs such as Dog Bites Man and Players, and was a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He has also co-starred in films such as Ghostbusters, Life of the Party, Ted, Into the Storm, Brigsby Bear, and Old School.
Roman Danylo is a Canadian comedian, improviser and actor based out of Vancouver, British Columbia. He is best known for his starring role in the CTV Television Network show Comedy Inc.
Jeffrey Bryan Davis is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work as a recurring performer on the improv comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway? Since July 2016, he has starred as the Goblin Hero Boneweevil on the (formerly) Seeso and VRV Direct original production HarmonQuest.
Ian Boothby is a multiple Shuster Award, Harvey Award and Eisner Award nominee and an Eisner Award–winning comic book creator best known for his work as the lead writer on Simpsons Comics and Futurama Comics for Matt Groening's Bongo Comics. Boothby has written more Simpsons Comics issues than any other writer. He is a regular writer for MAD Magazine. He has also worked on various Canadian television series and is a well known stand-up, sketch and improv comedian working in the Vancouver area. He co-created Free Willie Shakespeare for the Vancouver Theatresports League which won the Jessie Richardson Theatre Award for Excellence in Interactive Theatre.
Becky Johnson is a Canadian comedian, writer, actress, improviser, craftsperson and organizer.
Rapid Fire Theatre (RFT) is an improvisational theatre company based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Theatre Strike Force is the University of Florida's premier improv and sketch comedy troupe. The group also goes by TSF. The style of improv performed by Theatre Strike Force is a combination long form and short form. They both teach and perform improvisational comedy. They have six house teams which include both forms of improv as well as a sketch team. There are four long form house teams which are cast every semester and usually have six to eight members. The TSF Short Form Team is cast every semester as well and usually has fifteen to nineteen members. TSF Sketch is the final house team and usually has twelve to sixteen members, cast each semester.
The Fracas! Improv Festival is a three-day annual improvisational theatre festival held at The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. The festival is hosted by Second Nature Improv, one of USC's improv troupes. In addition to performances, the festival hosts discussion panels with professional improvisers currently working in television, film, and/or theatre, as well as improv workshops. While the performances and panels are open to the public, workshops are available only to registered festival participants.
Drew McCreadie, born 1967, is a Vancouver, British Columbia-based actor, playwright and improvisor. He was the winner of Best Male Improvisor in Canada at the 2007 Canadian Comedy Awards. His play The Cat Who Ate Her Husband was first performed in Vancouver by Ruby Slipper Theatre Company, and won two Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards for best new script and best play. Ruby Slippers Theatre Company also produced his Christmas farce The Hotel Bethlehem in December 2011, 2012 & 2013.
The Tenderloins are an American comedy troupe composed of Joe Gatto, James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, and Sal Vulcano. The group stars in the television series Impractical Jokers, which premiered on December 15, 2011. The program airs on truTV in the U.S. and on Comedy Central in the UK, Ireland, and India.
Katie Goodman is a comedian, author, and speaker. She has performed on Showtime’s The Green Room with Paúl Provenza, Current TV, and TruTV, and has toured internationally for over 12 years. Her comedy has amassed over 3 million views online. As a keynote speaker and trainer, Katie has taught over 10,000 people the art of bringing the tools of improvisational comedy into their work and everyday life. She writes for O, The Oprah Magazine and is the author of Improvisation For The Spirit: Living A More Creative, Spontaneous and Courageous Life Using The Tools of Improv Comedy. Katie was nominated for the MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant for her unique work in theatre. She performs her solo show I Didn't F*ck It Up in New York City and around the world. She is also a creator, writer, and director of Broad Comedy, a provocative and lovable all-women's comedy and musical satire troupe that performs sporadically at The SoHo Playhouse in NYC, and tours America raising money for organizations like Planned Parenthood and the ACLU.
Ronald Pederson is a Canadian actor, comedian and theatre director who has worked extensively throughout Canada and in the United States. He has performed with most of Canada's major theatres including The Stratford Festival, The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, The Citadel Theatre, Alberta Theatre Projects, The Arts Club, The Vancouver Playhouse, The Young Centre, The Canadian Stage Company, The Tarragon Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, Soulpepper and The SummerWorks Festival. Pederson has also worked extensively in television and may be best known for his Canadian Comedy Award-Nominated work and his three seasons on Fox Television's MADtv.
Sexpot Comedy is a comedy collective, producing or sponsoring nine podcasts and more than a dozen weekly or monthly live events in Denver, Colorado. It is run by partners Kayvan Soorena Tyler Khalatbari-Limaki, a local entrepreneur, and Andy Juett, a local comedian and producer.
The Free Association, or The FA, is a London-based improvised comedy theatre and school. It was founded in 2015 and operates two comedy venues and training centres in London. They are currently the largest provider of improvisation training in the UK.
Jamillah Ross is a Canadian comedian, actress, and singer-songwriter. She trained through Toronto's The Second City and has performed in improvisation troupes and on stage, television and film. She was in the cast of Show Stopping Number which won a Canadian Comedy Award (CCA) for best improvisational troupe.
