Philly Improv Theater is the premier longform improvisation school in the Metro Philadelphia area. We offer improv classes and are currently working to raise funds for a permanent longform improv theater in the city (we're not good at sharing, so we want our own space soon)!

Latest News

7/7/08 COMIC VS. AUDIENCE COMEDY SHOW PREMIERES TONIGHT! Come check out this great collaboration between Comic Vs. Audience (Philly's hottest comedy blog) and Philly Improv Theater. $5 gets you an hour of the best alternate standup in the city. Advance tix still available here.

6/30/08 WIT COMING TO PHIT. The Washington Improv Theater's Dr. Fantastic will have a weekend in residence during our next Shubin Week. You can get tickets for one of our favorite improv groups in the entire country by visiting our tickets page now.

6/20/08 LIMITED SPACE LEFT IN IMPROV FOR TEENS. This class has been quite popular since it was first announced. Send your kids off for a week of great fun at PHIT, learning the basics of improv. Designed for High School students, with a performance at the end of the week for invited family and friends. Click here to enroll.

6/2/08 LEVEL 3 CLASS IS SOLD OUT. If you were planning to sign up for this class it is now too late. Another session will be offered in the fall.

5/20/08 SUMMER CLASSES ARE ALL ANNOUNCED! Head on over the classes page for lots of level 1 classes... including our first ever adult and TEEN Level 1 INTENSIVES. Take a week off and come get a solid foundation in improv!

5/7/08 SHUBIN WEEK STARTS TONIGHT - WITH DAVE HILL AT BEDTIME STORIES! That's right, you can't even believe your luck with the amazing lineup we have this time around. It's gonna knock your socks off, I swear. Check it all out on our shows page, or buy tickets online.

4/8/08 PHIT AUDITIONS FOR FIRST EVER HOUSE TEAMS! Wow, we can't even begin to explain how excited we are about this. And we don't have space here to give you all the details (but click here to get them). Short version? They're Monday, April 28th 5pm-10pm. You'll be assigned a 30 minute timeslot after you contact the theater via email to schedule an audtion! Callbacks will be May 5th, 2008 from 5pm-10pm. The benefits on being on a House Team are outrageous. Seriously, check out the link with full details.

3/24/08 PROJECT HOME FUNDRAISING TOTAL IN! A big thanks to everyone who helped PHIT raise over $1000 to benefit Project H.O.M.E. earlier this month (we raised exactly $1,162.50 when we closed our books on the benefit). Just think: not only did you laugh, you also did good. That's something everyone can be proud of, except Jack Bauer... he never laughs.

3/8/08 DON'T FORGET - THE PARADE OF A-HOLES IS TOMORROW NIGHT AT 7PM! We'll be auctioning off improvisers posing as terrible dates, along with fabuluous prizes. Keep the prize, skip the date. The entire night is a benefit for Project H.O.M.E. and we've got everything from a pile of sports tickets, to huge bar mirrors, to a chance to workshop and perform with Rare Bird Show. We've also got movies, movie tickets, theater tickets, free PHIT goodies - the list goes on and on and on...

3/4/08 STANDING ROOM ONLY FOR BEDTIME STORIES: "WAY DOWN IN THE HOLE" (A TRIBUTE TO THE WIRE) TOMORROW NIGHT. Maybe it's because we've been made a Philly Weekly A-list pick, or maybe it's just because everyone finally started watching The Wire - but our show tomorrow night is SOLD OUT seat-wise. There will be standing room tickets sold, along with unclaimed will call tickets, starting 5 minutes before curtain time. Get there early if you want to try and grab a ticket.

2/25/08 PHIT's BEDTIME STORIES IN THE DAILY NEWS! Philly's favorite gossip columnist Dan Gross shouts out to Bedtime Stories March edition, which happens to a tribute to TV's own media darling: The Wire. In a related story, PHIT would also like to be a media darling. Did you hear us media-types? We love you! Big thanks to Dan! Yay for the Daily News! Read the full article here.

2/15/08... PHIT ANNOUNCES A HUGE FREAKIN' FUNDRAISER FOR PROJECT HOME (AND US!) THIS MARCH. A portion of all proceeds from our March run at the Shubin Theatre will be going to Project HOME to help those without... well... homes. The idea for this great collaboration came about when PHIT Executive Director Greg Maughan's car was broken into and used as a homeless shelter/pawn shop for all of PHIT's audio/visual equipment last December. Come on out, laugh AND feel good about yourself at the same time. All the shows are listed on our, um, shows page.

1/24/08... MORE STUFF FOR YOU TO ENROLL IN! MORE SHOWS COMING SOON! GOODNESS ABOUNDS! Hey everyone, we've got new Level 1's, a great workshop with Peter McNerney from the Magnet Theater in NYC and a whole two weekends of shows at the Shubin Theatre coming up - check it all over the place on the site!

1/9/08... SPACE STILL AVAILABLE IN ALI'S IMPROV WORKSHOP, LEVELS 1 & 2 SOLD OUT, SHUBIN RUN STARTS TONIGHT. How's that for a bunch of stuff going on all at once? Whatever you improv tastes - classes, master classes, or shows - we've got something for you right now. Don't miss the chance to laugh or make others laugh!

