GII Symposium 2026: Full Schedule

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8:00am PDT

Improvisation Without Borders: How Spontaneity Is Shaping a Changing World

Friday July 10, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am PDT

From trauma recovery with veterans in Ukraine to AI-driven collaboration and boundary-pushing performance, this panel explores how improvisation is activating new possibilities around the world—for resilience, connection, creativity, and transformation.

Host Joel Veenstra will be moderating, in-person, while featured panelists will join him virtually from around the world! GII26 participants can join the conversation, in person, in LH 221!

Zoom Webinar links will be sent out to online registrants within 24 hours, at the latest, before session starts.

Moderators

Joel Veenstra

Faculty | Co-Founder/Creative Team, University of California, Irvine | Global Improvisation Initiative (GII)

Joel Veenstra teaches improvisation, stage management, and collaborative production at the University of California, Irvine. He is active in the improvisation and applied improvisation world and serves on the Board of AIN and as the co-director of Global Improvisation Initiative... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
221 Hybrid Classroom

Panel, Virtual/Online

8:00am PDT

GII26 Symposium Registration

Friday July 10, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am PDT

Broadway Entrance Lobby

Artists

GII26 Team

The GII Symposium 2026 Team has worked on this event from the beginning, with our first team meeting back in July of 2025! This year's event would not be possible without this extraordinary group of folks!

... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
Broadway Entrance Lobby

z Organization

8:30am PDT

COFFEE in the Lobby

Friday July 10, 2026 8:30am - 10:45am PDT

Recital Hall Lobby

Enjoy free coffee and snacks while supplies last

Artists

You

You have agency to make choices in life. Engage!

Friday July 10, 2026 8:30am - 10:45am PDT
Recital Hall Lobby

z Wellness

8:30am PDT

GII Lounge & Book Gallery

Friday July 10, 2026 8:30am - 5:00pm PDT

307 Design Studio

A free space to hang out, meet folks, work or relax! And where you can peruse the display table of publications by GII26 presenters/authors with various purchase options.

Artists

You

You have agency to make choices in life. Engage!

Friday July 10, 2026 8:30am - 5:00pm PDT
307 Design Studio

z Wellness

9:00am PDT

Building Bridges in Bridge City

Friday July 10, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am PDT

75 Recital Hall

Let’s catch up as a group, answer some questions and get re-focused for our second full day!

Artists

GII26 Team

Friday July 10, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am PDT
75 Recital Hall

All Play Event

9:00am PDT

Keith Johnstone: The Canvas of Spontaneity

Friday July 10, 2026 9:00am - 11:00pm PDT

The Broadway Gallery

An exhibit of select prints of paintings and sketches by Keith Johnstone, curated by Theresa Robbins Dudeck, PhD, Johnstone's Literary Executor and Biographer.

More info here: https://www.pdx.edu/events/keith-johnstone-canvas-spontaneity

Special thanks to...
Dale Dudeck for his photos and for preparing and handling the art for this exhibit.
Gary Hirsch for his expertise and support with the exhibit installation.

Artists

Theresa Robbins Dudeck

Assistant Professor | Co-Founder/2026 Chair, Portland State University | Global Improvisation Initiative (GII)

Theresa Robbins Dudeck, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Theater at Portland State University and co-founder (with Joel Veenstra) of the Global Improvisation Initiative. She is a Fulbright Scholar (Brazil) and considered one of the foremost teachers of Keith Johnstone’s impro system. Theresa serves as Johnstone’s... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 9:00am - 11:00pm PDT
The Broadway Gallery

Exhibit

10:00am PDT

Humor, Improvisation and Neuroscience!

Friday July 10, 2026 10:00am - 11:30am PDT

225 Classroom

Dr. Larry Sherman will explore the purpose of humor, how the brain responds to humor, and the neuroscience of creating comedy and other humorous content compared to what the brain does when engaging with improv. Using a combination of discussion, live examples, and visuals, the presentation will also explore ways that the brain engages in empathy, collaboration, and creativity when teaching, learning, practicing, performing and responding to comedy. Audiences will gain insights about how to approach the different aspects of creating comedy.

Dr. Troy Campbell will dive into How to use psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral science to do improv with excellence in applied and artistic settings.

Artists

Larry Sherman

Professor, Oregon Helath & Science University

Dr. Larry S. Sherman is a Professor of Neuroscience at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) where he heads a laboratory focused on finding ways to repair brain damage linked to multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and other neurodegenerative diseases. He is also the... Read More →

Troy Campbell

Chief Scientist, On Your Feet

Dr. Troy Hiduke Campbell is a behavioral scientist with an artistic heart. He holds a PhD in consumer and organizational psychology from Duke University. He has served as a marketing professor at the University of Oregon and as a researcher at Walt Disney Imagineering and Netflix. His work includes frequent... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 10:00am - 11:30am PDT
225 Classroom

Panel

10:00am PDT

Improvisation as a Tool for Creating Scripted Content

Friday July 10, 2026 10:00am - 11:30am PDT

221 Hybrid Classroom

Improvisation has long been a tool for honing creative skills and creating characters and stories in TV and film. In this panel, we will learn from professional writers and actors how they use improvisation to inspire and create the less ephemeral work of TV and film.

