By the time we married in 1990, Ruth and I realized that Silicon Valley could not fulfill the personal or business dreams of two Midwest-raised people. During a vacation to the Northwest in the summer of 1992 we became enchanted with Oregon; we scouted locations and possibilities, and moved to Portland that fall.

We opened ComedySportz in April of 1993, based on the following guiding principles:

• A for-profit theatre company, focused on improvisation, building our audience one fan at a time.

• Our people would be paid for their art.

• We would give back to the community through direct donations, use of our skills and Food Bank collections.

• We would apply best artistic and business practices to continuously improve.

• We would play private shows to audiences of all kinds—corporations, small companies, churches, schools, colleges and associations—and public shows to an audience ranging from hipsters to mainstream citizens.

We haven’t missed a weekend since opening night. We grew slowly and deliberately, quietly becoming the largest improv theatre in the Northwest and one of the largest “small theatres” in Oregon. In 2004, we are on track to perform over 300 shows and nearly 200 private and corporate workshops, performed by 45 professional improv players and teachers.

Our mainstay is still the ComedySportz Show, a family-friendly improvisational comedy competition presented as a sporting event, complete with referee and stadium organist. ComedySportz teams are now in 19 cities nationwide, the UK and Ireland.

We’ve branched out with productions and subgroups at a dizzying rate, driven by the energy of our performers and our Northwest fans. We now offer improvised musical comedies, ShakesProv (completely made-up plays in the style of the Bard), children’s theatre and many other formats. Our Group Unity Training Seminars have brought open communication and the joy of saying “yes” to a wide range of companies and non-profit groups.

A decade after our founding, 10 of our 12 original members are still with us, and the feeling of family grows with each new addition. When we lose actors, it’s usually to Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and other professional opportunities, where the skills they built in Oregon easily compete on the national level.

In choosing Oregon we found a spirit of openness, and people filled with talent, generosity and drive. Here the landscape is so huge and beautiful that the only option is to stay humble. In Oregon, art matters.

Ruth and I still can’t believe our good fortune in coming to a state that says “yes” to dreamers like us.