Five people sat in a basement. It was 2004.
The founder of the fledgling improv group had just announced he had to leave, for personal reasons, and he walked out the door. The Five wondered aloud, “Can we put on an improv show with just five people?” We decided to try. We had no idea we were creating what would become The KC Improv Company. We performed a few shows a year, primarily at the Lucky Brewgrille in Mission, KS. Our audience consisted of friends and family, and then friends of friends, and then…
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Word spread.
Within twelve months, we were playing in comedy clubs, bar basements, colleges, and comedy festivals multiple nights a month. On January 1st, 2012, The KC Improv Company began performing every Saturday — a prime-time show, and then a late show. In 2015, we added two shows on Fridays, and our first All-Ages show on Saturdays. Our audience had grown, and so had our company.
Today, we employ over 25 professional actors who perform in shows, teach classes, and take part in multiple private events around the midwest. We have trained with nationally recognized improvisers from The Second City, UCB, and other national theaters. We have expanded from simple shows based on tried-and-true games and characters to challenging formats such as Improvised Shakespeare, Improvised Murder Mysteries, and original formats that we have invented.