Laughter. Community. Heart.

Berkeley Improv has been a long trusted name in East Bay Improvisation. It’s foundation was rooted in a “cure for loneliness” — students and performers were drawn to the ease of access to high quality training and a chance to play with diverse class make ups. For over 10 years, Berkeley Improv hosted learning opportunities for college students, local artists, engineers, stay at home parents, you name it! We reflected the make up of beautiful Berkeley, CA and always focused on intentional and welcoming play.

Our Improv For Real Life class is what really caught students attention — for many, the thought of improvising makes them break into a cold sweat and want to say “NO!” — improv as a comedic performance feels stressful. The thought of being more easeful and off the cuff in real life situations like job interviews, first dates, work presentations, or even being around family and friends is a great skill to practice— like going to the gym, humans need a safe place they can stretch their mental flexibility and apply this to their daily lives. Improv for Real life became that sanctuary and quickly became one of our flagship classes (with many students having so much fun they continued into our core curriculum offerings to continue their discovery.)

In 2023, Provocation Theatre and Berkeley Improv became one. Our next chapter will stay firmly rooted in the supportive + playful environment that we have always offered. We strive to be the playground that welcomes new improvisers into our community with strong foundations and real world application.

Adding to this, we are excited to bring opportunities for improvisers to come together with our workshop offerings, a new undertaking in 2023. You can see a list of our former workshops and upcoming sessions to see what unique facets of improv we are diving into recently.

We are also excited to continue to provide space for BIPOC + fem expansive + queer improvisers to play and learn in a sacred space of their own.