Single Tickets for the 11th Annual Sarasota Improv Festival Now on Sale

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) announces the onsale of single tickets for its 11th Annual Sarasota Improv Festival. Over the course of two days (July 12 and 13), thousands of people will travel to this destination event to see some of the world’s best improvisers from across the United States and as far as Canada and the United Kingdom. The premier Festival of its kind in the southeast United States, the 11th Annual Sarasota Improv Festival presents 27 performances by over 90 artists in just 48 hours. Single tickets for this year’s Festival headliner, Quartet, are now on sale for $25 each. Single tickets to all other performances are just $8-10 each. All Festival tickets and passes are now on sale and may be purchased at 941-366-9000, or at floridastudiotheatre.org.

This year’s Festival brings Improv’s top talent to Sarasota for a whirlwind weekend of laughter. “This Festival is one of the best in the country—and we’ve been to a lot of them,” shared members of ImprovBoston. “The acts are carefully chosen, the venue is second-to-none, the atmosphere is electric, and the comedy is hot!”

Headlining this year’s Festival is Quartet, a group of distinguished improvisers who have almost 100 hundred years of improv experience combined. Featuring Carla Cackowski (The Second City LA/Orange Tuxedo), Craig Cackowski (Drunk History/Community/Veep), Bob Dassie (Carpet Brothers/Weirdass/Dasariski), and Jean Villepique (AP Bio/30 Rock/Sharp Objects), Quartet uses audience suggestions to make up a hilarious, character-driven story on the spot. “By pursuing the characters’ relationships, we are able to look at human nature and use it as a springboard for this art form,” shared Dassie with Sarasota Magazine. “The comedy comes out of those relationships, because people are hilarious.”

Traveling all the way from Toronto and the UK, respectively, 2-MAN NO-SHOW and The Maydays will both make their Sarasota Improv Festival debuts this July.  Artists Isaac Kessler and Ken Hall of 2-MAN NO-SHOW have entertained sold-out audiences at North America’s top comedy festivals and been nominated for Canadian comedy awards several times. According to the Chicago Tribune, Kessler and Hall “Display the kind of restless intelligence, physical curiosity, and potent vulnerability that keeps the stakes high and the gags appealing.”

Founded in 2004, The Maydays have become one of the UK’s top improv ensembles, creating award-winning improvised comedy that not only makes people laugh, but also think. The Maydays have multiple shows in their repertoire. In Confessions, the improvisers take audience members’ stories and secrets and transform them into songs, scenes, and intriguing stories. Inspired by one audience member’s suggestion, Happily Never After is an improvised Gothic musical story full of dark comedy with a spooky soundtrack. Fringe Review calls The Maydays “Funny, confident, imaginative, charming, and not afraid of making themselves look ridiculous. They will turn your secrets and stories into something to make you laugh your socks off.”  

Six other improv groups will also make their Festival debut, including Definitely Not Murderers (St. Pete), Happy Karaoke Fun Time (NYC), and StaceJam (Chicago). Created by Philip Markle (The Annoyance, Brooklyn Comedy Collective), Happy Karaoke Fun Time brings together New York City’s finest musical improvisers to create scenes, choreography, and original lyrics to beloved karaoke songs, all based on the title of a musical suggested by the audience. The cast, nor the audience, knows what song will be played next, so each show is unplanned and full of surprises.

StaceJam, a solo musical improvised show, features comedy veteran Stacey Smith (STACKED, ImprovBoston) showcases a wide range of characters and emotions. Over the past year, StaceJam has been performed at comedy festivals throughout the nation, as well as internationally in Bulgaria, Greece, and Italy.

In addition to these newcomers, multiple Festival favorites Available Cupholders (Austin, TX), ImprovBoston (Boston, MA) , and SAK Comedy Lab (Orlando, FL) are all returning for the 11th Annual Sarasota Improv Festival. “This year, like every other, is loaded with talent from all over the country and the world!’ said Patrick McInnis, member of Tampa’s The Third Thought, a troupe that is returning to the Festival for the eighth year. “There is no better way to see the best improv from Boston, Austin, Chicago, New York, LA, and around the globe.” 

The 11th Annual Sarasota Improv Festival takes place July 12 and 13 at Florida Studio Theatre. Tickets to this year’s headlining troupe, Quartet, are now on sale. Single tickets to all other performances are available for just $8-10 each. All Festival tickets and multi-day passes may be purchased by calling FST’s Box Office at 941-366-9000, or at floridastudiotheatre.org.