Carolina Improv Company
Carolina Improv Company is a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina improv venue founded in September 2008 by Gina Trimarco, a Chicago transplant who relocated to Myrtle Beach in 2007. The company won the 2009 Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Business Innovation Award and held TripAdvisor's number one nightlife ranking in 2010. After closing in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic rendered its Myrtle Beach Mall venue financially unviable, the company revived in May 2023 through a partnership with Long Bay Theatre at a new downtown Myrtle Beach location.
History
Founding (2008)
Gina Trimarco, who had relocated from Chicago to Myrtle Beach in 2007, launched Carolina Improv Company's first class in November 2008 following a September 2008 organizational founding. Trimarco established the company in various Myrtle Beach area locations before settling in the Myrtle Beach Mall in a space called Uptown Theater, named after a Chicago venue.
Recognition
Carolina Improv Company won the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Business Innovation Award in 2009 and held TripAdvisor's number one nightlife attraction ranking in Myrtle Beach in 2010, establishing it as a prominent destination in the market.
Pandemic Closure and Revival (2020 and 2023)
The COVID-19 pandemic forced Carolina Improv Company to close in March 2020, and the permanent closure of the Myrtle Beach Mall made reopening at that location financially impossible. In May 2023 the company revived through a partnership with Long Bay Theatre at a new location in the downtown Myrtle Beach Arts and Innovation District at 706 8th Avenue North.
Artistic Identity
Carolina Improv Company presents short-form improv and multi-level training in Myrtle Beach, offering family-friendly programming for a tourist-heavy coastal market.
Key Events
Carolina Improv Company Founded in Myrtle Beach
Gina Trimarco founded Carolina Improv Company in September 2008 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, bringing Chicago-trained short-form improv and professional training to the South Carolina coast.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Carolina Improv Company. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/companies/carolina-improv-company
The Improv Archive. "Carolina Improv Company." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/companies/carolina-improv-company.
The Improv Archive. "Carolina Improv Company." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/companies/carolina-improv-company. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.