Panelists: Andra Whipple (Adam Ruins Everything, WGA Awards), Naiem Bouier (Interior Chinatown), Marc Warzecha (The Sketch School, Second City), Kara Lee Burk (Rainbow High, Thrilling Adventure Hour), and Alex Beh (Tuesday, New York; Julie Last Name).

This is a hybrid session. Host/Artist Andra Whipple will facilitate in-person in 221, while featured panelists join her virtually. GII26 participants can join the conversation, in person, in LH 221!

Zoom Webinar links will be sent out to online registrants within 24 hours, at the latest, before session starts.

Moderators

Andra Whipple

Andra Whipple is a TV and film writer with a background in improvisation. She co-founded the Coup de Comedy festival at UC Irvine. She’s written on Adam Ruins Everything, the WGA Awards, and is a fellow for the 2026 Yes and Laughter Lab. She has performed at Second City, iOWest, The Glendale Room, and more. She has improvised on teams including Uncle Nepheneezer, Strangers, Improv Revolution, and more. She has taught improv to people and children of all ages, and re... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 10:00am - 11:30am PDT
221 Hybrid Classroom

Panel

10:00am PDT

Improvising Wellness: Applied Improvisation as a Tool for Psychosocial Support and Peacebuilding in Nigerian IDP Camps

Friday July 10, 2026 10:00am - 11:30am PDT

319 Classroom

Improvising Wellness invites improvisers, educators, and peacebuilders to reimagine improvisation not only as an art form, but as a practice of collective healing and transformation. In spaces marked by grief and uncertainty, play becomes a radical act of resilience—and improvisation a rehearsal for possibility.

Artists

Damilola Apotieri-Abdulai

International Improv Artist, Playback Nigeria, CEO

Oluwadamilola Apotieri-Abdulai (NG) is the CEO of Playback Nigeria and a member of the board of Centre for Playback Theatre (USA). He is a confidence coach and communication skills trainer dedicated to bringing effective change to individuals and organizations through theatre and improv. He is Nigeria’s first Applied... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 10:00am - 11:30am PDT
319 Classroom

Panel

10:00am PDT

How Improv Prepares Us For The Speed Of Change

Friday July 10, 2026 10:00am - 11:30am PDT

327 Acting Studio

Research shows that applied improv training increases our capacity to make psychological shifts more rapidly, and expand and experiment when faced with the unknown rather than contract into survival mode. Its emphasis on collaboration, social bonding, and creative experience, with a side of joy, makes improv uniquely essential for building psychological resilience that sustains engagement in shaping conditions in the social world.

Artists

Jude Treder-Wolff

Company President, Trainer/Instructor, Lifestage, Inc

Friday July 10, 2026 10:00am - 11:30am PDT
327 Acting Studio

Workshop

10:00am PDT

Intimate Possibilities: How Improvisation Activates Emotional Connection (Part I)

Friday July 10, 2026 10:00am - 11:30am PDT

7 Acting Studio

This workshop offers a deep dive into how improvisation can activate emotional connection. Participants will explore the development of intimate, emotionally grounded, truthful relationships, both on stage and off.

Artists

Bobbi Block

Facilitator/Coach/Theater Artist, Bobbi Block

Bobbi Block is an experiential Facilitator and Coach for corporate and nonprofit clients, specializing in Relationship Management, Presence, Team Dynamics, Leadership, and Creativity.In addition, Bobbi facilitates and designs for The Ariel Group and Wharton Executive Education. She... Read More →

Nicola Pauling

Nicola Pauling is a New Zealand (Aotearoa) based theatre practitioner and specialist in applied practice. She has produced numerous performance projects working across the mediums of theatre, film and radio and in partnership with government agencies, local government, health professionals... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 10:00am - 11:30am PDT
7 Acting Studio

Workshop

10:00am PDT

Intuitive or Authentic Improvisation

Friday July 10, 2026 10:00am - 11:30am PDT

55 Boiler Room

Improvisation given back to the intuitive improviser, wrestling it from the hands of the intellectual and creative. Improv that puts content over comedy.

Artists

Randy Dixon

Artistic Director, Unexpected Productions

Randy Dixon is one of the most experienced improvisational artists in the NW and around the world. He has created many improvisational narrative forms.In 1983, he was a founding member of Unexpected Productions and served as the company’s Artistic Director 1988-2023. Randy founded and directed... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 10:00am - 11:30am PDT
55 Boiler Room

Workshop

10:00am PDT

The Resistance Will Not Be Scripted: Improv as Anti-Authoritarian Practice

Friday July 10, 2026 10:00am - 11:30am PDT

115 Studio Theater

As safety nets and protections in our communities and country constrict, and many groups come increasingly under attack, it can be tougher than ever to find ways to speak up and resist-- while also guarding against exhaustion and burnout-- on limited life energy budgets. This presentation will explore the ways in which the practice of improv might accomplish both. We’ll look together at evidence supporting the importance of playfulness in adult life, and then take a closer look at improv in particular, as seen through the lens of "Playful Subversions." Participants will be invited to join the conversation about the ways in which improv has the potential to be a powerful strategy for pushing back against authoritarianism and oppression.

