Impro Training
Three Continents. One Calling
Trained across three continents, with practitioners from Europe, North America and the Global South — including teachers with roots in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, who are redefining what impro can be and who it is for. And informally, in Egypt, where the training never stops.
What Happens In Chicago Doesn't Stay In Chicago
The 5-week intensive at iO Theatre Chicago in 2019 left a mark. Mona left with a new skill set, a deeper commitment to ensemble work, and a nickname — the human mirror — that she considers one of the finest professional compliments she has ever received.
The teachers responsible:
Liz Allen — iO legend, three-time Coach of the Year (the award was later renamed after her, (which tells you everything), and the woman who introduced Mona to the concept of the bony finger: the quiet, clear tap of group mind on your shoulder. Ensemble whispering at the highest level.
Rance Rizzutto — co-founder of The Nest Theatre, global touring improviser, and a teacher who goes somewhere most teachers don't. "There is often a sad reason why you are funny." Not as provocation. As permission — to look at where the comedy actually comes from, to sit with what's underneath it, and to honour that as the source rather than the problem. Mona has rarely felt more seen in a classroom.
Gretchen Eng — iO performer, teacher, and producer of The Armando Diaz Experience, who drew the clearest possible line in the room and said: "LINES — some topics are off-limits." In a genre-bending comedy world, knowing where the lines are matters. Knowing when to challenge them matters more.
Farrell Walsh — Managing/Artistic Director of CIC Theater Chicago, founding member of the legendary iO Harold team Revolver, and a teacher whose entire approach was built on rich, character-driven truth. Four words: "find the feeling." Simple. Impactful.
Craig Uhlir — iO performer, actor, and a force of nature. The kind of teacher whose enthusiasm is so enormous that it is contagious before he has even finished his first sentence. His primary pedagogical tool was "fuck yeah" — delivered with full-body conviction. Commitment as a philosophy and practice rolled into one.
Get in touch
To book shows, workshops, or other inquiries:
Email: info@drdaffodil.com
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