The Torch Theatre

My son and I have been having a blast at the Torch Theatre over the past year. We have both taken the drop in intro class and he has also taken Level 1 and 2 classes. The folks at the theater have been extremely friendly and are very supportive. We are pretty regular at Skewed News Hour on Fridays and have discovered the Neighborhood on Saturdays. Real people having fun. My son has also been in some Bingo Jams and it has been fun to watch. Great place to get involved with the improv community, learn some stuff and laugh a lot.

Friendly people, great long form and amazing community. The people here are so passionate about their craft and it shows on stage. The people at the torch were organized, accepting and very knowledgeable about local theater. Love this place!

I love coming here for an inexpensive night out. This little theater is Phoenix’s «home for long-​form improv.» You get to have some great laughs, meet funny people, and cap it all off with a few cheap well drinks at H.B. Handratty’s.
A lot of people take classes here and then form a group with their classmates or friends, so the Torch has a great diversity of acts of local talent making up 20 – 30 minutes of comedy on the spot based on your suggestions. Beware, though, you might just walk into a show where you’re expected to participate!

Fun theater specializing in long form improv. I love the Saturday night show «The Neighborhood». It features the owners and other expert inprovisers. Definitely worth checking out!

We had a fun time hitting the local improv club on a sweet voucher. Had good seats and the show was good. Fun and fast-​paced and very funny for local comics. The venue is old and funky in the uptown area of Phoenix on the trail of the light rail. Nice reuse of what used to be a retail storefront and a nice mellow, fun date night.

Weekends are always a delight at the Torch. Friday and Saturday nights are filled with intriguing improvised theater. Occasionally there are guests from out of town, but mostly the entertainment comes from local performers, most of whom have been trained here. If you’re looking to expand your horizons, they also have a drop in workshop every first Saturday of the month, which might whet your appetite for doing more… And classes are available year round!

My wife and I went to the skewed news hour tonight. The cast did a great job. Lots of laughs. A really nice way to finish the week. I can’t think of anything that I would change but I’m sure, given the nature of improv, the entertainment of the show will very from week to week. We’ll be back.

Saw the Skewed News Hour. Not sure if the performers are the same every week but… it was truly terrible — probably the worst comedy I’ve ever seen outside of a bizarre open mic night at a pizza joint in Chicago I once attended — and even that may have been better, at least the pizza was good and you didn’t feel too bad ignoring the performers.
The Skewed News Hour works like this: before the show, audience members go and cut out articles in some current and provided newspapers. They then tack their news articles to a cork board at the front of the room. The show starts. Performers rip a news article off the cork board and then read major portions of the article to the audience. The performers then start a series of skits purportedly «based» off the article just read. Sounds fine in theory, but the reality is awful.
Based on the topic of the show you would expect the skits to be somewhat clever and somewhat related to actual current events. Sadly, the only relation the skits had to any news was basically to the general headline of the story. The substance of the news article seemed to act primarily as filler to provide the performers time to come up with skits. Rarely, if ever, did the substance appear in the skits and if it did it was in a very unsophisticated way («oh! The body mentioned Hong Kong! Let’s do this in Hong Kong!»). Honestly, the substance of the skit could have been created (and in fact probably was created) by individuals who have never read newspapers in their lives.
For example, an article might mention school reform. The skit may begin in a school, or at a spelling bee, or at something vaguely related to education. However, beyond the setting there would be no mention whatsoever of any newsworthy issue related to education. Nothing about common-​core, nothing about charter v public schools, nothing about anything really. Just random, pretty brainless «comedy.» If you are hoping to find an intellectual comedy troupe, this is not it. Not even close.
But perhaps you don’t care about intellectual comedy or lame hooks, perhaps you just want comedy. Even then I couldn’t recommend this show. The comedy, notwithstanding the established expectations of what the show might be like, was… not even sub-​par. I, and others, felt fairly consistently embarrassed by the quality of the performance. There was clapping at the end of our show, but I think most were claps of relief that our fifty minutes of awkwardness had ended.

The theater itself is nice and clean. The seating area probably holds about 30 people. Yes the chairs aren’t super comfortable but that didn’t really bother me. Its a small theater and they are trying to fit everyone they can in. So give them a break. I thought the show was funny! We went to see Tom Blunt perform. I will definitely be back. It is right off the light rail and within walking distance to Hula’s. Go and support local theater!

Not only is it the only long form improv theater in Phoenix, but it’s also the best long form improv theater in Phoenix. A very talented and impressive community of performers. Perfect for a date night, or… I don’t know, whatever people want to do.

