ImprovBoston, a thirty-year-old theater nestled in Central Square, is doing way more than just generating laughs. Driven to give back, ImprovBoston’s main mission is education-educating people who want to be performers and educating individuals about the power of comedy. Not only does this nonprofit have two different theaters, a full-scale comedy school, and a national touring company, but it’s also dedicated to using the power of comedy to prevent bullying.
Zach Ward, Managing Director, explains how ImprovBoston uses improv and comedy to, “empower students and teach them advanced skills for how to identify and deal with bullies.” They’re even partnering with local schools to provide presentations and engage local kids in the area to help them recognize bullying and take steps to prevent it. “It’s really rewarding to go out into public schools and make a significant impact in the local community,” Zach added.
Helping make their vision a reality is Eventbrite. ImprovBoston prioritizes ease of use and communication to make sure that the work that happens off stage is not distracting from the performance onstage. “To make the laugh count as high as possible, we want to limit the back end work that happens,” Zach shared, “which is why we love Eventbrite.” In addition to providing their guests with a seamless system to register for shows and classes, Zach explained that both the smooth integration into their website and the ease of social sharing are two of his favorite product features. “We don’t want people to jump through hoops,” he commented, “and we know our guests want to experience comedy together, so the fact that Eventbrite has become so integrated with social media has been really helpful in spreading the word about what we do.”
ImprovBoston is proud to be using Eventbrite for one of their most anticipated events, the Boston Comedy Arts Festival, which runs from September 3rd through September 8th. This comedy extravaganza combines improv, sketch and standup, allowing groups from all over the country, including high school and college acts, to take the stage. With 300 performers and an audience averaging 2,500 – 3,000, ImprovBoston is excited to be using a ticketing system they trust to provide their acts and audience members with the best ticketing experience possible.
“Improvisation and comedy make people better individuals, and you want to be around people that can make you laugh,” Zach said, and lucky for them, Eventbrite is there to help every step of the way.