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

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

In this session, the Black Anthology Project (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:

Learn more about the Black Anthology Project (B.A.P.)

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.

Leave better informed about the possibility and impact of intentionally creating more inclusive theater spaces.

This session is intended to catalyze thinking on curating improv spaces that support more of the global majority, specifically Black women. It is possible to shift and evolve if we know more and can leverage that knowledge to make different choices. Knowing comes from learning, and learning is only possible when we are active participants. This session provides opportunities to showcase and highlight Black voices in improv, creating possibilities for greater inclusion in the art form. BlackAnthologyProject.com

This workshop is open to anyone who wants to attend.

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