Baltimore Improv Festival

Philadelphia, PA

Adrift Website

Disaster has struck a ship hosting a high school reunion at sea. A small handful of survivors have made it onto a life raft and find themselves adrift with no supplies and no land in sight. Taking place over the course of several days at sea, the show follows the aftermath of the shipwreck as we meet the survivors. Some may be old friends, others old enemies, while some may have barely been known at all. Brief segments of three days at sea gives the audience a small comedic glimpse at the survivors and their progressive/regressive states of mind.

New York, NY

The Cascade Website

Magnet Theater Website

Scientists cannot disprove the existence of an infinite number of alternate universes nearly identical to ours except for slight changes. The Cascade explores the impact of this theory upon two people through honest, funny and playfully painful moments re-lived and re-imagined in multiple ways. Improvisers Jennifer Dunne and Rick Andrews have a keen attention to detail while orchestrating an astonishing portrait of what could have been.

Washington, DC

ComedySportz DC Website

ComedySportz DC's resident mainstage improvisers take a break from the PG-13, good wholesome family fun of Comedy Sportz for a more adult themed "Blue Show". There is no age requirement for this show - but enter at your own peril. Please do not bring kids, your mom or livestock to this show. You can see the Blue Show and ComedySportz at the DC-based Comedy Spot Fridays and Saturdays.

Baltimore, MD

Highly-energetic swarming improv with a side of crazy - usually inspired by the contents of an audience member's wallet or purse.

New York, NY

Dunk Website

Magnet Theater Website

Aggressive and fun improv out of New York City's Magnet Theater. To Dunk, there are no mistakes, and they will weave whatever happens into a Navajo blanket of hoopla and merriment. The whole buffalo will be used, every idea, character, thought, and silly voice. Dunk proves that tall people can be funny. Come join us in our free love improv teepee.

Baltimore, MD

Longtime BIG members Prescott Gaylord and Mike Harris have developed a show whose wild physicality has dragged audience members (sometimes literally) into the show, and sent theater owners sprinting off to check out their liability waivers. The members of ETL have been invited performers at festivals in Chicago, Austin, Philadelphia, and D.C. No audience members will be harmed as part of their performance. The same cannot be said of them.

Baltimore, MD

Gus performs a variety of long-form improv formats, most notably, the swarm style. In December 2008, debuted a new full-length improvised play format. In 2009, they again pushed the boundaries of improv by doing joint shows with The Collective modern dance troupe and Gilded Lily Burlesque. They are easily excitable.

Harrisburg, PA

Hot and Modest formed in a basement. Kim Faubel and Sara Hilton have performed separately and together with local improv phenoms Don't Break the Streak and The Oxymorons, and realized that they wanted to do something more. They wanted to find a way to combine their love of improv with their love of interrogating unsuspecting strangers, and subsequently Hot and Modest was born. They love candy, improv, makeup, philosophy, and hugs. Mostly just Sara with the hugs, Kim would generally prefer a firm handshake.

Boston, MA

ImprovBoston Mainstage is the ever-evolving show that is the cornerstone of ImprovBoston. Blending skillful storytelling, memorable music, audience participation, and joyful chaos, an elite cast of Boston's best improvisers creates a show that redefines itself with every performance. No rules. No boundaries. Just spectacular comedy and incredible improvisation.

Washington, D.C.

iMusical Website

iMusical: The Improvised Musical! joins the unpredictable playfulness of comedic improvisation with the emotional power of musical theater. A cast of singer-improvisers instantly creates a compelling new show with each performance, comprised of completely improvised scenes, lyrics and music, all inspired by a single audience suggestion.

The Washington Post calls iMusical "spot on," and they have performed to standing ovations in several comedy festivals (Philadelphia, Baltimore, Del Close Marathon in New York at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater), as well as at venues across the DC area, including the Kennedy Center. Under the direction of Travis Ploeger, former longtime member of New York's renowned Chicago City Limits, iMusical explores the human condition via song and laughter.

iMusical has now performed over 100 shows since 2006!

Baltimore, MD

Lekker will get all up in your grill with their many creative improv formats - including Improvised Facebook. Will they post on your wall? Will they like your status update? Friend them and find out.

New York, NY

MacCloskey and Myers Website

Known by some as the "Sweethearts of Improv," MacCloskey and Myers take their date night onstage and bring plenty of odd characters and situations with them.

New York, NY and Philadelphia, PA

Michael McFarland (Philly native/New York improviser) and Greg Maughan (founder of PHIT, the Philly Improv Theater) ask their audience about something they love, and then turn a brief interview into the jumping off point for a set that explores love in all it's forms: from brotherly love to patriotism, and from love for fishing to loving the smell of napalm in the morning.

