Sarasota Improv Festival celebrates the evolution of an art form

Improv comedy is a living art form. Like all living things, it evolves. In 2025, the emerging variants are smart, musical, narrative-driven, genre-fluid and inclusive. These mirthful mutations are hitting the stage at this year’s Sarasota Improv Festival. Seventeen edgy improv troupes take their art form into the future. With help from FST's new associate improv director, Sarah Durham, they’re doing it here and now. She's taking a bigger role in the festival that FST Managing Director Rebecca Hopkins started back in 2009. Spoiler alert: Evolutionary overlaps ahead. Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy ride …

Fractured fairytales. (Silly stories, not short stories)

Forget quick-and-dirty punchlines. These troupes tell long-form tales with relatable characters, gripping story arcs and emotional depth — and make it all up on the fly. It’s probably how Homer created “The Odyssey.” It’s a 2,500-year-old technique, but it still works. What’s old is new again! And it’s still funny.

Parallelogramophonograph (Austin, Texas). These puckish sprites are the ninjas of shaggy-dog storytelling, well-drawn characters and interwoven plots. Their unscripted dramas feel like play readings; their cinematic snippets are grounded in savvy genre tropes. If brevity is the soul of wit, long-form hilarity takes a whole lot of soul. They’ve got it. July 18, 7 p.m. • July 19, 8 p.m.

The magical, musical improv tour

Time to face the music. Long-form stories are tough to improvise. Making up music and lyrics is an even higher level of difficulty. Ah, but listen carefully. You’ll hear the music playing in the 21st century improv scene — and at this year’s Improv Fest, too. You’ll hear everything from old-school Broadway show tunes to daredevil stunts on the hip-hop highwire. It’s all funny; it’s all good — and totally improvised. Here are four of this year’s musical mutations:

Forgotten Broadway (Orlando). The troupe’s name is a nod to “Forbidden Broadway,” a snarky satire of big-name Broadway blockbusters. Their show is a love letter to Broadway flops you’ve never heard of. This singing/dancing quartet mines (and mimes) the trajectory of falling Broadway stars. (Fictitious failures, so dry your eyes.) The show’s storylines and show tunes flow from audience input. The sidesplitting results are unscripted, unpredictable and unforgettable. July 18, 7 p.m. • July 19, 5 p.m.

Courtesy image

North Coast Improv (New York City). This talented troupe is the gold standard of freestyle hip-hop improv. Their act is a rapid-fire blend of rap battles, musical hooks and razor-sharp comic timing. It’s hilarious — but it sets a very high bar. Don’t try it at home … unless you’re in the shower. Never try it at parties. July 18, 8 p.m. • July 19, 6 p.m.

Shitzprobe (New York City). These musical madcaps will improvise a full-blown, on-the-spot Broadway musical at FST. It’ll be a world premiere — like all of their shows. What’s the story? Audience suggestion plants the seed. Who stars? There are guest performers — who get thrown into the deep end of the improv pool. They’re always backed up by a troupe of seasoned pros, Broadway vets and a live band, so nobody’s drowned yet. But expect to be drowned in laughter. No S@!#. July 19, 4 p.m.

Here: The (Improvised) Musical (Columbus, Ohio). “Here” is now here. The musical, that is. At the Improv Fest. Yes, another improvised musical. Tara DeFrancisco and Rance Rizzutto are the musical’s improvisers. Yet again, the musical’s premise is an audience suggestion. But the show’s similarity to other improv musicals ends there. The core premise can be brilliant or bonkers. So what? Either way, it’s merely a launch pad for the duo’s spontaneous themes, characters, songs and storylines. It’s an intimate back-and-forth, not sensory overload. And 90 minutes of pure genius. July 18, 8 p.m. • July 19, 7 p.m.

Satirical genre-bending

These fast-talking, quick-thinking improvisers entered the catacombs of high and low art — and emerged with comedy gold. Beautiful objects … of ridicule. If there’s a pop culture balloon, these troupes will pop it. Trendy targets, sure. But they also poke fun at 1950s TV shows, old detective movies and corporate training videos. Expect lots of nerdy fan service — and plenty of dead references, too. Only one person might laugh. That’s enough.

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Available Cupholders (Austin, Texas). These prodigal parodists have a treasure chest of cultural artifacts. From Shakespeare, to sit-coms, to sci-fi, it’s all fair game. They’ll spoof Godzilla or Galadriel alike with razor-sharp timing and sizzling invention. Their satire is brainy — but not heartless. It’s the comedy of empathy. You laugh with their targets, not at them. July 18, 9 p.m. • July 19, 6 p.m.

Outsiders included. Diverse voices heard

Everybody’s different; that’s something we all have in common. Seems obvious, but comic voices outside the mainstream have been marginalized for years. But not at this year’s Sarasota Improv Fest. They’re bringing the outsiders in. And putting their diverse perspectives on stage. It’s inclusive, experimental, incisive, funny stuff. You probably haven’t heard it before. Here’s an inside look …

Dad’s Garage (Atlanta). Garage rock is edgy and fearless. This improv ensemble is, too. They combine their inclusive cast with alt-comedy collaborators — and join forces with drag queens, puppet masters and a rainbow of non-conformists. The genre-bending satire they create? The dial goes from smart satire to delicious idiocy. You might see Shakespeare’s mission to Mars or a game show hosted by a drunken robot. Whatever you see, it’ll be funny as hell. July 18, 7 p.m. • July 19, 7 p.m.

Metaphysical comedy, no. Physical comedy, yes

Athletic, acrobatic improvisers get laughs with fearless movement, absurdity and character-based action. As the Three Stooges knew, comedy isn’t confined to the mind. These troupes want to get physical. And do. You’ll bust a gut laughing.

Image courtesy of FST

2-Man No-Show (Toronto, Canada). This dynamic duo (aka Isaac Kessler and Ken Hall) delivers a volatile blend of physicality, screwball comedy and mind-bending improv. They’re interactive, unpredictable and fearless. And a perennial cult favorite to improv insiders. July 18, 7 p.m. • July 19, 5 p.m.

Chaos theory

When in doubt, throw all the improvisers on stage, stir vigorously, bring their comedy to a boil, and see what happens. What manner of comedy? Whatever they’ve got. Speech, song, physical comedy, conceptual comedy, new wave, old school — it’s all in the stew. That’s the theory. Here’s the practical application …

All Play. The Improv Festival’s grand finale is a pyrotechnic playground of improv games, instant sketches, and surprise song parodies. More than improvisors drop any remaining inhibitions — and mix it up. The resulting comedy isn’t mere anarchy. Think Bebop at its best, when the musicians hit the same telepathic groove. Think unscripted mayhem with the energy of a Mardi Gras parade and a pillow fight. See what I’m saying? If not, stay up late and find out for yourself. July 19, 10:30 p.m.

This story has been updated to correct Sarah Durham's title to associate director of improv at Florida Studio Theatre.