VenueTraining Centre

ImproGuise

Founded2013
LocationCape Town, South Africa

ImproGuise is Cape Town's longest-running improv company, built on the TheatreSports format that Megan Furniss introduced to the city in 1993. The troupe has performed continuously for over three decades, earning two Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards in 2009 for Innovation in Theatre and The People's Choice Award. In later years the company expanded beyond competitive short-form games to produce long-form improvised plays, documentaries, and musicals.

History

Megan Furniss founded Theatresports Cape Town in 1993, importing the Keith Johnstone-derived competitive format to South Africa. For roughly two decades the company operated under the Theatresports name before rebranding as ImproGuise. The 2009 Fleur du Cap Awards marked a high point of public recognition, with the company taking both the Innovation in Theatre prize and The People's Choice Award. ImproGuise has expanded its training arm, offering a six-week advanced course and an eight-week beginner programme. The company has participated in the annual Mama City International Improv Festival, which launched in 2016, exposing its performers to visiting international instructors.

Artistic Identity

ImproGuise grounds its work in the TheatreSports competitive structure, where teams score points through short-form scenes and comedy games drawn from audience suggestion. In more recent programming the company layers long-form narrative work onto this foundation, exploring improvised full-length plays and musicals that prioritise character, relationship, and ensemble storytelling.

Legacy

ImproGuise is the founding institution of South African improv, with Megan Furniss's 1993 introduction of TheatreSports to Cape Town establishing the competitive format that shaped the country's improv culture for three decades. The two 2009 Fleur du Cap Awards were the first major mainstream arts recognition for improvisation as a form in South Africa.

How to Reference This Page

APA

The Improv Archive. (2026). ImproGuise. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/companies/improguise

Chicago

The Improv Archive. "ImproGuise." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/companies/improguise.

MLA

The Improv Archive. "ImproGuise." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/companies/improguise. Accessed March 17, 2026.

The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.