Improvisational theatre, often called improvisation or improv, is the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted: created spontaneously by the performers. In its purest form, the dialogue, action, story, and characters are created collaboratively by the players as the improvisation unfolds in present time, without use of an already prepared, written script.
Karen Jane Allen is an American film and stage actress. After making her film debut in Animal House (1978), she became best known for her portrayal of Marion Ravenwood opposite Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), a role she later reprised for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). She also co-starred in Starman (1984) and Scrooged (1988). Her stage work has included performances on Broadway, and she has directed both for stage and film.
The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise and is the first ongoing improvisational theater troupe to be continually based in Chicago, with training programs and live theatres in Toronto and Los Angeles. The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959, and has since become one of the most influential and prolific comedy theatres in the world. In February 2021, ZMC, a private equity investment firm based in Manhattan, purchased the Second City.
The Big Comfy Couch is a Canadian children's television series, which is about a clown named Loonette and her doll Molly who solve everyday problems on their eponymous couch. It aired from March 2, 1992, until December 29, 2006. It was produced by Cheryl Wagner and Robert Mills, directed by Wayne Moss, Robert Mills and Steve Wright. It premiered on March 2, 1992, in Canada and on January 9, 1995, in the United States on PBS stations across the country. The program was also broadcast on Treehouse TV from 1997 to 2011.
Josh Routh is a nationally recognized American circus performer, and a founding member of the comedic troop Brothers Kaputnik, Death By Tickle and Circus Kaput. Josh trained at the Circus Center in San Francisco, California and attended the Clown Conservatory where he graduated "Class Clown". The Conservatory is where Josh found his alter ego "Tchotchke Kaputnik". As Tchotchke, Josh has performed with The New Pickle Circus (formerly the Pickle Family Circus, The San Francisco Youth Circus, The Much Ado Shakespeare Circus and Velocity Circus.
Steven Craig Banks is an American actor, musician, comedian, and writer of television, plays, books and cartoons, including CatDog, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, and SpongeBob SquarePants.
Richard Elfman is an American actor, musician, director, producer, screenwriter, journalist, author and magazine publisher.
The N Crowd is a short form improv comedy troupe that has been performing weekly since April 2005. The troupes membership has fluctuated between 14 and 6 over the last 2 years. Currently there are 10 members performing weekly in Philadelphia. The troupe has received positive reviews in the Philadelphia Weekly,the Philly Style Magazine, and The City Paper. Interviews of N Crowd members have appeared in The Philly Metro and Phillyst.com.
Anthony Paul Meindl is an American director, screenwriter, stage and film actor, author and founder and artistic director Anthony Meindl's Actor Workshop, in Los Angeles. The workshop has since expanded to locations in Atlanta, Chicago, London, Sydney, New York City, Toronto, Cape Town, Santa Fe, Copenhagen and Vancouver.
Matthew D. Walker is an American film and television actor and television director.
Brad Mays is an independent filmmaker and stage director, living and working in Los Angeles, California.
Lucent Dossier Experience is a Los Angeles cirque style interactive, avant-garde circus, electronic rock band, performance troupe and entertainment company performing worldwide. The company's performances combine live original music and vocals with circus arts, dance, aerial arts and fire performance.
Mark Fite is an American actor and comedian.
The Steve Allen Theater at the Center for Inquiry in Hollywood, California, was a 99-seat theater which was developed by founding artistic director Amit Itelman. Moved to The Carl Sagan & Ann Druyan Theater.
Red Bastard is a live bouffon clown theatre show written and performed by Eric Davis.
Mara Marini is a Canadian actress best known for her reoccurring role as Brandi Maxxxx in the NBC comedy series Parks and Recreation. She has performed in several independent films and plays in the Los Angeles theater scene, as well as making other television appearances.
David Magidson is an American professional clown. As his character Boswick the Clown, he has performed for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and Make A Circus. He has appeared as a clown in the movies Milk and Dr. Dolittle, as well in commercials for the Pacific Bell Yellow pages, Nissan, and BMW. Since 2010, Magidson has written a blog on Blogger "designed to help family entertainers with all aspects of their performing." As David Magidson, he performed as a member of the comedy-troupe "The Kloons" and in the San Francisco Fringe Festival. As the character Boswick the Clown, Magidson appears at over 300 events each year, including schools and libraries, specializing in large juggling, magic, and comedy clown shows for children 4 years old to 8 years old.
Sarah Nash Gates was a Seattle-based costume designer, and theatre arts professor at the University of Washington. She served as the president of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) from 1991 to 1994. From 1994 to 2014 she served as the executive director of the School of Drama at the University of Washington.
Brendan Hunt is an American actor and writer known for roles in the films We're the Millers (2013) and Horrible Bosses 2 (2014) as well as voicing two characters in the video game Fallout 4 (2015). He is a co-creator of the Apple TV+ sitcom Ted Lasso and also a writer and cast member on the show.
Trepany House is a 501(c)3 Arts Organization founded by Amit Itelman in 2012. From its inception, it has been housed at the Steve Allen Theater within the Center for Inquiry, Los Angeles property.