Artists

Catherine Beckett

Psychotherapist

Catherine Beckett LCSW, PhD has been improvising with Portland Comedy Theater (CSz Portland) since 2003. In her day job as a therapist in private practice and adjunct professor, she supports clients and students in the work of dismantling old patterns and systems that no longer serve... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 10:00am - 11:30am PDT
115 Studio Theater

Workshop

10:00am PDT

Activating the Possible: GII26 Podcast Session

Friday July 10, 2026 10:00am - 5:00pm PDT

205 Classroom

One-on-one Podcast Recording with GII Presenters & Attendees, hosted by Jonathan Pitts. More info forthcoming!

Artists

Jonathan Pitts

Owner/Producer, Global Improv Walkabout

Jonathan Pitts is an award-winning international improv theatre artist and storyteller living in Chicago. He's performed and/or taught in 30 countries and over 100 cities. He's the former Executive Director of Chicago Improv Productions; Co-Founder/Producer Chicago Improv Festival... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 10:00am - 5:00pm PDT
205 Classroom

Interview

11:45am PDT

Your Voice in Comedy: Kickstand Comedy's BIPOC Program

Friday July 10, 2026 11:45am - 12:45pm PDT

115 Studio Theater

Kickstand Comedy’s “Finding Your Voice in Comedy” explores how creating affinity spaces for strategically underrepresented communities transformed not only who gets to do comedy — but the comedy itself.

Through the development of our BIPOC Comedy Program, our nonprofit theater in Portland, Oregon examined long-standing barriers within improv and comedy education and reimagined what it means to create truly welcoming creative spaces. This panel shares the practical, cultural, and artistic lessons we learned — and the assumptions we had to unlearn — while building affinity-based programming.

Hosted by Eric Simons & co-host Kristen Schier, this panel will discuss representation, authenticity in performance, and how centering marginalized voices has made our comedy stronger, fuller, more relevant, and more joyful.

Because improv is for everyone. Joy is for everyone. Comedy can save the world!

Moderators

Kristen Schier

Kristen Schier (she/her) is an actor, improviser, teacher, and clown. She has extensive improv teaching, directing, and performing experience. She holds a BFA in Theater Arts from the University of the Arts where she also taught Acting for Non-Majors, Improvisation for the Actor... Read More →

Eric Simons

Eric Simons (he/him) is a writer, improviser, teacher, and producer originally from the Land of 10,000 Lakes, who has been swimming in Portland rivers since 2015. He has gathered over 20 years of comedy experience from all corners of the contiguous United States (and THREE CANADIAN... Read More →

Artists

Afrita Davis

Values-Based Leadership Coach & Organizational Culture Guide, Model Integrity

Afrita (She/Her) started Improv journey a few years ago and fell in love with the art form. While new to improv, she is no stranger to being in front of crowds. She began her oratory practice in high school, where she participated in her school local forensic club. She continued... Read More →

Kickstand

Kickstand Comedy is Portland’s home for local comedy. Providing mission-based programming and educational outreach that helping Portland connect, learn and laugh together. Guided by a diverse and dedicated Board of Directors, we work tirelessly to advance our organizations mission + vis... Read More →

Naomi Dixon

Naomi Dixon (She/Her) is an Okinawan-American comedian, writer, and teaching artist located in Portland, Oregon. Naomi has been performing improv for over ten years and has studied short and long form improv under instructors from Second City Chicago, UCB LA, World's Greatest... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 11:45am - 12:45pm PDT
115 Studio Theater

Panel

11:45am PDT

Building Possibility: Using the Tools of Improvisation for Playwriting

Friday July 10, 2026 11:45am - 12:45pm PDT

225 Classroom

Have you always wanted to write a play? The tools of improvisation can help you begin! Playwrights E. M. Lewis and Sara Jean Accuardi will lead several group exercises that explore how to set up scenes and stories for success. Then we’ll break out into small groups to practice. Bring paper! Be ready to participate and share!

Artists

E. M. Lewis

Playwright

E. M. Lewis is an award-winning playwright and opera librettist whose work has been produced around the world, and published by Samuel French. She received the Steinberg Award for How the Light Gets In and Song of Extinction and the Primus Prize for Heads from the American... Read More →

Sara Jean Accuardi

Sara Jean Accuardi is an award-winning playwright whose works include The Storyteller (Artists Repertory Theatre), The Delays (Theatre Vertigo), < 3 (Seven Devils Playwrights Conference), CHICK FIGHT! (Shaking the Tree Theatre, Artemis Theatre Project ), BREAK (Valdez Theatre Conference), and P... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 11:45am - 12:45pm PDT
225 Classroom

Workshop

11:45am PDT

Everything’s An Offer…Really

Friday July 10, 2026 11:45am - 12:45pm PDT

327 Acting Studio

We know that on stage everything is an offer. Improvisers say, "It's not good, it's not bad. The real question is: What can I do with it?"

