Idaho Improvathon⁠

The Idaho Improvathon runs as a marathon rather than a conventional showcase, with a fresh 20-minute set starting roughly every 20 minutes over four days and more than 20 hours of performance in total. Organizers bill it as the largest improv festival in the state. It is produced by The Comedy Project, a nonprofit troupe that has been performing in Pocatello since 2005, and doubles as a fundraiser toward a permanent performance space and free community workshops.

Most of the festival happens at Westside Players, with a Friday late-night show at the bar Club Charley's. Alongside the 24 visiting acts, the schedule makes room for a high school improv showcase, a "Graveyard Shift" where performers take a single suggestion and play for two hours into the early morning, a short-form battle royale called Comedy Versus, and mash-up sets that pull names from a hat to run living room, montage, monoscene, bat, and Armando. Visiting performers are encouraged to arrive early, since most of those extra slots go to whoever is already in town.

Six workshops run across Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, with instructors brought in from around the country and paid through a Bistline Foundation grant. One Saturday morning slot is a free beginner-basics workshop open to the community, and the rest are available for purchase. Instructor applications run August 1 to September 7, 2026, with five to seven teachers selected.