We're ready to reveal this year's amazing lineup of Countdown Improv Festival performers that will hit the HCC stages from August 9-12 -- but there's a catch! We need to raise $5,000 before we can release the festival lineup. Help us reach our fundraising goal so that we can announce this year's lineup -- and so that we can make the 2023 Countdown Improv Festival the biggest and best one yet.
2023 will be the biggest and most ambitious year yet for the Countdown Improv Festival: the world's only improv comedy festival exclusively devoted to trio, duo, and solo performance. Produced by Countdown Arts, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the festival will take place in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa from August 9-12, 2023. We need your support to help make it happen.
From its humble beginnings in 2017, the Countdown Improv Festival has grown into one of the best, most acclaimed events of its kind. In 2023, we will build on our track record of success by, among other things, running shows on three separate stages at the HCC Ybor Performing Arts Building, introducing new audiences to our event, and expanding our programming to include performances and workshops for kids, teens, and families. Your financial support is critical to our efforts to fully resource the festival and help continue to make it a destination for world-class improv comedy in Tampa Bay.
We've set a campaign goal of $5,000 , a sum that will help us offset costs associated with securing the venue, programming world-class shows and workshops, extending unparalleled hospitality to our instructors and performers, expanding our production team, and promoting the festival across the region.
We plan to raise this money, in part, by hosting a live fundraising extravaganza from 5-10 PM on Sunday, May 7 at The MAR St. Pete. The star-studded* event will feature improv, music, storytelling, and lots of bits -- and it'll conclude with us announcing this year's festival lineup. But we won't announce the lineup until and unless we raise the $5,000, though! We're serious, we'll keep the lineup to ourselves for as long as it takes until we reach our goal. Join us live at the MAR St. Pete and online at twitch.tv/countdownimprov!
Countdown Improv Festival co-founders and producers Kelly Buttermore and Justin Peters are the world’s foremost independent improv duo, and have performed, taught, and produced improvisational comedy together for over a decade. As the duo known as From Justin to Kelly, they have performed and taught hundreds upon hundreds of times in 29 different states, D.C., Canada, and international waters, and have headlined dozens of national improv festivals.
In early 2017, they mobilized the firsthand experiences -- both positive and negative -- that they had gained by participating in other festivals to found the Countdown Improv Festival, the world’s first and only improv festival devoted exclusively to small-group improv. Their mission was to foster a professional, supportive, welcoming, community-focused event where all participants felt equally valued and appreciated. The festival, now in its seventh year, has quickly become the most anticipated event of the year for trio, duo, and solo improv across the nation.
Perks
We've got a brand new T-shirt for this year's fundraiser, and you're going to want to add it to your collection. Donate at this level, and it's yours! We'll also give you ticket pre-sale access, and we'll thank you on the website.
Our vintage, highly sought-after 2018 festival t-shirt has been out of stock for years -- but we're reprinting a limited number of them exclusively for festival donors! Donate at this level and we'll send you both this vintage throwback shirt AND this year's special fundraiser T-shirt. We'll also give you early bird ticket and workshop access, and a hearty "thank you" on the website.
What a thrill! The $250 experience! Donors at this level will get this year's fundraiser T-shirt, the vintage 2018 Countdown T-shirt, AND a special shirt that says "I Gave $250 To the Countdown Improv Festival, And All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt, Plus Two Other T-Shirts." (NOTE: The actual shirt will look better than the image we've got here, this is just a mockup.) You'll also be thanked on the website and get early ticket and workshop access.
This donation level is for people who don't really want or need any festival swag, but who just want the tax write-off. Well, here you go! We won't mail you anything, and you can take the full tax deduction for your donation. In exchange, we'll thank you profusely during the fundraising event and during the festival. We'll also induct you into the Countdown Club: Our prestigious circle of high-rolling donors. This is basically just a "name-on-the-website" thing at this point, but there'll assuredly be more benefits as time goes on!
Donors at this level will be treated like VIPs at this year's Countdown Improv Festival. In addition to all of the preceding rewards, they'll enjoy 4 all-access weekend passes to the 2022 festival, and up to two complimentary slots per workshop, for up to three separate workshops over the course of the festival. Plus, we'll induct you into the Countdown Club: Our prestigious circle of high-rolling donors. This is basically just a "name-on-the-website" thing at this point, but there'll assuredly be more benefits as time goes on!
Highlights
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We've got a brand new T-shirt for this year's fundraiser, and you're going to want to add it to your collection. Donate at this level, and it's yours! We'll also give you ticket pre-sale access, and we'll thank you on the website.
Our vintage, highly sought-after 2018 festival t-shirt has been out of stock for years -- but we're reprinting a limited number of them exclusively for festival donors! Donate at this level and we'll send you both this vintage throwback shirt AND this year's special fundraiser T-shirt. We'll also give you early bird ticket and workshop access, and a hearty "thank you" on the website.
What a thrill! The $250 experience! Donors at this level will get this year's fundraiser T-shirt, the vintage 2018 Countdown T-shirt, AND a special shirt that says "I Gave $250 To the Countdown Improv Festival, And All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt, Plus Two Other T-Shirts." (NOTE: The actual shirt will look better than the image we've got here, this is just a mockup.) You'll also be thanked on the website and get early ticket and workshop access.
This donation level is for people who don't really want or need any festival swag, but who just want the tax write-off. Well, here you go! We won't mail you anything, and you can take the full tax deduction for your donation. In exchange, we'll thank you profusely during the fundraising event and during the festival. We'll also induct you into the Countdown Club: Our prestigious circle of high-rolling donors. This is basically just a "name-on-the-website" thing at this point, but there'll assuredly be more benefits as time goes on!
Donors at this level will be treated like VIPs at this year's Countdown Improv Festival. In addition to all of the preceding rewards, they'll enjoy 4 all-access weekend passes to the 2022 festival, and up to two complimentary slots per workshop, for up to three separate workshops over the course of the festival. Plus, we'll induct you into the Countdown Club: Our prestigious circle of high-rolling donors. This is basically just a "name-on-the-website" thing at this point, but there'll assuredly be more benefits as time goes on!
