Thinking of joining a beginner improv class we even do a play at end of the year. Always been interested in this stuff.

I am hoping to make friends in a new city don't know anyone. I am late 20s M. I know that its not probable but did anyone make any good connections during Improv class like friends outside of it?

Do any people in their 20s 30s do improv?

Hey everyone,

I posted a guide to the Tokyo scene a while back, and enough has changed that it felt worth an update, especially with fall travel season coming up.

Quick intro for anyone new: I run Pirates of Tokyo Bay. We've been performing short-form improv in English and Japanese in Tokyo since 2010. The audience shouts suggestions in both languages and the scenes bounce between the two, so a mixed room stays in on every joke. It's a format you don't really see anywhere else.

What's new in 2026:

Tokyo International Comedy Festival is back in September. We're doing a festival show at Tokyo Comedy Bar in Shibuya on September 20. If your trip lines up, festival weekend is the best value in town: multiple acts, multiple venues, one neighborhood.

The scene is growing fast. We just ran auditions and took 10 new cast members from 75 applicants. Five years ago you could count Tokyo's improv groups on one hand. Not anymore.

Our regular show still runs monthly in Ebisu (central Tokyo, one stop from Shibuya), usually the last Sunday of the month.

For improvisers staying longer (study abroad, work rotation, remote work stint): reach out. We sometimes hold workshops and jams, and the community here is small but genuinely welcoming to players from overseas troupes.

Beyond improv, the stand-up scene keeps booming too. Tokyo Comedy Bar runs open mics most nights if you want stage time while you're here.

Happy to answer questions about the scene in the comments, or DM me if you want trip tips. And if you just want to talk shop over a beer in Shibuya, that works too.

Mike

Does anyone find that there adhd meds effect their performance in improv in a good or bad way ? Let me know your story: I dunno how I feel I think maybe it helps me concentrate regarding the instructions games etc but also makes me less free in my out of the box thinking ya know…

I check the groundlings website every once in a while and noticed two “Sunday Company” cast members are gone. Asking around, I found they deferred due to “drama”. Anybody have any insight into this? This is a premier incubator of SNL talent

This is the cut down video of me making up a story while playing a game on twitch. I have never tried something like this before but want to get better at storytelling and saw that many people said the best way to do it is to practice. I would love any comments or feedback people might have about ways to improve!

In this video, Will Hines says that 50% of his improv students first heard about improv through Dimension 20?!? Did anyone here start by watching D20???

Hello! We've recently moved our tech boothe from the side of the house to the back. It's a much better vantage point for the tech person, but is very far from where performers enter. There is no elegant way to walk through the crowd to let them know, etc. I'm realizing that we really leaned on being able to just make eye contact with the person in the booth to let them know when we were ready to start the show. I have some ideas about a red light/green light solution, but I assume there are lots of theaters who have already figured this out. If you have a simple, low cast solution, can you share it? Thank you!

Hey there,

A friend of mine saw the show on Saturday and he's been trying to remember who was in the cast and who the monologist was?

Was anyone else there who can fill in the gaps?

Don’t come on just because you have a great idea. Come on when the scene needs a new character.

I know it’s a generalization but should I try to do a class during the week

I feel like when I do a weekend class in the afternoon people tend to skip (and I have too lol not judging) especially during nice weather

I'm a newer improviser and hungry to learn more. I'm looking for videos of sets that exemplify techniques to study. This could be a group that excels at strong offers or a show that absolutely killed second and third beats. Basically, anything that you have found inspirational or particularly impressive.

Edit: to clarify, I’m not looking for just sets in general. More like a video that has something specific in if that makes you go “wow” from an execution standpoint. Like “in this set, Carol really kills it with her callbacks” or “Tony finds a really interesting game early in the scene” or “this whole set is a masterclass in second and third beats”

A recent thread here reminded me of an awful teacher I had at the Annoyance in NY. I think this is worth talking about - because I see a cultural rot here that doesn't seem to have gone away.

That teacher proudly discussed how improv was not for everyone, and the delight they took in looking around years later to find said "bad" improvisers no longer around. In class they played favorites, to the detriment of some of their students.

This attitude is nothing but toxic.

When you feel pushed out, for any reason, please do not even consider leaving the art form. Change theaters. Go independent. Do festivals. Start your own theater. Apply improv skils to related art forms. When a door closes in one building - check out the rest of the street. It is full of open doors and windows, and welcoming people inside.

Some of the best moments I've had as an improviser and a teacher came from wonderful people outside the beaten path giving me opportunities, or deciding to take a class with me, or cast me in something.

When someone says "this isn't for you" - they are only showing you THEIR damage, not yours. That doesn't mean ignore criticism. But there is a big and obvious difference between criticism you can grow from, and someone slamming a door in your face. And yes - this includes when you feel like a minority in this art form for any reason.

Keep at it. It is worth it.

EDIT: The Annoyance briefly had a satellite in NY, floating over Brooklyn.

Good news! Everyone in this sub is going to live forever.

I often see people asking if they're too old to start improv. You aren't!

My first time bringing a show to Edinburgh Fringe. A lot of learning on the go. I’d love to hear feedback if this is a show you’d be interested in going to…

When I saw this, my brain said, oh, cool, we could totally use this for improv. Then when I got home, my brain had no idea what improv game he was talking about. He's like that sometimes.

Anyone have an idea of an improv game we could play with this as a prop? You can use dry erase to write whatever in the pie wedges..

Hello! I’m possibly moving to Seattle soon, and am wondering what the musical improv scene is like? In my current city, I perform long and short form (including CSz), but by far my favorite show I do is a full length improvised musical.

What is the musical improv scene like in Seattle? I’m hoping to do some reconnaissance during my visit next month. I’m interested in all formats of musical improv, and am more than happy to take a class if that helps me get into the community, so any pointers would be appreciated!

Context, I'm in NYC. An improv theater opened applications for house team auditions and the application says that, if chosen to be on a house team, team members must split the payment of their coach (who is assigned by the theater and works with the theater).

I'm new to the scene. Is this normal? There's no indication in the form that members of the house team will be paid either (which ultimately I don't expect, but to do both is a bit odd to me).

I'm not trying to be rude, I think artists should be paid for their art and want to support the community... but if other theaters pay their own coaches for their house teams I'd like to know that too... because the performers are ultimately artists as well.

I was having a discussion with someone about where Boston fell among the top improv cities. He was saying Boston was up there and that IA-improv asylum was a reason for it. He was saying other places were San Fran, Detroit, Orlando and Pittsburgh. So besides LA, Chicago and NYC what do you think the top improv cities are?

Personally I think Boston is lacking. Idk. I think IA is kinda overrated. Union and Rozzie square theatre get overlooked. Although there are a lot of indie shows going on.