ImprovBoston

ImprovBoston is a nonprofit improvisational theater, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It offers shows five nights per week at their theatre in Central Square, workshops and training programs in improvisation, stand-up comedy and sketchwriting. Its current Artistic Director is Will Luera.

History

In 1982, Ellen Holbrook, a former student of Second City, put together the first incarnation of ImprovBoston with the encouragement of former members of "The Proposition", an earlier improv-comedy troupe. At first, she organized several loosely knit bands of improvisers into teams that competed in an “Improv Olympics” at Reilly’s Beef and Pub and later at Satch's in Boston. Eventually, this format was replaced by the unified group known today as ImprovBoston. In 1984, ImprovBoston began performing at Ryles Jazz Club in Inman Square, before acquiring a lease on the Back Alley Theater in 1993.

For several years at the Back Alley Theater, the ImprovBoston Mainstage cast performed late night weekend shows. Under the artistic direction of Nancy Howland Walker, ImprovBoston took over the lease to the Back Alley Theater and expanded to prime time slots. Nancy obtained the New England franchise of the popular "Theatersports" format, adding a show on Thursday evenings, and created a junior troupe which performed on Sundays. During her term, the cast grew from five to over twenty members. Larry Pizza became Artistic Director in 1995. In 1997, the artistic leadership transferred to Ron Jones, a former cast member from the early 1990s. It was under Jones' leadership that the theater began to extend its reach to further aspects of improvisation, creating new formats and shows beyond the traditional shortform game format the troupe had used for their Friday and Saturday night shows.

In 2000, former cast member Will Luera returned to ImprovBoston as the new Artistic Director, bringing with him several show concepts and forms that he had established under the banner of Bluescreen Productions (another improv theater that he had established in Davis Square). This merger saw a third cast added to the ImprovBoston line-up, as ImprovBoston was granted the rights to Keith Johnstone's "Micetro" format. This third cast performed weekly on Thursday nights. In 2005, the acting company expanded for the first time since 2000 when the ensemble "Wrong Kind of Funny" was brought into ImprovBoston as a fourth cast to form the ImprovBoston Family Show ensemble.

Upon taking the mantle of artistic leadership, Luera began the most aggressive expansion of the theater in its history, as several new shows, concepts, and formats were established and kept the theater doors open five nights per week. "The Hump" on Wednesday nights (improv fringe), "The Great and Secret Comedy Show" late Thursdays (stand-up comedy hosted by the Walsh Brothers), bi-monthly "Showcase Shows" in the early Friday night slot (newly-created and designed improv shows in various genres or formats), and the "Sgt. Culpepper Improvisational Jamboree" on Sunday nights (two short shows featuring independent and college troupes from around the area, followed by an audience-participation "Open Jam").

In the years that have followed, ImprovBoston has established new annual productions including "GoreFest" (a scripted horror musical every October that involves copious amounts of fake blood and special effects), "The ImprovBoston Holiday Spectacular" (a holiday-themed sketch show), the "Comedy Beanpot" (an improv tournament hosted by ImprovBoston that involves college troupes from around the New England area) and "Geek Week" (a weeklong run of fantasy, science fiction and history-related comedy shows). No longer strictly a theater of improvisation, ImprovBoston now hosts and runs weekly shows, classes, and workshops involving all facets of the art of comedy-- stand-up, sketch, improv, video, and music.

Current

ImprovBoston is currently undergoing a "Funny Money" Capital Campaign in order to fund ongoing construction in its new theatre in Central Square, Cambridge. This move will provide the theatre the funds necessary to complete renovations and foster programming and artistic growth. The new space opened in February of 2008.

Notable Alum

* Steve Carell
* Adam Felber
* Chris Nowinski
* John Rennie
* Zebro

External links

* [http://www.improvboston.com ImprovBoston]
* [http://improvboston.com/training/index.html ImprovBoston's Training Programs]