The 14th Annual Sarasota Improv Festival

The premier festival of its kind in the southeastern United States, the Sarasota Improv Festival will return July 12 and 13th with acts by some of the leading improvisational artists from across the country and around the world. This year’s lineup will feature more than 16 troupes, 26 performances, and 80 artists over the course of just one weekend.

“We are thrilled to be welcoming artists and audiences back to FST for this beloved festival,” said Director of Improvisation Will Luera. “This event is so special and distinctive — not just to the Sarasota community, but within the larger improvisational world on a national scale. It’s truly become a destination event.”

We are thrilled to have Impro Theatre return as this year’s headliner. Hailing from California with several shows performed around the world to their name, Impro Theatre has been a well-loved improv theatre company for more than 35 years. Founded in 1988 as Los Angeles Theatresports, Impro Theatre has been described as “a true high-wire act literally beyond belief,” and “like watching Cirque du Soleil perform acrobatics — a feat that expands the definition of human potential.”

Coming to Sarasota from even more distant shores, we are pleased to welcome Lospleimovil from Santiago, Chile to this year’s festival. For more than 20 years, Lospleimovil has been a benchmark for Latin American theatrical improvisation. Home to the largest improv school in Santiago, Lospleimovil has been a part of many other festivals across Latin America and the host of festivals like the Impro Chile World Cup and the Impro International Theater Festival Without Borders over the years .

Rounding out the festival are more than a few familiar faces. Returning for this year are audience-favorite groups like HERE! The (Improvised) Musical, Parallelogramophonograph, Dad’s Garage, and North Coast Improv. Almost a dozen other acts will share FST’s various stages over the course of one weekend, culminating in the highly anticipated All Play showdown. There is no better grand finale to wrap up the weekend! Join us that Saturday night as every festival artist (yes, EVERY artist) takes to the Gompertz stage in the ultimate battle of games, wit, style, and above all – laughs!

For those attendees inspired to get in on the action, the Festival offers 17 opportunities to learn from the professionals in our Saturday workshop offerings.

You won’t want to miss out on this year’s fun.