In June, we invited all 2026 festival performers to vote for the workshops they wanted us to program at this year’s Countdown Improv Festival. Below are this year’s top choices. For more on our methodology, click here.

All workshops will last approximately two hours each, will take place at either the HC Ybor Performing Arts Building or The Commodore, and will be capped at 16 students per workshop. On the low end, we’ll need a minimum of 6 people in order for a workshop to run. (Both of these numbers are flexible depending on instructor preference.) All workshops will cost $30 each.

Improv of the Absurd – A Samuel Beckett Workshop

Peter Cunis

Thursday, August 6, 3:00-5:00 pm | HC Studio Theatre

This highly experimental workshop introduces performers to the theater of the absurd, a style popularized by playwrights such as Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco, and Tom Stoppard. This workshop questions conventional improv wisdom and challenges performers to abandon their most relied-upon tools and techniques. The goal of this workshop is to create unique theater pieces that expand the meaning of improv and to dive into the weirdness that this wonderful art form enables!

About the instructor

Peter Cunis is a house team member and teacher at the Providence Improv Guild in Rhode Island. He studied theater in college and improv at Improv Boston and the Magnet Theater. He has developed and taught workshops on solo improv, Samuel Beckett-inspired improv, and dramatic improv. He has been performing solo improv across Rhode Island as Peter the Lonesome Boy since 2019.

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Surprise Party

Bianca Casusol

Friday, August 7, 3:00-5:00 pm | HC Studio Theatre

Scenework stale? In a character rut? In this workshop we’ll use our minds and bodies to play and find fun gifts to surprise ourselves and our scene partners with to rediscover how joyful improv can be when there’s no “right” answer. A mix of scenework and individual character exercises will leave you with the tools to create memorable and unique characters with distinct perspectives. An open skill level workshop focusing on practical tips and tricks to take yourself to new and surprising places in your scenework.

About the instructor

Bianca Casusol is a performer and teacher based in NYC, currently teaching at the Second City in Brooklyn,.She’s been lucky enough to teach at festivals across the country, The Magnet Theater, The People’s Improv Theater, DSI Comedy Theater, and The North Carolina Theater Conservatory and to learn from every person she’s ever played with. When she’s not doing make believe, she’s turning children’s short stories into sketches as a touring member of The Story Pirates.She was a founding member of the Kiss:Punch:Poem, which Time Out Chicago called, ” a rare find, a show that mixes improv with spoken word to effects both uproarious and heartfelt”. Her work has been featured on The Truth Podcast, Hot Mic with Dan Savage, Risk!, Bust Magazine, and Reductress.

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Pay Your Bills With Improv

Patrick Newson

Friday, August 7, 3:00-5:00 pm | HC Rehearsal Hall

You love performing. Now learn how to get paid for it.

In this practical, no-fluff workshop, veteran performer and producer Patrick Newson shares the real-world strategies he used to turn improv skills into paid opportunities through trivia, karaoke, bingo, murder mysteries, corporate events, hosting, and live entertainment. You’ll learn how to find bookings, market yourself, price your services, build repeat business, choose the right equipment, and create multiple income streams from your performance skills. Whether you’re looking for a side hustle or a full-time entertainment business, this workshop provides a roadmap for turning stage time into payday.

About the instructor

Patrick Newson is a Chicago-area performer, improviser, and producer known for blending quick wit, strong character work, and crowd-driven energy into every performance. With credits spanning stage, sketch, stand-up, and live interactive entertainment, Patrick has performed with renowned comedy institutions including The Second City, iO Theater, The Annoyance Theatre, and BABS Comedy Club. His work ranges from long-running improv ensembles and touring festival shows to theatrical productions, murder mysteries, and live comedy events, all marked by an energetic, audience-first style that turns every room into part of the show.

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Playing With Curiosity & Suspicion

Joe Bill

Saturday, August 8, 10:00 am–12:00 pm | HC Studio Theatre

We learn in Improvisation that “It’s all about Listening”. In this workshop I will offer specific instruction to help your characters more easily see what is happening, both circumstantially and interpersonally, in your scenes. Engaging the way that characters listen to their scene partner toquickly understand the connection between you and the context of what the scene is about is the goal of this workshop. I will show you how to listen through Curiosity and Suspicion, the key “active listening tools” in scenic improvisation, and pay attention to the mix of Circumstantial and Interpersonal cues so that your scene will have the best chance to serve your scene, story, comedy and/or long form to the maximum. This workshop is an expansion on a piece of my bigger teaching philosophy and Intensive weekend, Comedy From Connection.

About the instructor

Joe Bill is widely regarded as one of the finest improv teachers working today. He is a co-founder of Chicago’s Annoyance Theatre, served as Director of Corporate Training at iO Chicago for 15 years, and spent another 15 years as a Teacher and Guest Artist in Residence at The Second City Conservatory & Training Center. He began improvising in 1977 and studied with the legendary Del Close. A duo specialist himself, Joe is one half of the long-running improvised show BASSPROV (with Mark Sutton) and tours the world performing in duos with celebrated partners including Jill Bernard, Patti Stiles, Stacey Hallal, Heather Urquhart, Lee White, and David Razowsky. Joe’s teaching weaves together scenic craft and an awareness of neuroscience to help improvisers find comedy from connection on stage.

