FEST SPONSORS
We could not put on this festival without the generosity of our incredible local sponsors! Show ‘em some love!
LEVEL 1 SPONSORS
LEVEL 2 SPONSORS
LEVEL 3 SPONSORS
PROGRAM GUIDE AD SPONSORS
67 BILTMORE
THE CZART GALLERY
DANCECLUB AVL
HIGH FIVE COFFEE
NEST REALTY
SILVER WAGON STUDIO
VERNON BUILDING CONSERVATION
WHITE PINE ACUPUNCTURE
WHOLESALE GLASS & MIRROR COMPANY
Local Improv Comedy Companies
The Western North Carolina region is lucky to have such a vibrant and growing improv scene, thanks in part to the hardworking improv companies who call Asheville home. Each company will have a showcase show at the 2025 Asheville Improv Festival featuring a generous taste of our homegrown talent.
Adesto Theatre is a narrative improv theatre company founded by Laurie Jones and Paul Vonasek. Laurie and Paul trained at the Second City Conservatory in Chicago and then at Impro Theatre in Los Angeles. They have been performing in full-length improvised plays for over a decade with their LA-based improv companies Bearded Company and Ripley Improv. They have loved bringing the art they love to Asheville.
Get Tickets to the Adesto Theatre Showcase: Wednesday, May 7, 8pm
The Asheville School of Improv has emerged as the central training ground for aspiring improvisers in the Asheville area. Led by esteemed instructor Tom Chalmers, the Asheville School of Improv offers classes that cover the fundamentals as well as the finer points and far-reaching possibilities of performing in an improvised format. More and more people from more and more places are saying “yes” to The House of “Yes And,” from those focused on a future as an improv comedian, to aspiring actors seeking to expand their skills, to interested individuals who are intrigued by the challenge of the sport of spontaneity. Launched in 2016, the Asheville School of Improv grew out of the former Asheville acting conservatory, NYS3, which had been offering improv classes since 2012, all taught by one teacher, Tom Chalmers.
Get Tickets to the Asheville School of Improv Showcase: Wednesday, May 7, 6pm
Why are we named Misfit? We are named Misfit because we believe a bit of a misfit lies in each of us. That unique part of our spirit that delights in play. Just like the “Island of Misfit Toys” from the old Rankin Bass cartoon, the Island of Misfit Toys was a place where everyone belonged, quirks and all. We strive at Misfit to create that same kind of Place, a place to belong, to connect, to create and to be a misfit.
MIsfit Improv & Acting School was founded by Gillian Bellinger an improviser and actor with 20 years of experience in Chicago and Los Angeles. As artistic director, Gillian brings a depth of experience about being a performer, the ways that it can serve each of us, and how to use performing to achieve our particular goals.
Get Tickets to the Misfit Improv & Acting School Showcase: Saturday, May 10, 7pm
Speakeasy started in August of 2020 at a little house in Candler, North Carolina. A group of friends got together to practice the art of improv. Practice would take place outside, around campfires, or anyplace we could make everyone feel comfortable. After a few months Tim Hearn had the idea to create a larger school that would use improv as a tool for self-help as well as a tool for the performing arts. In January of 2021 Speakeasy Improv began offering classes and shows in Asheville, NC. Speakeasy currently resides at Story Parlor.
Get Tickets to the Speakeasy Improv Showcase: Wednesday, May 7, 8pm