2026 Festival Workshops

Friday, Oct 23 at 10:00AM

Level-Up Your Rhymes

Make Rhyming Feel Seamless

Instructor: Maria Nally (New York City)

Take your rhyming to the next level with this workshop focused on helping you to know what you want to say and use rhyming to say it.

In this workshop, Maria Nally from New York will teach you techniques for using your natural speaking and cadence to rhyme with purpose, instead of letting rhymes lead you. Students will also learn how to expand their rhyming options through creative phrasing and word choice.

A good rhymer can set themselves up for an easy rhyme in real time; a great rhymer can use lilypadding to land specific rhymes with purpose; and an excellent rhymer knows how to use both of those skills together. Join this workshop and take your rhyming to the next level.

Student Information

Advanced: This workshop is open to those who have studied or performed musical improv at the intermediate or advanced level.

About the Instructor

Maria Nally (she/her) is an improviser, coach, and actor who has been performing in New York City for several years. In 2025, she made her Off-Broadway debut in The Others of Oz: The Improvised Musical, and performs musical improv regularly at The Magnet Theater with her house team Houndstooth. Maria has a BFA in Musical Theatre from Missouri State University where she studied with Lisa Brescia, Ann Marie Daehn, and Robert Westenberg, amongst others. Past roles (in case you’re curious) have included Sister Act (Sister Mary Robert), Legally Blonde (Vivienne Kensington), and lots of other classic high belters.

Offstage, she is a huge fan of Robert Caro. If you’ve read his books, she would love to talk with you about them. If you haven’t read his books, she highly recommends them.

Friday, Oct 23 at 10:00AM

Bring the Energy

Finding Your Inner Theater Kid

Instructor: Tara Copeland (Los Angeles)

There is an energy that should be a part of you every time you step onto a stage and every time you are in front of an audience.

Through stage energy, spacial-awareness and intentionality Tara Copeland of Los Angeles will help turn you from a funny person into a truly great performer, playing characters that are both grounded and fun to watch.

This is a workshop for performers who didn't grow up as Theater Kids™ to work on projecting your voice, being aware of your body in space and the picture you are creating on stage. Let's find your power and teach you how to wield it.

Student Information

All Levels: This workshop is open to students with some improv performance experience.

About the Instructor

Tara Copeland (actor, comedian, improv instructor, writer) has been teaching improv for over fifteen years in New York and Los Angeles. She has traveled the world teaching improv and has taught for such companies as GE, Goldman Sachs, American Express, Chase, Citigroup, and the Walton Arts Center.

Tara created the musical improv programs at the Magnet Theater in NYC and at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, where she teaches and performs in Los Angeles. You can also see her work in CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, COLLEGE ROAD TRIP, GLOW, and the upcoming film GLOW. She lives in Los Angeles with her brilliant writer husband, Andrew Eastwick, Maggie, the best eleven-year-old daughter ever, and a kind of weird cat named Ozmo.

www.taracopelandactor.com

IG: taracopelandactor

Friday, Oct 23 at 1:30PM

Improv Houdini

Getting Unstuck When You Feel Trapped

Instructor: PJ Nally (New York City)

Have you ever found yourself in a scene or song that wasn’t going as you’d hoped and feeling trapped? Have you struggled to get back on track when things derail? If so, this workshop is for you!

In this workshop, PJ Nally of New York will help you learn tactics for re-discovering the fun at any point in a scene or song, and finding your way back to something playful. Because there are no mistakes in improv, only unsupported choices.

Whether it’s an unsatisfying song, a chaotic and unfocused scene or a chorus that’s way too complicated to remember, you’ll learn how to use everything you and your scene partner have done to escape that trapped feeling and get back to making choices with joy.

Student Information

All Levels: This workshop is open to students with some improv performance experience.

About the Instructor

PJ Nally (he/him) performs, coaches, and teaches improv, and his dream is to do musical improv professionally. He’s based in New York City. He co-founded and directs the musical improv team Hell Yeah! and co-created the Off-Broadway improvised musical The Others of Oz. He’s a performer on The Magnet’s Musical Megawatt team Middle Brain and performs non-musical improv with The Daily Harold and Easily Annoyed. He’s studied and performed at The Magnet Theater, UCB, Hoopla, WGIS, and more. He designs his own workshops, which he teaches in New York and all over. He’s as at home in a Harold as he is in an improvised patter song.

IG: @pjswithbuttons

Friday, Oct 23 at 1:30PM

Unlocking Genres

Songs in the Style of ______

Instructors: Aden and Eric Nepom (Portland, OR)

Being able to create a song in any style is a critical tool in a musical improvisers toolbelt.

Join Aden and Eric Nepom as they show you how to take any song, break it down, and improvise something brand new in the style of the original. From music styles like Rock or Country, to Sondheim or Disney and even specific artists like Dolly Parton (rest in peace)---you’ll walk away with tools and skills to not only better improvise songs in any specific genre or style of your choosing, but that help you communicate those choices with your fellow players, and musical directors too.

