Sarasota Improv Fest brings 48 hours of laughs to the Florida Studio Theatre

The festival roars back to life on Saturday morning with a series of improvisational comedy workshops at the Florida Studio Theatre, starting with “Improv for Dummies,” a beginner-level instruction in the art of improvisational comedy taught by local instructors. During the same 11 a.m. slot, ImprovBoston will host a class on free-form improv for more advanced students.

Other classes throughout the day, including “Finding Character Through Movement,” "Exploring the Harold” and “Super Quick Character Generation” will be hosted by other theatre groups hailing from different parts of the country.

“The best part of this festival is that it gives Sarasota the opportunity to not only experience these various groups from all over the country, but to learn from them, too,” said FST’s Managing Director and Sarasota Improv Fest founder Rebecca Hopkins.

The second evening of the festival features acts from Sarasota’s Vintage Whine and Lazy Fairy Improv, Chicago’s Stacked: All Female Musical Improv, Orlando’s Jester Theatre, Austin’s Available Cupholders and Orlando’s SAK Comedy Lab. The final curtain will fall on the festival after the grand finale “Improv Jam” performance, a collaborative effort by all the improv artists participating in the festival. Following curtain, a wrap party will take place at Maximo with food catered by Nancy’s Bar-B-Q.

“It’s a real whirlwind 48 hours,” Hopkins said of the Sarasota Improv Fest. “We all feel like we’ve been through a war together by the end.”

Due to its popularity in previous years, this year’s Sarasota Improv Fest, which formerly took place solely in the Goldstein Cabaret, expands into the Keating Theatre as well. Tickets for all performances have sold out every year, and Hopkins says she expects this year to be no different.

“Because these performances are so audience-interactive, the fuller the house, the more exciting the show,” said Hopkins. “We’re letting the festival grow as it pushes itself outward. I expect it will be bigger and better each year.”

With affordable prices at just $10 for single performances, $29 for night passes and $49 for weekend passes, tickets are selling out rapidly. Additionally, the price to attend Saturday’s workshop is $29 per class.

To purchase tickets to the Sarasota Improv Fest, call the box office at 941-366-9000 or visit the FST website to access the full show schedule and purchase tickets online.