Finest City Improv

Nick is the greatest bartender in existence! Ask for the «Drunk Russian» thank me later ;)
Great drinks and great comedy! A really fun and inexpensive way to spend a Friday night.

I’ve been doing improv there for over a year and it’s the best learning experience for imorov.

Not sure if we came on an off night or what, but this show was terrible. One group was mediocre while one group was easily the worst 30 minutes of improv I could imagine. Based on the reviews I had high expectations for this place, but it seemed like each group was hard to follow, they did not explain what they were doing whatsoever and left the audience confused most of the time. It was not a family-​friendly atmosphere and most of the crude humor was just simply not necessary. They had almost ZERO crowd participation. Overall, we were disappointed with our experience.

If you are looking for something cheap and fun this is a great place. Tickets are around $ 10 and you can hang around all night. Say hi to Nick the Bartender, who makes excellent drinks. This guy can make just about anything. Ok one thing to note. This is improvisation not stand-​up comedy, and not theatre, so not everything will be fall out of your seat funny. Check the calendar on their website for details of the teams/​shows that they have going on. This theatre has strong connections to the big theaters in LA so every now and then they will have really cool guests that have been on TV shows. If you think you have the guts to try it out they also have classes and workshops. I took one and it became my newest addiction. It’s fun and the staff/​group is über supportive. Duh they’re improvisers it’s their job to support! Take enough classes they will even give you a shot to be on stage.

Parking was a nightmare. We circled from blocks away from all sides for a good 15 minutes and saw NOTHING, but then, suddenly, a spot right in front opened up. I bet that doesn’t happen often. Anyway, the place is tiny and most of the people there seemed to know each other. Not being part of the scene it felt a bit strange, but the people were nice and friendly. The problem was that when I was there the fire alarm was set off and it was a loooong time before it got turned off. It was ridiculously grating but people handled it well. I think because the people there mostly are there with or for friends, like we were, so we just waited it out. The show was awesome and I would definitely want to come back, as the problems we experienced were really abnormal.

Awesome show and staff. The bartender Nick was very nice while we waited for the show to start. Cat Brown was our host and she made the show! We will be back!

Great fun! The shows are lively and the classes are exceptional! The instructors are also performers and are very supportive. Take a drop in class and experience it for yourself. Amazing!

An incredible comedic experience. Great food and drinks with a great show thrown in! They perform every Thursday-​Sunday night and they also have classes to teach the rules of Improv. This is a great place to bring a first time date or a long time love. Friends and family will certainly enjoy the atmosphere as well as the stand up performances.

I first came to a show here when Kevin Allison brought his RISK storytelling podcast to the venue. FCI sent out an e-​mail to RISK ticket holders to come out early and see a free improv show. The first team I saw here was the musical improv group Minor Suspension. It was right up my alley as a fan of both musicals and improv based podcasts like Comedy Bang Bang (which has had its fair number of musical improv segments). This was my first live improv experience and I loved it.
If you were only to see one performance here, I would suggest Minor Suspension. Every performance of theirs I’ve seen has filled me with a joyous warmth.
After about 9 months of seeing shows here regularly, I decided to take one of their classes. I’ve been taking their classes and attending their workshops for about 6 months. One of the highlights was taking a workshop taught by Craig Cackowski (from Thrilling Adventure Hour and TV’s Community).
After taking their classes, my anxiety levels have plummeted and my writing has improved.
I’m a big fan of so many of the performers here and have really enjoyed my time here both as an audience member and a student. It just clicked with me.

I’ve taken a lot of improv classes and I just finished one here that I rank as the best of all of them. Shawn Roop Rocks… Fun, instructive, applicable to every part of life. All ages!

I just completed the first training– Level 1. The class was phenomenal! I recently retired after 40+ years as a corporate executive and feel this is training that everyone needs, no matter what you do. My entire class of 14 is moving on to Level 2, thanks to our great instructor Shawn Roop… I strongly urge you to try Improv and Finest City to get more out of your life!

This is my new favorite place in San Diego. I moved back to SD after 11 years in New York and started taking classes here. I was always too intimidated to try improv in NY. But now I’m now in my third round of classes and I’m loving what I’ve been learning. I’ve also met some lovely new people. The classes are quality, the community is so inclusive and caring and the shows are so much fun! And what a deal! Most shows are only $ 10, and free if you are enrolled in a class! The Moscow Mules in the bar made by the sweetheart bartender are delicious. The women running this place are geniuses. Take a class or see a show! Finest City is AMAZEBALLS.

I really have an amazing time every time I go. First of all its really inexpensive to go see a show. I went last night and the ticket was $ 6 for the entire evening. They have a variety of groups preform during the night each kind of doing their own thing. The last group was a musical styled show and they improvised a musical. I about lost it. It was incredible! I have brought several out of town guest here and they have all had a great time. They have a food menu that I have yet to try, and they have a small bar which I have tried extensively. Its low cost high quality fun!

