ABOUT US

VIC long-time leaders - (L-R) Tom Mueller, Co-Founder of Ventura Improv Company; Judy Gottlieb, long-time VIC member and current Artistic Director; Sally Mueller, Co-Founder of Ventura Improv Company; Gary Best, long-time VIC Artistic Director.

(L-R) Tom Mueller, Co-Founder of Ventura Improv Company; Judy Gottlieb, long-time VIC member and current Artistic Director; Sally Mueller, Co-Founder of Ventura Improv Company; Gary Best, long-time VIC Artistic Director.

Mission

Ventura Improv Company exists to enrich people’s lives through improv theatre, and to nurture local talent and the cultural life of Ventura.

Vision

Ventura Improv Company hopes to create a thriving improvisational international center that gives people the necessary tools to communicate, play and understand themselves and the world in a holistic, more powerful way.

History

In 1989, Barbara Scott from Bay Area TheatreSports™ came to visit her mother in Santa Paula and while there she put on an improv workshop. At that time, there were a handful of performers doing improv in Ventura, and several of them (including Sally and Tom Mueller and Gary Best) attended that workshop. They considered short-form competitive improv “a revelation,” and went on to form a local TheatreSports™ league.

In the decades since then, the group has grown in size and scope. In 1999, the group took on the lease in the historic Livery in downtown Ventura, building a permanent stage and green room and a 80-person capacity audience seating area. In 2008, Ventura Area TheatreSports™/Livery Theatre changed its name to Ventura Improv Company. In January 2017, the VIC moved on from 34 North Palm Street. The group now performs and holds classes at Namba Performing Arts Space, as well as holds special events and shows throughout Ventura County.

VIC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

The VIC’s Gary Best passed away on September 1, 2023, after a brief battle with cancer. In addition to being involved with the Ventura Improv Company since 1989, Gary served as long-time Artistic Director, leader, teacher and friend. There will never be another like him.