Improvisation in New York
Cities
Historical Moments
Mike Nichols and Elaine May Open on Broadway
"An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May" opens on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre, running for 306 performances. The show demonstrates that improvisational comedy can reach mainstream audiences without sacrificing sophistication or intelligence. The Broadway success brings unprecedented national attention to the Chicago improv tradition and introduces character-driven, psychologically grounded improvised comedy to the American theatrical mainstream.
The Premise Opens in Greenwich Village, Bringing Compass Players' Improv Tradition to New York
Theodore J. Flicker, a former Compass Players member, opened The Premise on 22 November 1960 in a basement venue on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village. Billed as presenting 'the newest form of dramatic entertainment: Improvisational Theatre,' the cabaret ran for approximately 1,249 performances and assembled a cast including Buck Henry, George Segal, Thomas Aldredge, Joan Darling, and James Frawley before closing in 1962.
The Second City Makes Its Broadway Debut
In 1961, The Second City sent a cast to Broadway for "From the Second City," earning Tony Award nominations for Severn Darden and Barbara Harris, with Alan Arkin appearing in the cast. The Broadway run established The Second City as a nationally visible institution rather than simply a Chicago experimental theatre. The production brought the company's satirical revue format to its highest-profile New York engagement and confirmed its place at the centre of American comedy.
David Shepherd Creates the Improvisation Olympics in New York City
David Shepherd, co-founder of the Compass Players, created the Improvisation Olympics NYC in 1972 at the Space for Innovative Development in New York City, with Howard Jerome Gomberg. Teams competed before live audiences using Viola Spolin's Theater Games as the competitive framework. The short-lived format closed around 1973 but was the direct genealogical precursor to iO Theater: Shepherd later brought the format to Chicago, co-founding the Improv Olympic with Charna Halpern in 1981.
Groundlings East Opens in New York City, Bringing Groundlings Curriculum to the East Coast
In 1987, Hilaury Stern and other members of The Groundlings in Los Angeles established 'Groundlings East' in New York City, the first New York outpost for the Groundlings' character-based improv methodology. In 1988 the company became independent and renamed itself Gotham City Improv, operating a training curriculum and performance programme on the Lower East Side until its closure approximately 2015.
The Upright Citizens Brigade Troupe Relocates from Chicago to New York
In 1996, the Upright Citizens Brigade troupe relocated from Chicago to New York City, performing at venues including KGB Bar while developing the pitch that led to their Comedy Central television deal. The move positioned the group at the center of the New York alternative comedy scene and set the groundwork for the permanent Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre they would open three years later.
Upright Citizens Brigade Television Series Premieres on Comedy Central
On August 19, 1998, the Upright Citizens Brigade television series premiered on Comedy Central, featuring sketch comedy developed by Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh. The program ran three seasons through 2000 and introduced the group's anarchic, anti-authoritarian comedy to a national American audience. Its success raised the troupe's profile and accelerated the opening of their permanent New York theatre six months later.
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre Opens in Chelsea, Bringing the Harold to New York
Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh opened the UCB Theatre on 4 February 1999 at 161 West 22nd Street in Chelsea, New York City. Centred on the Harold and a structured training curriculum, UCB became the most influential improv training institution in New York over the following two decades.
The First Del Close Marathon Held in New York
The inaugural Del Close Marathon was held in New York City, organized by the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre as a tribute to Del Close. The marathon ran continuously for more than 50 hours and featured dozens of improv teams performing back-to-back, establishing an annual tradition that became one of the most significant events in the improv calendar. The DCM grew to include hundreds of teams and thousands of performances, drawing improvisers from around the world.
Charlie Todd Founds Improv Everywhere in New York City
In August 2001, Charlie Todd founded Improv Everywhere in New York City after improvising a bar scenario in which he impersonated musician Ben Folds for an enthusiastic crowd. Todd formalised the approach into an ongoing project with a stated mission of creating scenes of chaos and joy in public places. Improv Everywhere's missions involve coordinated groups acting in real-world settings without prior audience knowledge, distinguishing the form from stage performance improv.
Holly Mandel Founds Improvolution, New York's First Female-Founded Improv School
Holly Mandel, a former Groundlings Main Company member and instructor, founded Improvolution in New York City in 2002, opening at 115 Macdougal Street in Greenwich Village. It was the first improv school in New York City to be founded, owned, and operated by a woman, and brought the Groundlings' character-based curriculum to the New York market as an alternative to the Harold-focused training at UCB.
Improv Everywhere Stages the First No Pants Subway Ride
On January 5, 2002, Charlie Todd and seven friends staged the first No Pants Subway Ride for Improv Everywhere, riding the New York City subway without trousers while behaving as if nothing were unusual. The annual event grew from seven participants to thousands and expanded to cities across North America, Europe, and Asia. No Pants Subway Ride became Improv Everywhere's most replicated mission and one of the most recognised pieces of participatory public performance worldwide.
The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre's Original New York Venue Closes
On November 18, 2002, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre closed its original New York City location at 161 West 22nd Street in Chelsea due to fire code violations, ending the four-year run of its founding venue. The company reopened on April 1, 2003, at 307 West 26th Street, in a former venue called the Maverick that seated 150. The compressed closure and reopening maintained the organization's continuous New York presence through the interruption.