After reading some of these amazing reviews that exclaim «improv changed my life», you might think an improv theater is a front for a creepy cult. And if you walked by the classroom window and saw 12 adults crawling on carpet and flailing their arms, you might be very convinced that FCI really stands for Favorite Cult Imaginable.
But here’s the secret: people in cults are having the greatest time. I think.
And improv is very similar, except society is invited to watch and participate in this quirky, courageous performance art and it’s almost impossible to not get enveloped in the excitement.
As a current student, I can say with only a touch of bias that it is the community that makes this such an amazing and addicting experience. Everyone from teachers to house performers to your peers contribute to this metaphorical net, providing you a safe foundation from which to leap. When the time comes, they also jump with you out of the plane, because improv is about both safety and risk.
Thursday-​Sunday, FCI welcomes you with open arms and alcoholic «kool aid», provides 3 hours of entertainment for the price of a kale bundle from Whole Foods, and inspires the hell out of you.
So what are you waiting for, you «Who’s Line Is It, Anyway?» binge watching, Amy Poehler loving individual?
Watch some shows, confirm FCI isn’t actually a cult, and come get weird with us.

For about the price of a movie ticket, you can go see a show that no one has ever seen before or will ever see again! Definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for a great date night. They have a lot of excellent teams; Director’s Cut is a favorite of mine. It’s a tiny little place, though, and it can get PACKED, so be sure to get there early.
It’s also worth mentioning that they offer improv classes. Great way to meet some interesting new people and face down some fears!

Finest city improv changed my life. When I moved to San diego, I knew no one and had no friends. I saw an ad in the reader for improv class and was welcomed by a friendly, enthusiastic and welcoming crew. From there I was given opportunities to become involved in many different aspects of the theatre, and eventually earned a spot in the ensemble. I am a young professional with no real dreams of being in entertainment but finest city has given me a creative outlet and a social circle. Thanks Amy. You’re the best.

First, I love this place, and I love the people. Now that I’m taking classes here (super fun and great way to inject some fun and playfulness into my week) I know a lot of the performers too.
Here’s what to expect for shows:
–Each team (group of performers) has a different style and set up. It took a visit or two for me to understand the different formats. Funny from the get go. Much funnier once I knew what to expect.
–It’s an intimate (cozy? tiny?) theater behind the historic La Fayette Hotel & all street parking.
–There’s a bar and food available and you can order during the show using a little form at your table in the theater. Pretty cool.
–It’s all made up and inspired by a suggestion from the audience. The main point is to be entertaining, not necessarily literally incorporate the suggestion in every scene all night. Once I let go of wanting things to play out like a scripted movie, I now really appreciate and marvel at how quickly the performers make characters and relationships and funny situations appear out of nothing.
–I generally find Friday and Saturday «teams» are strong and cohesive. I’m particularly a fan of «World According To…» Sunday has a few student groups starting off, which is great for us and amusing as an audience too.
Great place for shows and even better for classes (because then these people become your friends!)

This review comes from a person who is jaded, has been in show business for nearly 30 years, and who has an active suspicion of improvisational theatre. Having said that, I think you owe it to yourself to take in at least three separate shows at Finest City Improv. After that, you will have a pretty good idea about that improv is, what Finest City gets into and whether you, like me, can be persuaded to not only like it but love it.
I’m not saying that everything is perfect. Actually, part of the fun of improvisation is that no one (audience and performers) knows what’s going on from moment to moment — and sometimes what goes in is a train wreck. What this gives you is that unmistakable first-​date feeling about every moment, good or bad.
When you add them up, Finest City Improv and its various teams, performers and guest artists make the moments worth watching about 89% of the time. Have you had that kind of success on a first date before? I didn’t think so.
I also think it’s worth noting that the train wrecks are often brilliant in their own right. In addition to the fine entertainment, there is a full bar and food available Hell, why not go on a first date there — it could be refreshing to embrace the awkwardness like so many of the Finest City Improv performers do so well.

My wife and I went here last night to see the group «Director’s Cut» perform Remember The Titans.
We were very impressed with the layout of the club and with the two emcees, and thought we would be in store for a good night of improv. Unfortunately, we were quite disappointed with the show that was put on by Director’s Cut.
I have seen a decent amount of improv before, and this was the worst performance I had seen, mainly because of their seeming lack of organization. Multiple times they broke character, and often it didn’t seem clear who was leading the scene shifts — a couple of times it seemed like one person wanted to go one way and another another way. We wanted to walk out half way thru their performance, but out of respect for the hard job they do (it takes a lot of courage to get up on a stage for 60 minutes) we stayed until it was over. I don’t know if Director’s Cut was just having a bad night, or if this was a typical performance of theirs, but I will be avoiding them in the future.
I want to like this club, and I might give this club another chance in the future; but if I do, I’ll be going at a time when a different troupe is performing.

I live in North Park and never knew about this space, how bad of a neighbor am I? It is right by the Lafayette Hotel — connected, I believe, and it’s a tiny space, but a lot of fun. When it comes to performance art sometimes the smaller spaces make you enjoy it more. We saw a show featuring some comedians from Second City in Chicago and the sketches were fun.
They serve booze and food here as well. My mojito was strong and refreshing and while I didn’t eat off the menu, the selections seemed to be several notches up from the bar food I would expect.
There was information in the lobby regarding classes and workshops and the owner had mentioned a possible Improv Festival, which would be cool. Glad someone guided me to this little gem.