Secret Improv Society

San Francisco, United States

4.4

Closed now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 415-692-1570
Website:
www.secretimprov.com
Address:
Shelton Theater 533 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA, 94102
Union Square
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
320 ftBig Bus Tours Stop 16, Union Square North
680 ftBig Bus Tours Stop 5, Union Square South
0.2 miBig Bus Tours Stop 6, Hilton Hotel
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Accepts Bitcoin
No
Parking
Garage, Street
Bike Parking
No
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
No
Good for Groups
Yes
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Music
Live
Good For Dancing
No
Alcohol
Full Bar
Happy Hour
No
Best Nights
Fri, Sat
Coat Check
No
Smoking
No
Outdoor Seating
No
Has TV
No

Today

Today 9:30 pm – 11:30 pm
Closed now
Local time (San Francisco) 13:38 Friday, 29 November 2024

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
Friday 9:30 pm – 11:30 pm
Saturday 9:30 pm – 11:30 pm
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Laugh out loud at the City’s best late-​night comedy! Enjoy a variety of fast-​paced sketches and songs inspired by the audience and created on the spot.

You’ll also love our cozy underground theater, friendly full bar (no drink minimums), affordable tickets prices, famously free Oreo’s, and our very convenient downtown location near Union Square.

So come join us! Secret Improv is the perfect place for a fun couple’s date night, a unique San Francisco experience for out-​of-​town visitors, or a hilarious night out with friends celebrating a special occasion. But as the City’s most popular late-​night improv, our shows can sell-​out so order your tickets today!

Classes and Corporate Training:

Secret Improv also specializes in using improv to enhance critical business skills, such as team building, communication, and creativity. We also offer entertainment for your corporate events and retreats. Some of our clients include AOL, Google, and Cisco.

Secret Improv also offers improv classes at all levels and for all ages. Plus, we’re dedicated to providing a fun, safe, and supportive environment for all our students.

History

Established in 2008.

Secret Improv Society was founded by Joel Micucci and Andrew Merit. They were friends and local improvisers who had a dream to bring late-​night improv comedy to downtown San Francisco. So they assembled a collection of the most talented and versatile improvisers they could find and located the perfect venue. Then, in March, 2008, they opened at the Shelton Theater near Union Square. That was over seven years ago. Today, Secret Improv is still going strong, making it one of the City’s most popular late-​night comedy shows.

Shows begin at 10:00 and end by 11:30. Plenty of time to catch your BART train.

Meet the Manager

Secret Improv Society I.

Manager

Enjoy hilarious improv comedy right here in downtown San Francisco every Saturday at 10PM. The Improv Society’s theatrical shows are a raucous blend improvised sketches and songs: a fast-​paced, interactive improvisational revue. Hilarious, bright and completely original, Secret Improv Society is a must-​see San Francisco event.

Secret Improv Society also recommends

White Horse Tavern & Restaurant

212

reviews

Pubs

,

American (Traditional)

Secret Improv Society I. says,

«Great place to have a beer and standard cocktail before seeing a show. Definitely a cast favorite after shows.»

Cantina — CLOSED

852

reviews

Lounges

,

Cocktail Bars

Secret Improv Society I. says,

«Perfect place to stop by before our show! It’s right across the street.»

Burger Bar

1932

reviews

Burgers

,

American (Traditional)

Secret Improv Society I. says,

«Grab a burger atop Macy’s in Union Square before the show. (Burger prices run from $ 12 to $ 60 — depends on toppings). Two blocks from the theatre!»

Related places

You might also consider:
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Cheaper Than Therapy
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Big City Improv
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San Francisco Improv Collective
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ft
How We First Met
Marines' Memorial Theatre 609 Sutter St (Union Square, Lower Nob Hill)
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Marrakech Magic Theater
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Nearby

Near this location:
1
ft
Cheaper Than Therapy
Shelton Theater 533 Sutter St
1
ft
Pacific Foreign Exchange
533A Sutter St
1
ft
Big City Improv
533 Sutter St
1
ft
Made Up Theatre
533 Sutter St 2nd Fl
1
ft
The Actor’s Theatre
533 Sutter Street
1
ft
Shelton Studios
533 Sutter St