The PIT Opens in Chelsea as New York's Populist Multi-Discipline Comedy Venue
Ali Reza Farahnakian opened The People's Improv Theater (The PIT) on 6 December 2002 at 154 West 29th Street in Chelsea, New York City. Presenting improv, sketch, stand-up, and storytelling under one roof at accessible prices, The PIT positioned itself as a neighbourhood comedy venue and training centre distinct from the Harold-focused institutional programmes.
Improv Everywhere Stages the First MP3 Experiment in New York City
In 2004, Charlie Todd and Tyler Walker developed and staged the first MP3 Experiment, in which participants downloaded an audio file, synchronized their devices at a designated time, and followed instructions through their earphones. The format created coordinated group behavior visible to uninitiated bystanders with no visible organizational infrastructure. The MP3 Experiment became one of Improv Everywhere’s signature recurring formats, run in at least ten iterations through the 2010s and accommodating hundreds of participants per event.
Magnet Theater Founded in New York City by Chicago-Trained Improvisers
Armando Diaz, Ed Herbstman, and Shannon Manning, all trained under Del Close at iO Theater in Chicago, founded Magnet Theater in March 2005 at 254 West 29th Street in Chelsea, New York City. The theatre established a full long-form training curriculum and performance programme, with a particular emphasis on musical improvisation that made it the acknowledged New York centre for that form.
No Pants Subway Ride Expands Internationally for the First Time
In January 2008, the No Pants Subway Ride was replicated internationally for the first time, with nine cities staging simultaneous pantless subway rides alongside New York’s event. New York’s participation reached approximately 900 riders that year, a tenfold increase from the previous year. The international expansion transformed a local New York recurring prank into a globally coordinated public performance event that by 2012 operated in 59 cities across 27 countries.
Improv Everywhere Stages Frozen Grand Central in New York
On January 31, 2008, 207 participants in an Improv Everywhere mission simultaneously froze in place for five minutes inside New York City's Grand Central Terminal. Video of the Frozen Grand Central mission spread rapidly online and accumulated more than thirty-five million views, making it one of the most-watched viral videos of 2008. The mission demonstrated the documentary potential of public performance art and significantly expanded Improv Everywhere's international following.
Salt City Improv Theatre Founded in Syracuse
Salt City Improv Theatre was founded in 2010 in Syracuse, New York, establishing a comedy venue and training program at Shoppingtown Mall in DeWitt.
The Focus Theater Opens in Rochester
The Focus Theater opened in 2016 in Rochester's South Wedge neighborhood, offering improv and comedy programming and multi-level training to the Rochester area.
Buffalo Improv House Founded
Dan Reitz, returning to Buffalo from teaching positions at Magnet Theater, the PIT, and Sarah Lawrence College, launched Buffalo Improv House during the COVID-19 pandemic, establishing Western New York's first dedicated long-form improv organization. The company opened a permanent venue at the Pierce Arrow Factory Complex in September 2024.
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre Closes Permanently in New York City
On 21 April 2020, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre permanently closed its Hell's Kitchen theatre and New York training centre, citing COVID-19 disruption and pre-existing financial pressures. The closure ended UCB's twenty-one-year run as New York's primary Harold training institution. UCB NYC reopened at 242 East 14th Street in September 2024 under new ownership.
Buffalo Comedy Collective Founded in Buffalo, New York
Meghan Joyce and Scott Wojtanik founded Buffalo Comedy Collective in Buffalo, New York in 2022 as the ComedySportz Buffalo franchise, bringing competitive short-form improv to Western New York.
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre Is Acquired by New Ownership
In March 2022, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre was acquired by Mike McAvoy, former CEO of The Onion, and Jimmy Miller, co-founder of Mosaic talent management, backed by Elysian Park Ventures. The acquisition transferred ownership of the UCB brand and operations from the founding members to new institutional ownership for the first time in the organisation's history. The transition set the stage for the phased reopening of UCB venues in Los Angeles and New York.
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre Reopens in New York Under New Ownership
In September 2022, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre reopened a New York City performance venue under new ownership, more than two years after its April 2020 closure during the COVID-19 pandemic. The reopening restored UCB Theatre as a fixture of the New York comedy scene, offering shows and classes under the Upright Citizens Brigade name. A Los Angeles location followed in September 2024, completing the organisation's return to full operations.
The Second City Opens Its First New York City Location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
The Second City opened its first New York City location at 64 North 9th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on 16 November 2023, launching its inaugural Mainstage revue three days after the Training Center opened for classes on 13 November 2023. The opening represented the organisation's first expansion into New York in its sixty-four-year history.
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre Opens New York Venue at 242 East 14th Street
In September 2024, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre opened a new New York City venue at 242 East 14th Street in the East Village, completing the organisation's return to active operations in both cities after the pandemic closure of all its original locations. The East 14th Street venue marked the first permanent Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City under the McAvoy-Miller ownership group, which had reopened the Los Angeles Franklin Avenue location in September 2022.
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How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). New York. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/locales/north-america/united-states/new-york
The Improv Archive. "New York." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/locales/north-america/united-states/new-york.
The Improv Archive. "New York." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/locales/north-america/united-states/new-york. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.