The Countdown Improv Festival triumphantly returns to the HCC Ybor Performing Arts Building in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa for our fifth year! Our 2021 festival will feature 57 different trio, duo, and solo improv acts from all over the United States. Join us for four nights of hilarious and unforgettable improv comedy!

This year's performances will take place in the HCC Mainstage Theatre from Wednesday, September 8 through Saturday, September 11, with special performances taking place on the festival's Commodore Stage on Friday and Saturday nights.

We're offering three types of tickets for this year's festival. All tickets are general admission.

Weekend Mainstage passes ($60 + taxes/fees) offer audience members the chance to see any and all HCC Mainstage festival shows over all four nights. Weekend passes are a significant savings over the cost of purchasing nightly passes. If you are considering attending more than one night of shows this year, this is the value buy!

Nightly Mainstage passes can be purchased for individual show nights, and are redeemable up until the final block of the night. The pricing structure for nightly passes is as follows:

• Wednesday night pass: $20 + taxes/fees (special opening night price!)
• Thursday night pass: $30 + taxes/fees
• Friday night pass: $35 + taxes/fees
• Saturday night pass: $35 + taxes/fees

***NOTE: Weekend and nightly passes do NOT include shows on the Commodore Stage on Friday and Saturday night; Commodore Stage tickets can be added on for an additional $10 for one night, or $15 for both nights. See below for further details.**

The Commodore Stage (Friday and Saturday night) ($15 + taxes/fees for one night, $20 + taxes/fees for both nights) is our curated, experimental second stage featuring a hand-picked selection of acts that specialize in exuberant, kinetic improv comedy. Located steps away from the main stage inside the HCC Ybor Performing Arts Building, the Commodore Stage offers an immersive improv experience for true fans of the art form. The prices noted here are for standalone tickets to the Commodore Stage, as an alternate option, Commodore Stage tickets may be added on to a nightly pass for Friday and/or Saturday night or weekend pass.

Please note: All tickets across all stages are general admission tickets. Reserved seats are not available.

Our performance schedule is as follows. For more information about these groups, please visit our website.

Wednesday, September 8: 7:00 - 10:30 PM

Wednesday night will be a very special opening night, featuring both online and live performances that will be streamed to the festival's Twitch channel.

7:00: CatBomb (Long Grove, Ill.), Casey J. Newman (The Villages, Fla.), Rat Kween (Phoenix), Leaves of Three (San Francisco Bay/Los Angeles), The Third Thought (Boulder, Colo./St. Petersburg)

8:50: OK Google (St. Petersburg), Cheeze&Crackerz (Sarasota), Casey J. Newman (The Villages, Fla.), Unconsciously Coupled (Sarasota), FST Improv (Sarasota)

Thursday, September 9: 7:00 - 11:00 PM

7:00: Matt Walker Just Got Bad News (St. Petersburg), The Haiku Lady (Tampa), Kevin Michalski (St. Petersburg), Dueling Beardos (Portland, Ore.)

8:15: Screaming Armadillo Comedy Presents THAT VOICE IN YOUR HEAD! (Boca Raton), CYA Improv (St. Petersburg), Together/By Myself: A Solo Improv Experience (Coconut Creek, Fla.), Honk & Wave (St. Petersburg)

10:00: Ross Childs (Chicago), Interpretive Word (St. Petersburg), Hot Mess! The Musical (Chicago/Kansas City)

Friday, September 10: 6:00 - 11:30 PM

HCC Mainstage Theatre:

6:00: NC-17: Nick and Conor (Houston), ¡Punctuation.Marks! (Miami)

7:10: Los Improviachis (Chicago), Playtime with Patrick and Preston (Chicago), Katie & Chris (Denver), Just Be Sweet (Austin)

9:00: Bryan vs. Music (Portland, Ore.), Cuzzins (Miami), It's All About Amy (St. Augustine, Fla.)

10:15: I Am The Show (Chicago), Inimitable Aluminum Anemones (or S.O.U.P.) (St. Petersburg), Da'Boyz (West Palm Beach, Fla.)

Commodore Stage: 7:05 - 8:50 PM

OK Google (St. Petersburg), Right Hand and Man (St. Petersburg), Sharon & Karen (Washington, D.C.), Steve Horton (Chicago), Ophelia's Rope (Houston), Michael Ondrick (Pittsburgh)

Saturday, September 11: 5:00 - 11:30 PM

HCC Mainstage Theatre:

5:00: Meta?Nigma (St. Petersburg), From the Heart with Jill and Jackie (Oakland/Marin, Calif.), Impromptu (Sarasota)

6:25: Get Lucky with Kat (West Palm Beach), From Justin to Kelly (New York City), I'm With Her (Phoenix), Big Bang Improv (Boston)

8:00: Wisconsin Laugh Trip (Richmond, Va.), HaegandButts (New Orleans), Hot Pursuit (Baltimore), The wUw Show (Omaha, Neb.)

9:50: Sweaty Dee (Seattle), Four First Names (Orlando), Understated (West Palm Beach/Miami), The Magnificent 7 (St. Petersburg)

Commodore Stage: 7:50 - 9:40 PM

Solovela (Plantation, Fla.), Daddy's Little Nest Egg (Boca Raton), CatBird (Boynton Beach, Fla.), The Project (Austin, Texas), Ant Farm (Delray Beach)

The 2021 Countdown Improv Festival is the recipient of a Hillsborough County Special Events Partnership Grant. We are grateful to the County for its support of our event.

FAQs

Where is the festival located?

The festival is located in the Ybor City neighborhood at the HCC Ybor Performing Arts Building, 2112 N. 15th Street, Tampa, FL 33605.

Are there ID or minimum age requirements to enter the event?

There are no ID or minimum age requirements; however, improvisational comedy can be unpredictable and mature themes can arise unexpectedly. Basically, if you wouldn't bring your kids to a PG-13 movie, you probably shouldn't bring them to the festival.

Will food and beverage be available?

With the exception of bottled water, food and beverage will not be available, and are not allowed inside the theater, so please plan accordingly.

What is your latecomers' policy?

Ticketholders who arrive more than 10 minutes after the scheduled start time for a given block of shows will be seated at the discretion of management.

Do you offer group discounts?

We are happy to extend special pricing to groups of 10 or more. Send us an email at countdownimprovfestival at gmail dot com and let's discuss.

How can I contact the organizer with any questions?

Visit our website, www.countdownimprovfestival.com, which should answer most questions you may have. If you've still got questions, feel free to drop us a line at countdownimprovfestival at gmail dot com.

Are tickets refundable?

Tickets are non-refundable.