ImprovBoston: Forty-Year-Old Cambridge Comedy Theater to End Programming

After more than 40 years, thousands of shows, tens of thousands of students, and hosting and training some of the best comic voices in Boston -  the organization announced today it can no longer operationally sustain going forward.

The Board of Directors will wind down all operations and activity over the coming months.  The Central Square staple tried to reemerge post pandemic, with the National Touring Company performing all over New England, and a regular roster of classes each and every week. The Organization will fulfill all remaining contracts and classes, all staff will be released and the theater plans on evaluating all options during the remainder of the year.

“This is intensely difficult,” offers Matt Laidlaw, Managing Director, “everyone at ImprovBoston worked extremely hard over these last three years to keep our doors open -  from Leadership to our Touring Company, Instructors, Techs, Staff, Ensemble Members, Volunteers and Students.  I'm extraordinarily proud we were able to keep performing post pandemic and offer shows and classes to our beloved fans.  However, without a full theater to call ‘our own' our chances for surviving long-term are very low.  The best decision for the business is to wind down, and wrap up operations.”  

“ImprovBoston has been a mainstay in Cambridge, performing for this incredible community and bringing laughter to so many” says Tammi Pirri Day, Chair of the Board of Directors. “While trying to maintain operations over the last three years has been incredibly challenging, ImprovBoston is proud to have taught many students the art of Improv. While we wish the outcome was different, we are honored to have served this great community for so long.” 

Founded in the early 1980's and performing in small bars and restaurants in Boston and Somerville, ImprovBoston started with a small home in Inman Square in Cambridge before ultimately moving to its larger, 140 seat theater in Central Square.  Just like many small arts organizations, the Covid-19 pandemic forced the non-profit to leave its theatrical home, while setting up shop in a few classrooms and a small performance space across the street on Massachusetts Ave.

“ImprovBoston was always so much more than just laughter and comedy,” offers Corey O'Rourke, Artistic Director, “It's a place that inspires the courage and confidence to say yes. Yes  to ourselves when we are nervous or scared; to our own ideas, to new perspectives, to healthy artistic and personal risk-taking. It's a place that helps people find their comedic voice; grow their comfort and confidence with their interpersonal voice. And use that voice, sure, within the walls of  ImprovBoston, and more valuably in their lives, and in the non-comedic areas of their world.”

“We were able to survive three amazing years, post pandemic,” says Laidlaw, “not every venue or theater company had this privilege.  We were navigating uncertainty as best as we could, expanding our class offerings, hosting small showcases in our venue, and working with some amazing partners, including The Rockwell Theater, the Lyric Stage Company, and the Rex Theater.  We really tried to keep ImprovBoston performing our wild version of comedy for so many audiences.”

The Theater did receive the Small Business Administration's “Shuttered Venue Operator Grant” in 2021, and multiple Cambridge Community Foundation Grants, as well as additional Covid relief funds to stay open post-pandemic. Ultimately smaller audience sizes, limited commercial venue space, and the timing of new funding opportunities left little room for the theater to take on a new space.

Laidlaw also notes the organization received tremendous support through donations and fundraising efforts, “We owe a tremendous amount of recognition to all who have offered donations, both large and small, and to all of those who have volunteered their time or expertise to help guide us through these last few years.”

Along with touring shows, the theater also offered corporate training, an award winning Comedy School with classes in Improv, Stand Up and Sketch Comedy, and boasts an incredible alumni roster of creatives who've made their marks in theater, film and television.  Additionally, the theater was consistently working in local schools, underserved communities and fellow non-profits, bringing Improv to so many audiences around New England.  “The joy in kids' eyes when they learn improv is not just about making people laugh,” said Matt Laidlaw, “it's about learning to communicate with the outside world - yes, in a funny, weird, way - and, also in a fantastically good, human way.”

Pre-Covid, Central Square theater held over 30 weekly live shows. Showcasing many great, staple shows such as GoreFest, the immersive Halloween experience and, The Naked Comedy Showcase, the theater also hosted The Boston Comedy Arts Festival, the College Comedy Festival and was co-host to The Women in Comedy Festival.  Plus, the theater was no stranger to performing outside its old doors, with shows all over Boston, including  at the Museum of Science, the Boston Public Library and at festivals all over the country.

“What I'll miss the most though, is the one thing that kept me doing this for my entire adult life, “ notes O'Rourke, “And that's the feeling of knowing that you've just made a difference in someone's life, no matter how small or large the difference may have been.”     

“The saddest part,” adds Laidlaw, “we have a vibrant and excited community of performers who we've seen grow from nervous students in a classroom, to hosting, directing and performing in so many amazing shows on our stages. On behalf of the entire organization we owe our students, instructors, performers, technicians, front of house staff and our audiences an incredible debt of gratitude and appreciation for helping us keep going, for so long.”

During the coming months, the Comedy School will complete the last session of classes, and the theater will honor all remaining contracts with current clients.  All regular operations will cease on December 31st.

ImprovBoston is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theater, located in Cambridge, MA.  Pre Covid-19, the theater held over 30 weekly live shows and 60 classes and workshops, spanning a wide genre of comedic styles and boasts a very popular youth spring and summer vacation program. IBCreative and the ImprovBoston National Touring Company provide corporate workshops, outreach, and entertainment for local businesses, schools, and charitable organizations. 

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