A new four-day convention dedicated entirely to improvisational theater is set to take over San Diego's Town & Country Resort later this month, bringing together long-form duos, therapeutic improv troupes and teachers from across the country under one roof. Organizers expect roughly 1,000 attendees for the inaugural event, which runs from Thursday, August 20 through Sunday, August 23, with about 900 people already signed up.
The gathering, called ImprovCon, is the brainchild of founder and executive producer Chris “Jazz” Colthurst, who conceived the idea while managing internet infrastructure for Comic-Con International in San Diego, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. Colthurst has compared comic books and improv as art forms that are sometimes dismissed as not real literature or real art, per the same report. He brings more than 25 years of improv experience to the project, having trained and performed with San Diego TheatreSports, National Comedy Theatre and BATS Improv in San Francisco, while also serving on the board of San Diego's nonprofit Mockingbird Improv, according to ImprovCon.
Colthurst says he hopes the convention will introduce attendees to regional improv styles and different uses of the art form, the Union-Tribune reports, and he plans to hold ImprovCon annually in San Diego going forward. Joining him is Director of Artist Relations and Programming Ali Hart, a comedy and social impact producer whose credits include the PBS Independent Lens documentary Sister Úna Lived a Good Death and LA live comedy series for Peacock, according to ImprovCon. Hart's work frequently focuses on using comedy and storytelling for social impact and community building.
Long-Form Legends and Character Work Anchor the Lineup
Among the marquee acts is TJ & Dave, the duo of David Pasquesi and TJ Jagodowski, who have performed together for 20 years practicing long-form, minimalist improv theater. Pasquesi told the Union-Tribune that every TJ & Dave show is different and surprising, adding that improvisation creates an experience “happening nowhere else on the planet.”
Also on the bill are Scott Adsit, known for screen credits including 30 Rock and Big Hero 6, and Jet Eveleth, who will perform together doing character work the two are known for. Adsit said listening to an improv partner is essential to a successful scene, per the Union-Tribune's reporting. Actress Keiko Agena, who played Lane Kim on Gilmore Girls, will perform with Asian AF, described as a comedy collective and variety show, and with Chekhov High School, a completely improvised show spoofing 1990s teen dramas set in 1890s Russia.
The lineup also includes 3peat Comedy, a Black improv, stand-up and sketch comedy ensemble that has performed together for more than 10 years, with member Nnamdi Ngwe among those slated to appear. ImprovCon opened a global call for submissions to help fill out its schedule of duos, ensembles and varied improv styles, organizers told the Union-Tribune.
Therapeutic Improv Gets a Showcase Slot
Beyond the big-name performers, ImprovCon is carving out space for improv's applied and therapeutic uses. The Improvaneers, recognized as the world's first all-Down syndrome improvisation troupe, founded in Ohio in 2018, are scheduled to lead a workshop on August 21 and perform a showcase the following day, according to The Improvaneer Method. Founded by Rob Snow, the troupe uses structured improv exercises to build workplace, communication and social skills. More broadly, applied improv is used for business team building and communication, while therapeutic improv is used for self-empowerment.
Veteran improv educator David Razowsky, former artistic director of The Second City Los Angeles, is set to lead three masterclass workshops on August 21 and 22 focused on point of view, focus and emotional connection between scene partners, according to his event listing. His teaching methodology emphasizes breath, mindfulness and relationship-building over quick joke writing.
A Resort Built for a Four-Day Marathon
ImprovCon will unfold across the Town & Country Resort at 500 Hotel Circle North, a 23-acre mid-century modern property in Mission Valley that has operated for more than 60 years and recently completed a major, multimillion-dollar renovation adding upgraded meeting spaces and outdoor recreation amenities, according to Experience Tiki Oasis. The resort features a zero-entry pool with a four-story waterslide, three dining venues and a three-acre riverfront park.
The schedule runs Thursday from 7:30 pm to 11 pm, Friday from 8 am to midnight, Saturday from 8 am to 11:30 pm, and Sunday from 8 am to 5 pm, with panels and workshops filling the daytime hours alongside evening showcases. Full four-day play passes cost $200, while single-day passes are priced at $40 for Thursday, $80 for Friday, $100 for Saturday and $60 for Sunday. Guests booking a room at the resort can add a hotel play pass with full access for $20, and up to two children can attend free with a paying adult. More details are available at improvcon.com/attend.
Local Comedy Institutions Show Their Support
The convention's arrival has prompted at least one local institution to rearrange its own schedule. Mockingbird Improv, San Diego's only nonprofit improv theater, operating out of Liberty Station since 2021, has scheduled a complete pause of its venue performances from August 20 through 22 so its team can participate in ImprovCon, according to CrowdWork. The 501(c)(3) organization normally offers weekly public shows and community classes.
San Diego was already something of an established hub for multi-day improv gatherings before ImprovCon's debut. Finest City Improv, founded in Hillcrest in 2012, has hosted the annual San Diego Improv Festival since 2014 and also runs corporate team-building workshops and a multi-level training school, per Wikipedia. Early discussion among national improv performers on Reddit in June indicated that regional groups like ComedySportz sent representatives to test whether a convention model can support deep-dive professional workshops and industry networking, with participants noting that many attend without direct compensation to explore wider artistic and organizational connections.
Part of a Bigger National Moment for Improv
ImprovCon's debut lands amid a broader expansion of improv infrastructure nationwide. Washington Improv Theater acquired a new 110-seat venue in D.C. this past July, while the Detroit Improv Festival hosted more than 40 troupes earlier this month. Improv troupes and nonprofit theaters in major U.S. cities have increasingly been expanding physical venues and launching multi-day convention gatherings in the years since the pandemic.
Mission Valley itself has been transforming into one of San Diego's primary transit and redevelopment hubs, backed by the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System's $2.1 billion Mid-Coast Light Rail extension and thousands of new transit-adjacent residential units, according to San Diego Magazine. The light rail corridor connects central San Diego, Old Town and Mission Valley with key regional transit hubs, giving out-of-town performers and attendees a direct route to the resort. Whether the unpaid, convention-pass model can sustain traveling artists over the long haul remains an open question, but for its first year, ImprovCon is betting that San Diego's improv scene — and its improv-curious visitors — will show up.