Improvisers try to bring that philosophy to the world, but what are the limits? How can you maintain this sensibility when you dislike the offers? How can you accept (or should you?) offers that you dislike or even detest?

What are the limits of "yes, and" when it comes to global circumstances? What should they be?

Artists

Brad Robertson

Partner, On Your Feet

Brad Robertson is a Partner at On Your Feet, where he brings decades of experience at the intersection of business, education, and improvisation. Known for his thoughtful, grounded approach, Brad helps leaders and teams navigate complexity, strengthen collaboration, and turn insight... Read More →

Mariah Muñoz

On Your Feet

Mariah Muñoz is a Lead Facilitator with On Your Feet, bringing nearly two decades of experience in improvisation to the worlds of business, leadership, and collaboration. She is known for transforming how people show up, listen, lead, and connect under pressure and in uncertaint... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 11:45am - 12:45pm PDT
327 Acting Studio

Workshop

11:45am PDT

How to be Curious: Teaching Improv 101

Friday July 10, 2026 11:45am - 12:45pm PDT

55 Boiler Room

How do we teach improv? How do we give notes? How do we make people learn who have different styles of growth? Learning how to be curious rather than demanding is not only the a great outlook as artists, but it is also imperative to great learning. Reprograming your mind to not say "that was bad" but ask "how do you think that went?" "Why did we make that choice?" "Where do you think it went wrong?" to lead people to the answers that they already know. This session will give teachers to the tools to become a great teacher and create the next generation of improvisors.

Artists

Kendall Uyeji

Education Manager, Jet City Improv

Kendall Uyeji is the Education Manager of Jet City Improv and has been teaching improv for over ten years. He has been a part of the Jet City Ensemble for over three years now and has directed and performed in many mainstage shows. He has a degree in Theatre Education and history... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 11:45am - 12:45pm PDT
55 Boiler Room

Workshop

11:45am PDT

Intimate Possibilities: How Improvisation Activates Emotional Connection (Part II)

Friday July 10, 2026 11:45am - 12:45pm PDT

7 Acting Studio

Artists

Bobbi Block

Facilitator/Coach/Theater Artist, Bobbi Block

Nicola Pauling

Friday July 10, 2026 11:45am - 12:45pm PDT
7 Acting Studio

Workshop

11:45am PDT

The Power of Three: Bringing Together Image, Movement & Words to Inspire New Ideas and Connect with Others

Friday July 10, 2026 11:45am - 12:45pm PDT

221 Hybrid Classroom

In the Power of 3 workshops we challenge the dominance of verbal communication and play with bringing together image, movement and words to inspire new ideas and connect with others.

Artist Kay Scorah will facilitate from her home in London, UK! GII26 participants can participate in the workshop, in person, in LH 221!

Zoom Webinar links will be sent out to online registrants within 24 hours, at the latest, before session starts.

Artists

Kay Scorah

Founder, HaveMoreFun Ltd

I began my working life as a biophysicist and then made the rather unexpected move into advertising.In the late 1980s I lived in Venice, California, working as a brand strategist while also studying improvisation and acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. I have a yoga therapy diploma... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 11:45am - 12:45pm PDT
221 Hybrid Classroom

Workshop, Virtual/Online

12:45pm PDT

LUNCH (on your own)

Friday July 10, 2026 12:45pm - 2:00pm PDT

Portland (on your own)

Enjoy a meal in the amazing city of Portland

Artists

You

You have agency to make choices in life. Engage!

Friday July 10, 2026 12:45pm - 2:00pm PDT
Portland (on your own) Portland, OR 97207

z Wellness

2:00pm PDT

A Case Study in Representative Improv: The Black Anthology Project

Friday July 10, 2026 2:00pm - 3:30pm PDT

221 Hybrid Classroom

The history of theatre and comedy is extensive, while excluding people from the global majority, especially contributions from Black women. Predominantly white institutions within the arts and entertainment industry reinforce implicit biases and anti-Blackness through a lack of representation of Black women as performers and teachers. This is why the Black Improv Anthology Project (B.A.P.) was created: to uplift Black artistry and improvisation through documenting stories from Black improvisers around the world. B.A.P. was founded by Mary C. Parker, Blue Cavell-Allette, and Tashika Campbell, who connected through their shared experiences of being Black women performing Improv in predominantly white-led theater spaces. With a combined 21 years of performing experience, this multi-faceted group of movement builders has performed in over 500 in-person shows across 20+ cities in 6 countries, and has produced several independently produced shows with over 50k online streams. In this session, B.A.P. will share their three-pronged approach to partnering with local theaters to produce weekends of learning that offer high-energy, high-quality improv shows and expert teaching through workshops led by Black women veteran improvisers. In the session, participants will watch interviews and participate in in-session dialogue and reflection about identities in improv, drawing on research from B.A.P.’s 25+ interviews with Black improvisers in the PNW and the East Coast. Participants will leave better informed about the possibility and impact of intentionally creating more inclusive theater spaces.

