Refined improvisation, unscripted comedy and theater Feb. 20-22 in Mesa

Sonoran All-Valley Improv invites audiences to gather for a weekend of artful, unscripted comedy and theater as SAVI Fest returns Feb. 20–22 at the Media and Immersive eXperience Center in downtown Mesa.

The MIX Center is at 50 N. Centennial Way. Tickets and the full festival schedule are available at https://savifest.com/tickets.

Now in its third year, SAVI Fest has grown into a curated celebration of improvisation at its most playful, elegant and alive, it states in a release.

The 2026 festival highlights fresh voices and adventurous theatrical exploration, presenting a wide range of improvised performance; from clever comedic bits and inventive concepts to elegant long-form storytelling, genre-inspired theater, and musical improv created entirely in the moment, it states.

Each performance offers audiences the rare pleasure of witnessing artists compose humor, meaning and connection in real time — no scripts, no safety nets, just presence and possibility.

“SAVI Fest is about showing how expansive, playful and touching improv can be,” Jacque Arend, co-founder of SAVI Fest, said in the release. “It’s comedy — and it’s also theatrical, surprising and deeply human. This year, we’re leaning into the shared experience while keeping the joy front and center.”

In addition to performances, SAVI Fest 2026 offers workshops and intensives led by accomplished improvisers and educators, creating opportunities for artists to engage deeply with the craft in an atmosphere that values curiosity, generosity and creative risk.

This year’s festival embraces lightness and levity — an invitation to slow down, laugh well and enjoy the art of being present together.

SAVI Fest is supported by a network of sponsors and community partners, including Gold Canyon Sponsor Second Beat Improv Theater and Sonoran Sponsor Cheba Hut, with additional support from Arizona improv institutions such as Neighborhood Comedy Theater, The Bridge Improv Theater, Monster Improv, and Unscrewed Improv Theater.