Baltimore, MD

Mister Licorice was formed in the fall of 2007 by the Baltimore Improv Group, guided by the creative vision of Jim McGarvey, whose early attempts to create a new format of improv based on NASCAR were quickly shot down by the cast. From the ashes of NASCAR-prov rose a new and exciting troupe that has performed at the Chicago Improv Festival, the Philly Improv Festival, and the Del Close Marathon in NY. In 2009, the cast scattered around the country to places like New York and Chicago, forcing them to rehearse over email, although if you ever ask Mister Licorice where his home is, he will say "Baltimore, home of the best damn improv audiences in the world."

Philadelphia, PA

The N Crowd Website

The N Crowd is a short form improv comedy troupe from Philadelphia. Since 2005 they have been making Philly funny with their weekly comedy shows. In 2008 and 2010 they were selected by City Voter as the best comedy club in Philadelphia. The N Crowd has appeared in the Toronto Improv Festival, The Richmond Improv Festival, the Philadelphia Improv Festival, and the North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival.

New York, NY

Nobody's Token Website

From the people who brought you The Cosby Show, I mean, the people who were brought up ON The Cosby Show, we present: Nobody's Token. Nobody's Token is always a brand new episode of wacky characters and out of this world situations that you know and love, in a sitcom you've never seen before, and won't get to see again. Based on your suggestions, the best improvisers in New York bring you a show you've never seen before: a live, improvised sitcom.

Every night you'll scream with laughter as we bring the funny out of your TV and right in front of you. Tell your wacky neighbors, sexy housewives, and cute kid sisters to stay home, because you're seeing Nobody's Token. Out of control situations, hilarious characters, and surprising plot twists will keep you chuckling all the way home after a Nobody's Token show. A unique experience every night! You can come back to each performance in the festival and be treated to an all-new cast of characters in a completely new situation. The show is based exclusively on audience suggestions, so come back to see what this talented improv troupe invents next.

Harrisburg, PA

The Oxymorons Website

The Oxymorons improv comedy troupe formed in 2010, a year that will eventually be marked in history books for its awesomeness. The group consists of actors from the central PA area, including York and Harrisburg. Our improv games, familiar to those who watched "Whose Line Is It Anyway?," are all about thinking on our feet, making stuff up on the spot, and praying nobody realizes we're flying by the seat of our pants.

Baltimore, MD

One of the longest running BIG troupes, and the only one named after birth control, Plan B performs a mid-form style that combines short form's high level of audience interaction with the scene work and character development associated with long form.

WARNING: Do not attend this show if you are or have been pregnant, nursing, ever plan on being pregnant, or are aware of human reproduction systems. Side effects made include loss of conciousness, sporradic heat vision, Restless Gardening Syndrome (RGS), and/or typhoid.

Baltimore, MD

Population: 6 (Pop. 6) performs various long-form improv styles. They are currently exploring a duologue-based format dubbed 'Weird Ass' by the folks at Second City. This modified swarm, peppered with two-person interviews, is a platform for eccentric characters to find dynamic relationships with each other, and with their environment. A single word suggestion quickly turns into a story where anything and anywhere is possible, and the journey is as important as the destination.

Baltimore, MD

Two body artists, four puppeteers, six improvisers and an empty stage are carefully woven together to create a collaboration of movement, visual art and unscripted theater that you will never forget. Two of Baltimore's best body painters are asked to create characters on bodies from audience suggestion in real time on stage. Those characters are then given life by full body puppeteers and voice by improv actors. What ensues is an outrageous orgy of beautiful artistic expression and wit.

Peter Cardimone from What Weekly called Skinesthesia "arguably one of the best shows I've had the pleasure of attending in Baltimore. "

New York, NY

Student Driver Website

Student Driver are champions of New York's independent improv community. As hosts of "Student Driver: Indie Road" (every Sunday at 7pm at The People's Improv Theater in New York City), they invite two indie teams to open - often giving debut performances - and then they headline the night with their fast-paced, no-holds-barred approach to long-form improvisation. With this crazy group you truly never know what will happen. Their shows are not to be missed!

Baltimore, MD

Puppets + Improv. Its like watching a muppets movie created on the spot!

Philadelphia, PA

Til Death Do Us Part is a hilarious improvised take on wedded bliss. Improvisers Steve Roney and Mary Carpenter (both of Comedysportz Philadelphia), have 34 years of marriage betwen them-just not to each other. From love to lust to logistics, they find the unexpected, awkward, outrageous and hilarious in this most blessed of unions.

Baltimore, MD

Baltimore Improv Group's newest troupe, Training for Prom's long form formats and creative talent have brought down the house at recent BIG performances, most notably, the aptly named "BIG Prom Show."