I’ve been to the Torch Theatre twice to see my friends perform. The venue is nice and clean. The theatre itself has a large stage and several rows of seating, probably enough space for 20 – 30 people. Admission is affordable and you feel like you’re supporting a good thing. The actors are passionate about what they do and even in the audience, it’s a pleasure to be a part of the fun. The improve shows had several groups doing 15-​minute sets and I liked all of the skits.
I’ve never been, but apparently the Torch Theatre offers free improv classes every month. I think it’s the first Saturday of every month. I have been thinking about going to a class, but haven’t made it yet.
The Torch Theatre has limited parking in front, but lots of space behind the building. The lightrail is very close if you don’t feel like driving. Across the street is Hula’s, a great spot for a snack, dinner, or just drinks.

Went to the Torch Theatre for the first time tonight to see Skewed News. I thought it was a bargain at $ 7 to see a show. Just across the street from Hula’s and Maizie’s and it is on the light rail so it is a perfect location for a night out. If you take your ticket to Maizie’s you get a discount. I thought it was very funny and well worth the time and money. My complaint is that the chairs are a bit crammed together but the theater was far from full so it wasn’t a huge problem at all.

Skewed News Hour
Was not funny. It was supposed to be improv, The sketches were rehearsed and nothing to do with the «new articles» the audience posted. A waste of my time.

First time to visit The Torch and last time. Was not funny and we were extremely happy it only lasted 50 minutes!

The theater is small, but the fun is huge! (see what I did there?)
I had the opportunity to be a part of The Neighborhood last night. I’ve known about the theatre for awhile now, but had never been to see a show.
They were great! I was quite impressed with how they took my silly stories and made them so much more exciting and hilarious than my actual life! The troupe works very well together. I did a lot of laughing. I definitely want to see more of their shows. It’s different, and an inexpensive night out. They also have workshops, so if you ever want to try out improv, there are many opportunities available.
Torch Theatre could actually get me into Phoenix more! Who’d a-​thunk it?

I’m a big fan of long form improv and find the troupes at the Torch Theatre never disappoint. My favorite shows to attend are the Neighborhood and Cage Match. At the Neighborhood, the Torch invites a local to come and tell stories from their life. The troupes than perform improv based on the stories. I’ve discovered some awesome local poets, musicians and writers from these shows.
Cage Match is a competition between two troupes. Since it’s later in the evening, these performances can get a little raunchy, but I’ve found the improv artists are more apt to provide more clever and smart humor.

Downtown Phoenix has something really amazing, something that makes it stand out in the national comedy scene. It’s called The Torch Theatre, and it’s the only space dedicated to long-​form improv in Arizona. The theater just opened this year, and it’s wonderful to see this venue created by such a talented group of improvisers. The space is used to host classes and weekly shows, and the group behind it also puts on the annual Phoenix Improv Festival, which brings in prominent comedians from around the country.
I went to the theater for the weekly Cagematch competition, where a challenger team takes on the champion from the previous week. The teams can perform any format they want, from one long scene with a single suggestion to short-​form games throughout the show. You never know what you’re going to get, and that’s part of the fun. Audience members determine which team makes it onto the next week.
This was just one of three shows that night, and every Friday and Saturday, there is a ton of programming to choose from. Tickets generally range from $ 5-​$ 10, and the full schedule can be found here. It’s fun to check out a lot of different types performances, and it’s a great way to get immersed in downtown Phoenix culture.

The Torch Theatre is a hidden gem in downtown Phx.
The weekend comedy shows are so much fun, are reasonably priced and performed in a small intimate setting that creates a wonderful group experience.
My favorite show is the Sat night, 8:30 show called «The Neighborhood» but they have several shows both fri and sat night with different formats. If you have not seen long-​form improv before, I would like to suggest «the Neighborhood» show because for me it was the best format for an introduction to this kind of improv/​humor.
I found out about the improv classes at Torch Theatre from Groupon. I am so happy that I took the level 1 improv class. I did it on a whim to have some fun and it exceeded my expectations! I had SO much fun, learned a lot and as an unexpected bonus, was able to see the weekend shows for free while I was in class! I am now a paying client, but the cost is well worth the hilarity that is created on stage.
The weekend shows are so much fun and the saying «laughter is the best medicine» has really been true for me. As a person living with an autoimmune disorder that can only be managed, I have found that the fun I have at the Torch has helped decrease my stress levels which has been a boost for my overall health. (I know this sounds a bit crazy, but I am walking proof that laughter has healing qualities!)
Don’t take my word for it, go see a show and decide for yourself!
Enjoy a big belly laugh at the Torch Theatre!

Stay away… this comedy ensemble is anything BUT funny! The Trifecta show was horrible, thankfully the last act kept me from walking out. Waste of $ 10. My friend sent me a txt halfway through it…“I need to go to the bathroom… Hula’s bathroom”. That’s the restaurant across the street.
Best laugh I had all night

They’re doing preview nights ahead of their grand opening in a few weeks.
$ 5 for the show — you can’t go wrong!
We saw 3 improv groups Saturday night featuring 15 or so actors. Very accomplished and very entertaining.
They offer improv classes and a ‘teaser’ class to get your feet wet.
I’m seriously considering being there the next one — Tue July 5.