This is a hybrid session. Artist Mary C. Parker will be in person, and Blue Cavell-Allette & Tashika Campbell will join remotely. GII26 participants can join the conversation, in person, in LH 221!

Zoom Webinar links will be sent out to online registrants within 24 hours, at the latest, before session starts.

Artists

Blue Cavell-Allette

Blue is an award-winning interdisciplinary artist from Baltimore who has been featured as a performer and teacher at theaters across North America. She is currently the lead facilitator for the Arts and Social Justice fellowship with Strathmore (Rockville, MD) and Woolly Mammoth... Read More →

Mary C. Parker

Mary C. Parker has over ten years of improv comedy experience across Pittsburgh, London, Portland, and Seattle, performing at festivals in Edinburgh, Pittsburgh, and Richmond. She is a member of the Pro Team at CSz Seattle, serves as the Education Lead at Bandit Theater, and is founding... Read More →

Tashika Campbell

Tashika is a veteran Improviser from North Carolina living in Baltimore, Maryland. Her Improv career started at the Baltimore Improv Group in 2017, where she was a member of the conservatory teams. Tashika is a sought-after facilitator, having worked with Bird City Improv, Improv... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 2:00pm - 3:30pm PDT
221 Hybrid Classroom

Panel, Virtual/Online

2:00pm PDT

Improv for Dating & Relationships

Friday July 10, 2026 2:00pm - 3:30pm PDT

7 Acting Studio

This session discusses and demonstrates how to apply basic improv principles to help people with their dating and relationship experiences. The goal of such application is to make dating easier and more fun as well as to strengthen existing romantic relationships.

Artists

Tiffany Crotty

Portland Comedy Theater

Friday July 10, 2026 2:00pm - 3:30pm PDT
7 Acting Studio

Workshop

2:00pm PDT

Improvising Shakespeare

Friday July 10, 2026 2:00pm - 3:30pm PDT

55 Boiler Room

An introduction to Improvising in the style of Shakespeare, along with the cultural context, for performers who find the genre intimidating or foreign as well as those with experience.

Artists

Rick Steadman

Owner/General Manager, Portland Comedy Theater

Rick Steadman is the Owner and General Manager of Portland Comedy Theater, home of ComedySportz. Previously, he was the Artistic Director of CSz Seattle, the Education Director and Rec League Coach of CSz Los Angeles, and the Associate Artistic Director of CSz Spokane. He’s been... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 2:00pm - 3:30pm PDT
55 Boiler Room

Workshop

2:00pm PDT

Play the Difference: A Musical Improv Workshop Across Cultures

Friday July 10, 2026 2:00pm - 3:30pm PDT

327 Acting Studio

This interactive workshop invites participants to explore cultural differences and creative collaboration through musical improvisation. Designed for performers, educators, and curious learners of all experience levels, the session uses playful musical improv games to uncover how culture, rhythm, language, and shared reference points shape our spontaneous artistic choices. The first portion of the workshop introduces foundational musical improv structures, including call-and-response, song-based short-form games, and audience-suggested prompts. Participants engage in collaborative exercises that emphasize listening, timing, and co-creation while having fun and building trust. In the second portion, we deepen exploration by experimenting with cultural reference, linguistic nuance, and rhythmic variation, highlighting how diverse perspectives and embodied experiences influence improvisation. Participants are encouraged to reflect on their assumptions, notice patterns of response, and adapt creatively to others’ ideas, cultivating sensitivity to cultural and social dynamics within musical performance. Through this workshop, participants leave with practical tools for applying musical improv in ensemble, educational, and cross-cultural contexts. The session demonstrates how improvisation can serve as a joyful, low-pressure space for discovery, connection, and playful engagement across difference, embodying the symposium’s ethos of activating new possibilities in performance and learning.

Artists

Xuan Zhao

Xuan Zhao (they/she/he) is a multidisciplinary performer and storyteller based in NYC, exploring how we take up space through voice, body, and memory. Their work spans musical improv, sketch comedy, solo storytelling, and movement, with performances at The Magnet Theater, The Second... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 2:00pm - 3:30pm PDT
327 Acting Studio

Workshop

2:00pm PDT

Playing with Kindness

Friday July 10, 2026 2:00pm - 3:30pm PDT

115 Studio Theater

This session explores the reciprocal relationship between kindness and improv—how improvisation can cultivate kinder humans, and how practicing kindness can fundamentally deepen and expand our improvisational work.

