A headshot photograph of improv comedian Sarah Schultz smiling warmly at the camera. Positioned center frame in a medium close-up shot, Schultz features brown shoulder-length hair styled with a side part. They wear a deep purple v-neck top layered under a textured dark grey open knit cardigan sweater, set against a softly blurred, dark neutral background.Sarah Schultz Credit: Countdown Improv Festival

Improv is having its moment in the Bay area, thanks, in no small part, to the Commodore. The theater in between Ybor City and Tampa Heights has been a haven for the art form and practice, and yesterday the nearly three-year-old venue kicked off its 10th annual Countdown Improv Festival.

The 2026 lineup includes nearly 140 acts—trios, duos, and solo—representing 20 states, all performing nightly. Hillsborough College’s Studio Theatre, Mainstage Theatre and Rehearsal Hall, a 15-minute walk from The Commodore, also host shows like “The Absent-Minded Professor” where Pittsburgh’s Sarah Schultz (pictured) does an improvised lecture.

All-ages and family matinee workshops and performances on Saturday expand the festival’s reach, and organizers say there’s something for everyone. Daily tickets are available along with full-festival passes.

Tickets to the Countdown Improv Festival happening nightly in Ybor City through Sunday, Aug. 9 are still available and start at $11.64.

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This article appears in Jul 30 – Aug 05, 2026.

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Read his 2016 intro letter and disclosures from 2022 and 2021. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. He became Editor-In-Chief…
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