Bring in songs you’d love to improvise in the style of. We’ll analyze them, play with them and have a great time in this interactive and engaging workshop that helps you solve the mystery of what makes a song a song.

Student Information

Advanced: This workshop is open to those who have studied or performed musical improv at the intermediate or advanced level.

About the Instructors

Real life couple Aden Nepom and Eric Nepom have been improvising for over 65 years between the two of them. They have been playing together for roughly twelve years, and have only been married for ten blissful years. Recognized for outstanding skills in theatre, speech, communication and development, these two share a passion for committed character work, grounded platform building and that moment where one realizes that anything can happen in improv! Individually they’ve created programming, won awards and traveled the world as improv teachers, stage performers and educators. Together, they’ve taught and performed on stages from as close as 20 minutes from their house, to as far away as Tel Aviv. Their festival appearances include the Fertile Ground Festival in Portland, OR, the Out of Bounds Comedy Festival in Austin, TX, the Alaska State Improv Festival in Juneau, AK, the Seattle Festival of Improvised Theatre in Seattle, WA, New York Musical Improv Fest in NY, and Mount Olymprov Greek International Improv Festival in Athens, Greece, IMPROAmsterdam in Amsterdam Netherlands, and many more.

Saturday, Oct 24 at 10:00AM

No Strangers

Get to Deep Relationships Quickly

Instructor: Sonia Nam (New York City)

Want to establish characters with strong relationships at the top of the scene? Do you ask questions instead of making statements or rely heavily on your scene partner to make choices about your relationship instead of making them yourself? If so, this workshop is for you.

In this workshop, Sonia Nam of New York will help you learn how to get to the heart of your relationship efficiently by adopting an assumption mindset, allowing you to get to songs that are deeper and richer as a result.

Students will learn how to make quick choices to endow themselves and their scene partners with gifts that establish a shared history and flesh out their relationship, and how to use revelations to earn songs that are rooten in deep emotion and high stakes.

Student Information

All Levels: This workshop is open to students with some improv performance experience.

About the Instructor

Sonia Nam is a performer based in New York City. She trained at UCB, The Annoyance and at the Magnet Theater. You can catch her (not too unlike one of those renowned Japanese pocket monsters—just use actual poke to lure her in) performing weekly at the Magnet Theater in New York City on her house teams: Wednesdays on Megawatt with her house team Macbeth AKA The Scottish Improv Team if you’re a coward and Thursdays on Musical Megawatt with her house team Houndstooth, but she also performs with Shoes Off, a team with an all Asian cast, and select Saturdays with Comedy Sportz at The Rat in DUMBO! In addition, she has an unhealthy obsession with her dog, but he has a normal healthy relationship with her—so it all works out.

Saturday, Oct 24 at 10:00AM

Freestyle Fundamentals

Rapping with Rhythm and Confidence

Instructors: Rodney Conyers Jr & Dylan Rhoade (Omaha)

Freestyle rap can be one of the more intimidating styles in musical improv, but don't let the fear of thinking you could never do it stop you from trying.

In this workshop, Rodney Conyers and Dylan Rhoade from Denver will help demystify improvised freestyle and build your confidence, teaching you fundamentals such as counting beats, different ways to set up your rhymes, and mindsets that will help make the flow of words come out easier and with more impact.

Students will learn core skills like beat boxing, keeping a four beat count, confidently changing rhymes when they can’t rhyme the previous sound, setting catchy hooks, and selling a bar even when it doesn’t rhyme. Get ready to be impressed with yourself!

Student Information

Advanced: This workshop is open to those who have studied or performed musical improv at the intermediate or advanced level.

About the Instructors

Rodney Conyers Jr is a host, commentator, improv instructor, freestyle rapper, and pianist. Having trained with Freestyle Love Supreme he was able to build a strong Hip-Hop improv foundation for himself before taking his work on the road. He is also the co-founder of Once Upon a Rhyme Hip-Hop Improv team alongside Dylan Rohde, a show they've performed around the country in Tampa, Ann Arbor, Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, New Orleans, and Mobile!

Dylan Oakes Rohde is an improv instructor, actor, animator, and freestyle rapper, who founded The Backline Comedy Theatre in Omaha in 2011, teaching improv classes in the basement of a small art gallery. Raised in small town Nebraska and graduate of Wayne State, Dylan then trained and performed at the top 2 improv theatres in Los Angeles (UCB and iO) before moving to Omaha to teach. Now he travels the country (and the world) teaching improv and helps run the Omaha Comedy Fest (which he also founded).

Saturday, Oct 24 at 1:30PM

Beyond Cookie Cutter Songs

Developing Song Structures & Having Fun

Instructors: Sean-Joseph Choo & Jose Ver (Honolulu, HI) 

Tired of improvising the same cookie cutter songs you always do? Does adhering to structures you know feel like it constrains your creativity and sucks out the fun? If so, this workshop is for you!

