Unexpected Productions Improv

Mission

To entertain and enlighten our audience, our community and ourselves with integrity through the art and spirit of improvisation with truth and humor.

Description

For more than four decades, Unexpected Productions has helped Seattle laugh, listen, connect, and create together.

Founded in 1983, Unexpected Productions is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most established improv theaters and home to Seattle’s longest-running improv show, Theatresports. From our historic Market Theater at Pike Place Market, just steps from the Gum Wall, we create live performances, classes, festivals, and community programs that invite people from all walks of life to experience the joy of spontaneous storytelling.

But improv is more than comedy.

At its heart, improv teaches people to listen deeply, take creative risks, collaborate generously, and say “Yes, And” to new possibilities. Every show, class, and workshop we produce builds confidence, connection, and belonging. In a time when many people feel isolated or divided, Unexpected Productions creates a place where strangers become collaborators, audience suggestions become shared stories, and laughter becomes a form of community care.

Each year, we serve thousands of audience members, students, artists, visitors, and community partners through affordable performances, accessible education programs, free and discounted tickets, work-study opportunities, youth and teen programming, and partnerships with local organizations.

Your GiveBIG donation helps us keep improv accessible in the heart of Seattle.

Your gift supports:

Affordable live comedy in Pike Place Market
Free and low-cost improv classes for the community
Work-study opportunities for students who need financial support
Youth, teen, and adult education programs
Community performances for seniors and low-income residents
Visiting artists, international teachers, and Festival Unexpected
A creative home for Seattle improvisers, storytellers, students, and audiences

Unexpected Productions believes that everyone deserves access to creativity, laughter, and live performance. We keep ticket prices low, offer student and senior discounts, participate in TeenTix, provide free classes, and create pathways for people who might not otherwise have access to arts education.

When you give to Unexpected Productions, you are not just supporting a theater. You are helping people find their voice, build confidence, make friends, take risks, and experience the power of live performance.  Just like improv, we cant do this without YOU.

Recognition

We thank our amazing supporters. Just like improv, we can't do it without you.
4Culture
Seattle Office of Arts and Culture
Microsoft
Boeing
TMobile
Pike Place Market Foundation
Pike Place Development Association
Raynier Institute & Foundation
UP Improv's amazing student community
Our audience
Our ensemble