GII Symposium 2026

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 the many related sciences relevant to improv—from psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral science—to map how improvisation activates effects such as neural familiarity, present focus, flow, momentum, belonging, and more.

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.

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.

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.

We’ll 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!

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.

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.