Artists

Dave Dennison

Dave and Stephanie Dennison are experienced improvisers whose gentle, joyful approach has endeared them to beginners and experienced improvisers alike. Dave has been with BATS Improv in San Francisco since 1993 as a student, a Company member, Teacher, Corporate Trainer, Artistic... Read More →

Stephanie Dennison

Teacher/Improv Performer

Stephanie & Dave Dennison are experienced improvisers whose gentle, joyful approach has endeared them to beginners and experienced improvisers alike. Dave has been with BATS Improv in San Francisco since 1993 as a student, a Company member, Teacher, Corporate Trainer, Artistic... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 2:00pm - 3:30pm PDT
115 Studio Theater

Workshop

2:00pm PDT

Teaching Beyond Fear: Improv as Change Practice

Friday July 10, 2026 2:00pm - 3:30pm PDT

319 Classroom

Whatever the circumstances, teaching when we are afraid is a grueling endeavor. Part of the challenge is structural: most of us receive little training in how to teach in moments of crisis or distress. Another part is deeply personal: we struggle to understand who we need to be when the world feels unstable. As educators, we are obligated to consider what the world needs from us, and what kind of educator the world needs in this moment.

In this workshop, improv becomes a tool for relationship building. It gives us a way to practice and explore what we need from ourselves, and who we want to be for others. It offers a space to experiment with changing (and being changed), to move with, rather than against, the realities of disruption. Together, we will activate our imaginations and explore ways of teaching rooted in generosity, warmth, and collective care.

Artists

Brad Fortier

Principal, Northwest Cultural Solutions

Brad Fortier studies why humans behave the way they do — and uses that understanding to change how teams, organizations, and communities work together. He holds an MA in interdisciplinary studies from Portland State University, where he researched the neuroscience and anthropology... Read More →

emareena danielles

Owner/Principle, Me Out Loud LLC

emareena danielles has been studying and exploring barriers to learning, and what it means to be a “better teacher,” for over 25 years. Their work grew from the intersection of education, violence, harm reduction, and moves in service of repairing our relationship with learning... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 2:00pm - 3:30pm PDT
319 Classroom

Workshop

2:00pm PDT

The Art of Improvisational Art Making

Friday July 10, 2026 2:00pm - 3:30pm PDT

307 Design Studio

What happens when you collide improvisation with visual art making? For over 30 years, Gary Hirsch has been creating in the zone between applied improvisation and art making. This hands-on, art-making workshop will explore improvisational art making, where the plan is thrown away and artists learn to embrace whatever emerges.

Artists

Gary Hirsch

Partner, On Your Feet

Gary's work is a mash-up of visual arts, improvisation and business. He is the co-founder of On Your Feet, a pioneer in the field of applied improvisation helping organizations such as Nike, Disney, Apple and others generate new ideas, collaborate, engage audiences and walk their... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 2:00pm - 3:30pm PDT
307 Design Studio

Workshop

3:45pm PDT

Improvising for Others' Well-being: A "Super Happy Birthday" Card Game Workshop

Friday July 10, 2026 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT

221 Hybrid Classroom

To activate the possible, we must first attend to ourselves and others in the here and now. This workshop proposes that awareness of well-being can serve as a pathway to realizing the latent possibilities of individuals and communities. Research on well-being has established that happiness is subjective and multidimensional. Diener's work on subjective well-being demonstrated that happiness depends on individual evaluation rather than objective conditions. Seligman's PERMA theory further articulated well-being as comprising Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Achievement. These findings suggest that well-being varies among individuals and is shaped through relationships. Yet articulating one's own well-being and imagining that of others remains challenging.

To address this, our research team developed "Super Happy Birthday," a card game created as part of a JST RISTEX project in Japan (https://www.jst.go.jp/ristex/hite/en/index.html). The game builds upon "Our Well-being Cards (https://socialwellbeing.ilab.ntt.co.jp/document/wellbeingcard_2024_26en.pdf), a tool emerging from Japanese well-being research.

In the game, one participant becomes the "protagonist" and selects cards representing their well-being factors. Other participants, with limited clues, improvisationally create and narrate a birthday plan intended to bring joy to the protagonist. This process requires empathic imagination toward others and the improvisational capacity to respond creatively under uncertainty. In this workshop, participants will learn the theoretical background, experience the game firsthand, and engage in reflection and discussion. Through this practice, we will explore how improvisation can function not merely as a performance technique but as a social practice that fosters mutual understanding and activates relational possibilities.

This is an in-person workshop. Artist Yuri Kinugawa will be in Lincoln Hall facilitating this workshop. GII26 attendees can participate in the workshop, in person, in LH 221!

This session is also one of our Zoom Webinar offerings. Links will be sent out to online registrants within 24 hours, at the latest, before session starts.

Artists

Yuri Kinugawa

Researcher, University of Tokyo

Actor, improviser, CEO of Impro Works; Researcher, U-Tokyo. Studies improvisation & cognition.

Friday July 10, 2026 3:45pm - 4:45pm PDT
221 Hybrid Classroom

Workshop, Virtual/Online

3:45pm PDT

Creating a New Form: The Vision🖤Euro Experience

Friday July 10, 2026 3:45pm - 5:15pm PDT

75 Recital Hall

Erika Lowe created this hit show from the ground up, with music by David Gordon. It’s now expanded to Portland and other cities. Learn about their approach, and how their focus on cultural awareness, intimacy and consent helped create a wonderful performance experience.

