Beijing Improv

Beijing Improv was co-founded in 2007 by Lottie Dowling and Jonathan Palley, establishing the first dedicated improv theatre organisation in mainland China. Operating as an all-volunteer, non-profit company, Beijing Improv built a programme of English-language and bilingual Chinese-English shows that served both the expatriate community and local Chinese audiences. The company donated all proceeds to community NGOs, embedding a philanthropic mission in its operations and building goodwill in Beijing's civil society landscape. Over its years of operation, Beijing Improv became the central institution for improv in the Chinese capital and trained performers who went on to found and join subsequent Beijing improv groups.

Beijing Improv operates as a bilingual, non-profit ensemble, combining English and Chinese performance with community philanthropy and building its identity around volunteer participation and NGO support.

As mainland China's oldest improv group, Beijing Improv established the form as a sustainable practice in China and created the community from which subsequent organisations including Beijing Broads developed.