12/23/07... REGISTRATION FOR ALI FARAHNAKIAN'S SKETCH WRITING FOR SNL AND IMPROV WORKSHOPS NOW OPEN! We are super excited to have Ali Farahnakian, a former SNL writer and the owner of the Peoples Improv Theater in NYC, visiting in January. He'll be doing a pair of workshops: one about improv and one about writing for Saturday Night Live. As the only former SNL writer currently teaching sketch classes Ali is presenting a very unique opportunity to students. These will fill quickly, so grab a space now.

12/15/07... JANUARY MOVIE MARATHON IS ANNOUNCED! The votes have been counted (although if you really feel bad you could, we suppose, keep voting below) and we are happy to announce that January will be host to a PHIT Movie Marathon featuring Flight of the Conchords!

12/03/07... A BIG THANK YOU TO BASSPROV! These guys did three amazing shows this past weekend, including a SOLD OUT performance Sunday night despite the pouring rain and we love them for it. They also did a great job working with a large group of students in workshops.

If you missed the shows, they're now gone forever - that's tthe way it is with improv. But don't fret too much: Joe and Mark will be back in the future for more performances and master classes.

11/25/07... HELP SET OUR SHOW CALENDAR FOR JANUARY 2008: PICK OUR MOVIE MARATHON MOVIE! Starting next month PHIT will be at the Shubin during the first full week of each month. Also, we're starting movienight (complete with our HD projector, surround sound, and popcorn) on Sunday nights. So what do folks want to see on January 13th? Vote for your favorite choice below...

11/22/07... JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS, HANNUKAH, KWANZA, AND FESTIVUS: GIFT CERTIFICATES IN ANY AMOUNT ARE NOW AVAILABLE! They are offered through PayPal and can be redeemed at any time (they never expire). Try getting them in $12, $22, or $32 for buying a pair of tickets; $35 or $50 for snagging workshop spots, or $150 for purchasing 8-week classes. We think they're super cool and you get them right here:

10/28/07... THANKS FOR A GREAT SHUBIN WEEKEND! Many thanks to NewFormat Improvisation from NYC and all our Philly acts for a great set of shows! We'll be back November 26-December 2, 2007 for our last shows of the year, with Chicago's BASSPROV.

10/6/07... OCTOBER WORKSHOPS & LEVEL 1 NOW OPEN FOR REGISTRATION. During the Shubin run in October PHIT is very excited about a pair of workshops we will offer. "Collaborative Sketch Writing Through Improv" with members of NYC's sketch group AMERICAN LIKE JESUS is exactly what it sounds like: awesome. "Framing Moments" is a two-day intensive that ends with a performance on PHIT's stage, conducted by Janus/Jason Surratt - one of the youngest ever graduates of the Second City Conservatory Program. Oh, we've also got another Level 1 for newbies...

10/2/07... COME TO "THE STATE OF THE PHILLY IMPROV THEATER" SUN. 10/28 @ NOON! This is a chance for anyone in the Philly improv community (or anyone who wants to be a part of it) to come and hear about PHIT's plan for growth in 2008 and the volunteers opportunities it creates. There will be a presentation and time for questions and answers. Lunch will be served. If you would like to attend please contact the theater to RSVP.

9/24/07... SEPTEMBER SHUBIN RUN STARTS NOW. We've got great stuff. For instance, why not come out to another Bedtime Stories hosted by Gregg Gethard? We had a sketch writing contest at a local charter high school and the winning sketches will be presented by The Sixth Borough. Or come out and see the CAGEMATCH Premiere Tournament Finals! Feeling lazier? Sunday night is the first PHIT Movie Night: we'll be showing the ENTIRE 2nd Season of the Upright Citizens Brigade, just recently released on DVD, in beautiful 720p HD projection. Popcorn will be provided!

9/9/07... SEPTEMBER LEVEL 1 CLASS IS SOLD OUT. Look for details on our October session soon. Or while you're waiting take our one-off Beginner Improv Workshop on Sept. 17th!

8/31/07... PHIT HOUSE TEAM INDUSTRIAL MENTIONED IN PHILLY INQUIRER'S FRINGE PREVIEW ARTICLE AS A "BEST BET" FOR THIS YEAR'S FRINGE! Needless to say, we're super ecstatic about this news. Check out the full article here.

8/30/07... CITYPAPER PICKS PHIT'S SHOW FOR PHILLY FRINGE. As part of their featured section on improv for the Fringe, Citypaper has seen PHIT (haha, get it?) to recommend both of the shows we're producing: CAGEMATCH & Industrial. Read what they had to say about us, and other great groups, here.

8/20/07... PHIT IS BACK AT THE SHUBIN THIS WEEK! Check out Village Voice Pick "Al Gore Memorial High School" starring Aaron Ross - coming to PHIT all the way from Portland, OR - on Monday and Tuesday nights at 8pm. Then see Bedtime Stories on Travel & Tourism Wednesday night at 8, and the Philadelphia debut of Swapmeet at 8pm on Thursday (along with local favorites INDUSTRIAL). Finish you week with PHIT on Saturday night for 8pm and 10pm shows by The Sixth Borough, great Philly-based sketch comedy.

8/12/07... PHIT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR GREG MAUGHAN QUOTED IN PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER! Now the entire world can see how an English Teacher is capable of speaking in two different tenses in the same sentence. Also, you can notice that PHIT is getting it's name out there and being noticed by the largest paper in the region. Yeah, we're kinda a big deal. Read all about it: here.