Artists

David Gordon

David "Gordon" Gordon is an improvisor, composer, playwright, and producer from Seattle. He is the director of Sound & Fury: an improvised Shakespeareance, and the co-director/co-creator of the improvised Vision Euro Söng Cöntest, for which he is also makes the music. His most... Read More →

Erika Lowe

Managing Owner + Artistic Director, CSz Seattle - Home of ComedySportz

Erika Lowe is the Managing Owner and Artistic Director of CSz Seattle - Home of ComedySportz. She's performed and taught short form, long form and musical improv in multiple states from coast to coast over the last 30+ years. Her director and producer credits include Vision Euro... Read More →

Patrick Short

Education Director, Portland Comedy Theater

Patrick Short is currently the Education Director at CSz Portland (Oregon) and Portland Comedy Theater; formerly co-owner and GM of CSz Portland; former Executive Director of CSz Worldwide. Member of the Applied Improvisation Network (AIN) Board; Board Member for Access To Play (Nigeria... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 3:45pm - 5:15pm PDT
75 Recital Hall

Panel, Demo

3:45pm PDT

Easy Bake Coven: A Magical Musical Improv Show

Friday July 10, 2026 3:45pm - 5:15pm PDT

115 Studio Theater

A gaggle of fat-positive, gay witches traveling realms to share magic through musical improv! Celebrating audiences and creating community, these witches create a space of joy where all can feel welcome to engage with their imagination.

Artists

Easy Bake Coven

Easy Bake Coven is a gaggle of fat-positive, gay witches traveling realms to share magic through musical improv. Join us in celebrating our audience with a show and talkback.
Cast:Kyndel James (Musical Director)Ally Kineman
Kalin Harlowe
Mick James
Shelby Young
Sophie Carter-Kahn
... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 3:45pm - 5:15pm PDT
115 Studio Theater

Performance

3:45pm PDT

Embracing the Unknowable Future with Buber, Spolin and Sills

Friday July 10, 2026 3:45pm - 5:15pm PDT

327 Acting Studio

These days, uncertainty about the future has grown into anxiety and dread for many people.. Applied improv training can teach business people to be more flexible and agile in decision-making. Improv games teach helpful skills for coping with anxiety and navigating the ever-changing landscape. Amidst the epidemics of isolation and loneliness, we are also seeing a frightening increase of hate .and hostility. We need improvisation to help us at a deeper level than business planning. Viola Spolin and Paul Sills were both inspired by the way Martin Buber's philosophy intersected with improvisation. Buber describes genuine dialogue in terms that sound very like an ideal exchange between improvisers. Then, Buber urges that, rather than being afraid of the unknown, we can embrace the "Holy Insecurity" of being totally open, positive and curious about encountering the other. Feeling a connection to the spiritual quality of Buber's vision of human interaction, Sills left Second City frustrated that a commercial comedy focus now overshadowed Spolin's teachings there. When Sills later developed the Story Theatre, he encouraged his players to embrace the "Holy Insecurity" of improvising classic folk tales. This hybrid of theatre and philosophy created a magical piece of theatre that played to rave reviews in Chicago and then on Broadway. In this session, I using Story Theatre techniques and new exercises that blend Buber's genuine dialogue with Spolin's game structures to explore the potential of Buber-inflected improv to create the improvisation we need to face our futures together.

Artists

Amy Seham

Retired Professor of Theatre and Dance at Gustavus Adolphus College

Amy is a director, playwright, improviser and author of Whose Improv Is It, Anyway? Beyond Second City (2001) a ground-breaking (and still quite relevant) study of gender, race, and power in Chicago improv comedy. Her new book, Improv for the 21st Century, is forthcoming from Routledge... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 3:45pm - 5:15pm PDT
327 Acting Studio

Workshop

3:45pm PDT

Playing Softball: Improv Negotiation Strategies for Teachers

Friday July 10, 2026 3:45pm - 5:15pm PDT

225 Classroom

Students and teachers can often feel in conflict with each other, taking on unhealthy "Win / Lose" strategies that are not ideal for teamwork or collaboration goals. Thankfully, improvisation teaches us better ways to negotiate.

Artists

Brooke Oehme

Brooke Oehme is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, and the Education Director for ComedySportz Quad Cities. Her workshop will explore how improv-based negotiation strategies transfer into the classroom to help support both students... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 3:45pm - 5:15pm PDT
225 Classroom

Workshop

3:45pm PDT

The Power of You: Marginalized Genders Reclaiming Space, Authority & Authenticity with Improvisation

Friday July 10, 2026 3:45pm - 5:15pm PDT

55 Boiler Room

Across professional environments, people of marginalized genders often navigate communication barriers—being interrupted, overlooked, spoken over, second-guessed, or expected to shrink their voice to maintain harmony. The Power of You is an applied improv workshop designed to help participants reclaim space, authority, and authenticity in the face of these dynamics. Using the principles of improvisation, this workshop creates a supportive environment where participants explore how gendered expectations shape communication habits—talking too little, over-explaining, apologizing, or minimizing ideas. Through embodied exercises, participants practice grounding their voice, expressing clearer boundaries, and using presence, breath, and physicality to reinforce confidence and self-trust. The Power of You emphasizes the unique communication rhythm each person carries—the natural cadence, emotional intelligence, and lived experience they bring into every interaction. Participants learn how to leverage that rhythm to stay connected, assertive, and adaptable, even in moments of pressure or imbalance. Improv tools help reframe missteps and interruptions as opportunities to reset, re-enter, and re-claim personal agency. This session highlights collaborative empowerment: supporting one another, amplifying voices, and disrupting patterns that silence or diminish. Through creative play and relational exercises, participants strengthen resilience, practice equitable communication, and cultivate presence that is calm, confident, and deeply grounded.

