Washington Improv Theater (WIT) is an improv comedy theater and school based in Washington, D.C..
Washington Improv Theater was founded in 1986 by Carole Douglis, and then was disbanded in 1992. Three years later, Douglis started training a new cohort of improvisors, some of whom remain in WIT today. The group was re-founded as a consensus-based collective that has grown steadily more ambitious in taking improv performances and classes to the Washington, DC public.
The new troupe began performing in the basement of the Universalist National Memorial Church in Washington's Dupont Circle neighborhood in late 1997. By 1999 WIT performed regularly at Metro Cafe, Diversite, and other clubs around the District. After gaining experience and national exposure at festivals and workshops around the country, the theater launched a Training and Education Program of its own. WIT then found its way to a home in Washington's theater district at the Source Theater and to the District of Columbia Arts Center in Adams-Morgan. WIT is one of the resident companies for the Source (formerly the Source Theater), a 150-seat black box theater purchased by the Cultural Development Corporation. It began performances there during the 2008/2009 season. WIT continued to evolve both on- and off-stage, and holds classes at the Children's Studio School. WIT's six performance ensembles are onesixtyone, Jackie, Caveat, JINX, Season Six and, iMusical, a totally improvised musical with words and lyrics made up on-the-spot, directed by Travis Ploeger (co-founder of I eat pandas). MICROcosm, The Lodge, DMG, Dr. Fantastic, and many other affiliate groups also make up the WIT performance community. In 2010, a Harold program was created to give students more opportunities for stage experience. The Training Program has a six-level classes curriculum that trains over 1000 students per year. WIT brings aspects of both performance and training to its corporate workshops, WIT at Large.
Annual theatrical events include FIST: The Fighting Improv Smackdown Tournament, a single elimination tournament involving dozens of three-person teams, Improvapalooza, a 100 ten minute show marathon over three days, the Neutrino Video Project, a show filmed outside the theater and shown immediately inside to the audience, and Seasonal Disorder, a holiday themed show.
WIT's ultimate goal is to create a permanent home theater and school for improv in Washington, DC.
The WIT motto is: "The Revolution Will be Improvised".
The staff consists of Artistic Director is Mark Chalfant, Managing Director is Topher Bellavia, Program Director is Murphy McHugh and Operatives Coordinator Lindsey Boyle.