About Improv Central
At Improv Central, we inspire the courage & confidence to navigate our unpredictable and unscripted lives.
And laugh a lot while we’re at it.
We all experience the stress of our unpredictable and unscripted lives, and further burden ourselves with the unrealistic expectation to be prepared, polished, and perfect.
Improv Central is the first non-performance improvisational experience where we gather live & in-person to develop the instincts and skills for the unexpected, real-life moments we all face at home, at work, and in our communities.
Improv Central is designed for everyday people who want to meet life’s improvised moments with more excitement, exploration, and joy. Come on in.
a NEW approach to integrating improv into your life
We offer something different than traditional improv theater training: improv as a life practice, not a performance practice. Here's what that means — what improv is at Improv Central, and what it is not:
We use improv principles to SUPPORT YOU BEING more yourself, not to become someone else on stage.
HOW THIS ALL BEGAN
My family and I moved to Alameda in December of 2024 (over the holidays, which I do not recommend). It had been nearly 20 years since I last lived here as a high schooler. Now we were back on "The Island"—my husband, our kiddo, and me—unpacking boxes in a beautiful apartment perched above Ballena Bay.
Every day I would walk past the vacant commercial unit on the ground floor of our building, obsessively curious about what it might become.
One night, sitting on the floor under the glow of our Christmas lights (we didn't have a couch yet), I told my husband: "I can't stop thinking about the space downstairs. What if I opened something there—a space where people come to connect and grow through improv?"
We started dreaming out loud about what our neighbors were longing for: more in-person connection, presence, playful skill-building, ways to feel more alive at home, at work, and in their communities. The more I let myself imagine it, the clearer it became. Not a theater. Not a comedy club. A warm, welcoming space where we gather to practice improv not as a means to performing on stage, but as a way to be more playful and present in real life. For the dinner table. The work meeting. The hard parenting moment. All the opportunities for creativity, connection, and community that can feel like they pass us by.
What happened next felt like a cascade of green lights: our landlords loved the idea, friends responded with a collective "Hell yes! We need this!" Synchronicities lined up everywhere—grant programs, chance meetings with people who said "I was just thinking about getting back into improv," collaborators calling at exactly the right moment.
So we leapt. With deep trust in our 'why' and a bit of healthy "we'll figure it out" energy, Improv Central came to life at 500 Central Avenue and opened in September 2025.
Meet the founder
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I'm Claire Slattery, and I created Improv Central because I needed it.
I'm an Alameda native who spent many years away, working with orgs like Google, Microsoft, and Adobe, helping people communicate more authentically. I trained at venues like Upright Citizens Brigade, The Groundlings, and BATS Improv.
But I was also a recovering perfectionist who felt like I had to have everything figured out before I could show up as myself. I was missing real connection, real community, a place where I could practice being human without having to be perfect.
So I came home to Alameda and created the space I wished existed: where everyday people can practice the transformative skills of improvisation without any pressure to perform. Where we can all show up to nourish our humanity — how we respond to life’s many unpredictable, unscripted moments.
If you're looking for that same thing—real connection, a place to practice being yourself—welcome. I’m so glad you’re here with me.