Artists

Betsy Green

Owner, BG Improv LLC

Betse Green is a Certified Improv Educator and Architect, internationally acclaimed Applied Improv facilitator with almost 25 years of experience. She has been a key figure in the Portland improv scene since 2002 and is currently an ensemble member, teacher, and director at Portl... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 3:45pm - 5:15pm PDT
55 Boiler Room

Workshop

5:15pm PDT

DINNER (on your own)

Friday July 10, 2026 5:15pm - 7:00pm PDT

Portland (on your own)

Enjoy a meal in the amazing city of Portland

Artists

You

You have agency to make choices in life. Engage!

Friday July 10, 2026 5:15pm - 7:00pm PDT
Portland (on your own) Portland, OR 97207

z Wellness

7:00pm PDT

P.I.E. in PURGATORY

Friday July 10, 2026 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT

55 Boiler Room

PSU Impro Ensemble (P.I.E.), directed by Theresa Robbins Dudeck and housed in Portland State University’s School of Music & Theater, presents PURGATORY—an original improvised structure where souls await judgment, and the audience holds the ultimate power. Have these wandering spirits achieved true spiritual maturity, or do they have more lessons to learn? The verdict is yours.

Artists

P.I.E. (PSU Impro Ensemble)

The PSU Impro Ensemble, composed primarily of Theater Arts majors, focuses on theatrical improvisation. They perform several times a quarter for different events and festivals, and as part of outreach initiatives across campus and for the greater Portland community. Auditions are... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT
55 Boiler Room

Performance

7:00pm PDT

Ruby Rocket

Friday July 10, 2026 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT

115 Studio Theater

Ruby Rocket is an intoxicating, intoxicated private eye who always gets her man. Except, of course, when she doesn’t. In this hilarious improvised show, Stacey Hallal plays Ruby, weaving vivid noir storytelling, physical comedy, and Jon Timm’s innovative multimedia imagery.

Artists

Stacey Hallal

Curious Comedy

Stacey Hallal is the creator of Ruby Rocket, Inside Improv, Founder and Artistic Director of Curious Comedy Theater, All Jane Comedy Fest. Lover of dogs and adventures.

Friday July 10, 2026 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT
115 Studio Theater

Performance

8:15pm PDT

Vision🖤Euro

Friday July 10, 2026 8:15pm - 9:45pm PDT

75 Recital Hall

Full Vision🖤Euro Program Link!

An improvised song battle, with backstories, featuring combined casts of the Seattle Comedy Theater and Portland Comedy Theater productions of this hit musical show.

Hosts: Mickey McGee and Erika Lowe
Music: Patrick Short and David Gordon
Capo: Lynsey Kemplin
Lights and Sound: Jamie Montgomery
Tech help: Bill Cernansky
Screens: Mary Ann Rambo (remote)

Competitors: Shayne Hanson, Meagan Gombart, Jason Hays, Camilla Franklin, Lee Hopps, Jen Petti
Swings: Ian Lootens, Drew Simchik, Ruth Jenkins, Amy Milshtein
Past Winner: Mary C Parker

Artists

CSz Portland Comedy Theatre

ComedySportz® was started in 1984 in Milwaukee, WI, by Dick Chudnow, who based it on the competitive Theatresports improvisational techniques of Keith Johnstone from Calgary, Alberta. Expansion began with the addition of Madison, WI, in 1985. The first Comedy League of America National... Read More →

David Gordon

Erika Lowe

Managing Owner + Artistic Director, CSz Seattle - Home of ComedySportz

Patrick Short

Education Director, Portland Comedy Theater

Vision🖤Euro Söng Cöntest

Vision🖤Euro Söng Cöntest, created by Erika Lowe and David Gordon, debuted in late 2023 and has run for 3 sold-out seasons at Seattle Comedy Theater (CSz Seattle). In May, 2025, Portland Comedy Theater debuted their company’s version of the show, with music and direction by Patrick Short, and the show has... Read More →

Friday July 10, 2026 8:15pm - 9:45pm PDT
75 Recital Hall

Performance

10:00pm PDT

Keith Johnstone’s Maestro Impro™

Friday July 10, 2026 10:00pm - 11:30pm PDT

75 Recital Hall

16 Improvisors compete in scenes and games to crown a Maestro!

Friday July 10, 2026 10:00pm - 11:30pm PDT
75 Recital Hall

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