hana Sharp and Jesse Conway perform an improvised scene at a recent Ventura Improv Company show at NAMBA, as Kateri Foos, Amy Nash, Jesse Armitage and David Sharp look on. Courtesy photos.
The longest-running County improv group has weathered major changes – and is thriving
VENTURA — The Ventura Improv Company (VIC), making audiences laugh with made-up-on-the-spot comedy since 1989, is happily at home at NAMBA Performing Arts Space these days.
Closing the theater space in 2017 and losing long-time Artistic Director Gary Best in 2023 were two challenges that almost silenced the group permanently. But then, not wanting to end the run just yet, Judy Gottlieb stepped in.
“We already had a new home at NAMBA,” says Gottlieb, a long-time performer and current Artistic Director of the VIC. “Our monthly shows continue to draw audiences, and our drop-in improv workshops started to grow. I felt like it wasn’t time to quit.”
Ventura Improv Company’s next performance, on July 11 at NAMBA Arts. Every show is a new and different theme.
Longevity has been the name of the game for the VIC. Thirty-six years ago, Tom and Sally Mueller attended a local improv workshop led by Barbara Scott of Bay Area TheatreSports (BATS). Short-form improv, based on the book and teachings by the late Keith Johnstone, was a “revelation,” says Mueller, and Tom and Sally Mueller then founded Ventura Area TheatreSports (VATS). Among the first improvisers was Gary Best, who eventually succeeded Mueller as Artistic Director. In 1999, the VIC built a theater space on Palm Street and later changed its name to Ventura Improv Company.
hn Medeiros and Jesse Armitage perform an improvised scene at a recent Ventura Improv Company show at NAMBA.
The challenge of teaching regular workshops, performing two shows a week, and rising rents led to the group’s decision to give up the lease on the space at the end of 2017. The group chose to continue without its own venue, performing at various locations until it found its current home at NAMBA. The group now performs every second Friday at 7pm.
In September 2023, Best passed away after a short battle with cancer. That’s when Gottlieb consulted with the group, who collectively decided to carry on.
Today, the future looks promising. New company members will start appearing in shows later this summer, the Monday night drop-in class is thriving, and improv remains a favorite to audiences, as more groups have emerged across Ventura County.
As Gottlieb says, the VIC is family. “We’ve shared so much together. It’s been a long and meaningful journey.”
The Ventura Improv Company performs on the second Friday at NAMBA Arts in downtown Ventura at 7pm. Drop-in improv workshops for all levels happen at NAMBA on Monday nights at 7pm. More information can be found at venturaimprov.com and on social media: @venturaimprov.
Judy Gottlieb, Gary Best, Sally Mueller, and Tom Mueller in front of the former Ventura Improv Company in 2010.