20 reviews of Secret Improv Society

No registration required
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
So funny your face will hurt. I went to the Friday late show and it was a blast. Can’t wait to go back. ps. Check the Unilocal page for 50% off code.
Place rating: 5
Cupertino, CA
Great audience interaction, very funny and hilarious, awesome work! The show was at 10pm, we went there early, there is bar there you can grab drinks.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
Worth every penny. Hilarious. Show war just the right length. Fun location with a full service bar and a jazz band for preamble. Going back for sure.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
Last night was the first time seeing a show. Very funny, great atmosphere, and acting is top notch. Belly muscles hurt afterwards from laughing so much. You guys/​gals did superb re-​enacting a moment in my life… :)
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
Really funny and interactive.
Place rating: 5
Tempe, AZ
We came out to the bay for valentine’s day and loved this show. The cast was awesome and witty. I especially enjoyed the musical parts and the audience member participation skit.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
Great show! Lots of laughs, 2 unique bars with great cocktails. Very small and intimate setting and the show was hilarious. Would recommend it to locals and visitors!
Place rating: 5
Orlando, FL
Just came out of the show. Courageous and gifted folks here. Get a belly full of laughs and be part of the show. I know, I gave them a hand (s).
No better dose of the chilly blues then a bowl of laughter. Enjoy the underground bar and intimate stage. You won’t regret it.
Just get there on time and enjoy some free Oreos.
Place rating: 4
Wilsonville, OR
Friday night was so fun at an improve 10 pm show. Four comedians interacted with an audience of approx 40. Asking us for prompts we yacked it up.
They were just down right silly and we enjoyed every second of it. Could it have been the prefunction before the show or are they really talented? Both!!!
Highly recommend this improv act. It was $ 18/​person on-​line. Will go again.
Place rating: 5
Livingston, CA
All I can say is that you will not be disappointed and have an amazing experience. Not one curse word used, hence needed to be funny, during my show!
The crew grows on you almost instantaneously.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
We had a great time, small venue was nice. The crowd was interactive which really made it all the more fun.
Place rating: 5
Redwood City, CA
This was a fun show, they have an original act with tons of funny punchlines
we enjoyed the show and would highly recommend it.
Place rating: 4
Fresno, CA
Fun show!
I had ordered tickets online that afternoon, and my name hadn’t made it to the check-​in guy’s spread sheet. He checked the order on my phone and let us in without any other hassle and I appreciates how chill that was.
The show was in a basement, and after a pretty warm day, the room was hot and stuffy; I was glad that I was wearing a tank top under my sweater.
The actors were a nice range of ages, body types, and ethnicities. Strangely — even though I use the word all the time — I appreciated they only used the F-​word a few times to good comedic effect. It was a fun crowd, too.
Place rating: 2
Westminster, MD
They tried, but the performance made me realize just how good the improv is in other places. The performers were making an effort, but they don’t seem to think on their feet in the manner necessary for good improv. Their scenarios were acted out as normal scenarios – not much was funny.
The three best bits were 1) when three guys had to speak in one voice, anticipating what they’d each say, 2) when one actor had to use an audience member’s text messages for his lines, and 3) when an audience member who spoke Hebrew joined a skit and the other actors «translated» her words. It was nice not to have a drink minimum, but I wouldn’t go back again.
Place rating: 3
Los Angeles, CA
Came here on a date about a month back, saw the reviews on Unilocal and I’ve always been a fan of improve so decided to check it out. As a date idea I would give it 5 stars, the venue is very intimate and not pretentious at all. (It’s a little run down in the theater though, so if your date has too much Sex and the City in her you should look elsewhere). If you come here on an early date (this was our 3rd) is also gives you great conversation points for where you go next, since you can relive the funny parts and talk about how awkward the volunteers got, or how you would have said something way funnier, etc.
They have a waiting area with a small bar where everyone drinks and mingles while they wait for the show to start. There is another theater in the same space also, so you basically have two different crowds there waiting so you get some good people watching/​meeting opportunities, which I liked.