In this workshop, Sean Choo and Jose Ver from Honolulu will help you to learn how to spontaneously create interesting songs with distinct melodies that don’t follow traditional song structures.

Students will learn how to craft lyrics and melodies without worrying about structure, relying on their own intuition and sense of joy to steer their choices from beginning to end.

Student Information

All Levels: This workshop is open to students with some improv performance experience.

About the Instructors

Sean-Joseph Choo is a queer, multi-ethnic, multi-hyphenate artist, born and raised in Hawaiʻi. He is the Lead Steward and Head Jester of Kamamo House, an artist and new works cultivation group, theatre advocacy organization, and podcast, named after his fierce grandmother, Eloise Tsuru Matsuno Choo. He’s excited to be back at the Bay Area Musical Improv Festival!

His sketch, improv, and musical comedy work has been featured with On the Spot Improv, Improvaganza, improvhi, and Polynesian AF at the Hawaii Comedy Festival. Sean has been making up silly songs since he was small, sometimes with a piano (and sometimes with audiences) for over a decade. He also occasionally clowns around and has taken very silly workshops about it with Aitor Basauri, Noah Bremer, Virginia Scott, and Amrita Dhaliwal.  His most recent clowning around was done for Robert Farid Karimi’s Game Night at Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design, where he was also a featured artist at the museum’s 8x8: Source exhibition.

Jose Ver is an actor, comedian, and all around performer based in Honolulu, HI. He is also an original player and instructor with Improv Hawaii. Other creative credits include: Magnum P.I., Hawaii Five-0, and the award winning web-series Waikiki PD. He is a regular cast member of The Hawaii Comedy Festival, The Original Jams Improv Show, and has done various theatre productions in Honolulu. His latest credit is Video Game Voice Actor for the game Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Jose is a member of the musical improv comedy troupe Thoroughly Modern Biggie. He produces and hosts the popular, monthly Improv Nerd Nite, and also watches A LOT of “Star Wars.”

Sunday, Oct 25 at 10:00AM

Duo-ing It

Mastering Musical Improv Duos

Instructor: Betse Green (Portland, OR) 

Get ready to master the art of musical improv duos, stretch beyond single-character play, and deliver showstopping songs with only two performers.

In this dynamic improv class, Betse Green from Portland, OR will help you sharpen your ability to create and sustain multiple characters at the same time—while also stepping into and supporting your scene partner’s characters within scenes and songs.

Students will build the skills to expand their range, heighten shared storytelling, and confidently carry scenes and songs with just two players—no safety net, just strong choices and trust.

Student Information

Advanced: This workshop is open to those who have studied or performed musical improv at the intermediate or advanced level.

About the Instructor

Betse Green is a professional improviser and Certified Improv Educator with over 20-years of experience. Currently, she is an ensemble member and teacher at Curious Comedy Theater and CSz (ComedySportz) Portland. She also performs regularly with the acclaimed indy teams B&B, B.A.B.E., Broad Selection, Bliss and Fourte. Her talents have been showcased performing and teaching at improv festivals and theaters across the Globe and she has Directed Festival Ensembles at the San Diego Improv Festival, Impride Festival (San Diego), Laugh Riot Festival (Phoenix) and directed the first ever Festival Ensemble at the San Francisco Improv Festival.

Sunday, Oct 25 at 10:00AM

Solos Made Easy

How to Simplify When Singing Alone

Instructor: Philip Geurin (Seattle) 

Singing alone on stage can feel like a lot of pressure, so why not take the pressure off by focusing on simple techniques to stay grounded and present?

In this workshop, Philip Geurin of Seattle will help you learn how to slow down and build solos around simple questions and descriptions of the ordinary details around you. Students will learn how to be unguarded and let the audience in; no brilliant lyrics or perfect rhymes required, just something to look at, something to feel, and a few reliable tools to keep you moving.

By the end of this workshop, you’ll have a pile of solos under your belt—and hopefully feel a lot more excited when the spotlight lands on you.

Due to this workshop being focused on solos, there are limited spots available.

Student Information

Advanced: This workshop is open to those who have studied or performed musical improv at the intermediate or advanced level.

About the Instructor

Philip Geurin is a theatrical improviser and trainer who has toured nationally, teaching thousands of people across the country at medical schools, universities, anime conventions, and more. He has performed over 500 shows reaching over 400,000 viewers. Phil is best known on TV and Radio as Ada Ford's comedic relief and spokesman. He's even on a billboard somewhere in Oklahoma - as a six inch tall character towering fifty feet above the skyline. Phil has played and workshopped with world famous improvisers including Keith Johnstone (Impro), Jill Bernard, Matt Hill ("Badger" from Breaking Bad), Jimmy Carrane (Improv Nerd), Craig Cackowski (30 Rock), and the Second City West Touring Company.