However, as an improv performance I have to go with 3 stars, because one of the performers we saw absolutely had to be drugged out of his mind. In the scenes he wasn’t chosen for there were some legitimate laughs and it was overall very entertaining. For the scenes he was in though, he was a cast iron anchor that took the mood from awkward, to uncomfortable, to «wtf is happening right now?!» It was like watching Bill Gates host SNL.
He would frequently be in a scene where he is asked a question, and he sit there with a blank look on his face for a full 5 seconds EVERY TIME. You would practically see his internal monologue saying:
«*#$*#, I forgot my line… oh, duuude, this is improv, there are no lines.» Then he would actually start thinking about something to say, and arrive at a truly WTF idea (or sometimes he would just repeat what was already said) and the scene would tailspin. Horrible.
The only saving grace was that at one point they have a competition and the audience gets to scream out «DIE» to eliminate an actor if they don’t like his answer. Somebody in the audience screamed out «DIE» before the guy could say anything, and that got a good laugh.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
I went to Secret Improv Society on the recommendation of a friend and was thoroughly entertained the entire evening. I am often skeptical of Improv groups and was pleasantly surprised with the creativity of the cast. They were engaging without being overbearing and worked well with one another and with the audience.
Most importantly, I laughed pretty hard throughout the entire show. These guys are funny, clever and provide a very entertaining night.
I went back a second time with a friend and again, had a great time. I would highly recommend to anyone, local or visiting.
Place rating: 1
Denver, CO
Before you read my review, keep in mind I am from Chicago and have seen Second City a handful of times and I have also been to a fantastic improv show twice in Boston that made me cry of laughter.
Based on my past experiences, I had high hopes for a highly rated improv show hosted in San Francisco.
First off, there is no benefit to arriving early. Everyone waits outside in the waiting area until a few minutes before the show is supposed to start. They did offer oreos which was nice– as the cheap but simple oreo tasted much better than my expensive ice cream sandwich from dinner earlier that night.
Anyway, once we seated ourselves in the tiny overheated room, the show didn’t even start for another 20 minutes. It was really hot in there– my friends were sweating.
The cast was made up of 4 people– 2 guys and 2 girls. They all looked fairly on the older side… like maybe 40s. I’m used to seeing younger, more energetic casts.
The show started off not bad– made me giggle a few times. But from the middle to the end, I had a straight face the entire time. Somehow the show went downhill instead of uphill. It just wasn’t that funny– I don’t know what else to say. I actually found some of the volunteers in the crowd were funnier than the actual cast. My friend even fell asleep during the show… By the way, if you volunteer, you get two free tickets to the next show.
One thing I found amusing was one of the cast reminded me of Jerry Seinfeld. He was lanky and had a Jerry like hair style. Anyway, I know the cast tried really hard, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Place rating: 4
Hayward, CA
I went to the Secret Improv Society last night (a Saturday) for my birthday. I celebrated with my family and friends and we were a group of 14 people.
The actors/​comedians were funny and creative. They amazed me with how they were quick to think of something to say on the spot.
My family and friends made it a fun night by actively participating by either going on stage or yelling out words for the actors/​comedians to use.
What made the night special was when I got pulled on stage and the cast did a special and creative birthday song based on what I told them about myself based on the questions they asked.
My friends and I read reviews and people said they got free oreos at the show. They must have stopped passing out oreos because we didn’t get any. :(
They have a small bar not much selection. There’s a cool and large sports bar right next door (525 Sutter) my group and I went there after the show for some drinks.
Place rating: 5
San Jose, CA
Came here last night with my gf and sister in law and her bf. We all had a good time. Everyone who worked there from the moment we walk in where nice and helpful. We will be back.
Place rating: 5
Saint Louis, MO
Must-​see while in San Francisco!
I’m originally from Chicago so I’ve been to Second City (which can be hit or miss) and I wanted to see what San Fran had to offer in terms of improv. They blew Second City out of the water! I thought all of the improv comedians were great. What I really liked is that you can be involved in this show as much as you want to be. They ONLY ask for volunteers; plus, if you volunteer, you get a free ticket to their next show! We had SUCH A BLAST. I was laughing the whole time. Plus, I thought the drinks were really reasonable ($ 5 for a glass of wine). We will definitely be returning on our next trip. If you’re military, ask for their discount!