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Going Deeper Faster

Asaf Ronen

Saturday, August 8, 10:00 am–12:00 pm | HC Rehearsal Hall

Skip past the pleasantries and dive into the meat of the scene immediately. Play your characters as if they have a sense of history and develop that depth within a few lines of dialogue. Both your writer brain and actor brain will be engaged as you learn simple tactics that will give you insights and avenues to explore in any situation that you are thrown into. 

About the instructor

ASAF RONEN is the Co-Producer and Education Director of Austin’s annual Out of Bounds Comedy Festival and the author of Directing Improv: Show the Way By Getting Out of the Way. He regularly performs, teaches and produces in Austin where he is the Founder/Dean of The Seed. He has been the Education Director at The Institution Theater for eight years and the Conservatory Director at ColdTowne Theater. He has taught and performed improvisation in Canada, Great Britain, Norway and in thirty-one of these United States with such groups as the B. Iden Payne Award winning Confidence Men (improvised plays in the style of David Mamet), Immigrants: The Musical (a Hamilton-inspired longform that explored the cast’s immigrant experiences), and imp (mostly silent improv). He was also producer on TRUST US, THIS IS ALL MADE UP, a documentary on legendary improvisers TJ & Dave that premiered at Austin’s South by Southwest Festival in 2009 and helped develop the improvised film Days of Delusion with director Scott Myers. In 1999, Asaf founded the improv website, YESand.com of which he was Editor-in-Chief.

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Keeping it Real – Grounded Scenes

Geraldine Carolan

Saturday, August 8, 10:00 am–12:00 pm | HC Class Room

You are enough, you have everything you need. People want to see what is unique about you. Audiences love relating to the human experience. In this workshop, we will talk about what makes you, uniquely you and how you can use that in grounded scenes. 

Expect     

• Truthful conversations     
• Finding the truth of your character     
• Relationship first     
• Grounded characters in bizarre worlds 

The human experience is full of joy and laughter, in this workshop we will explore just that and learn how to slow it down and bring your unique self to your scene work.

About the instructor

Geraldine Carolan hails from Galway, Ireland, and now lives in San Francisco. She performs in several long form teams, including Cats & Dogs, Purple Couch, 3’s Company, Leaves of Three, and Owl of Minerva. She has performed in full length improvised plays – Law & Order and Dungeons & Dragons. She performs frequently at Leela Improv Theater in San Francisco and has traveled extensively performing with her teams in improv festivals Including Redrocks Improv Festival, Improv Fest Ireland and Countdown. She has been improvising for 8 years and, when not on stage, you will find her taking photos of shows, or camping with her wonderful husband Owen and son Jude. She loves dogs and you will hear her awwwwwww if she sees a dog, within a five mile radius!

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To the Beat of a Different Drum

Betse Green

Saturday, August 8, 1:00–3:00 pm | HC Rehearsal Hall

Are your scenes feeling static, overly verbal, or stuck in familiar patterns? To the Beat of a Different Drum invites you to explore the rhythms of speech, silence, and movement to create more dynamic, surprising, and engaging scenes. Through playful exercises and practical tools, you’ll discover how physical choices can strengthen communication, support your scene partner, and bring greater variety and presence to your work.

In this workshop, you’ll explore:

• Using physicality, movement, and silence with intention
• Knowing when to move—and when stillness speaks louder
• Supporting your scene partner through nonverbal communication
• Reframing challenges as opportunities for discovery
• Recognizing and playing with different rhythms to heighten scenes

Step into scenes with greater confidence, clarity, and connection—and discover what happens when your whole body joins the conversation

About the instructor

Betse Green is an internationally acclaimed improv teacher, director, Applied Improv facilitator, and performer with nearly 25 years of experience helping individuals and teams unlock creativity, build connection, and communicate with confidence. A driving force in the Portland improv community since 2002, she teaches, performs, and directs at Curious Comedy and ComedySportz Theaters. Known for creating engaging, supportive, and high-energy experiences, Betse empowers people to take risks, collaborate effectively, and thrive both onstage and off.

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Create an Improv Choir! Be Your Own Backing Track with Musical Group Games

Brian Young, Casey Watts, Alexa Sciuto

Saturday, August 8, 1:00–3:00 pm | HC Class Room

You don’t have to be a great singer to make sounds here, because you’re playing a character who happens to be in a choir! 

Ever wanted to experience the joy of musical improv with the support of a full room behind you? Let’s literally form a chorus where the entire class acts as a vocal ensemble singing together backed by live piano. You can even step up to be the conductor if you want! 

Using musical group games, you’ll work toward getting many voices singing at the exact same time. You’ll learn exercises like building stacked chords one by one, moving through chord progressions, and simultaneous group singing. If you don’t know what any of that means yet, you absolutely will by the time you’re finished. 

You’ll leave knowing games like Hymn of the Humble, Swarm Trio, When the Saints Go Marching In, and more. Plus, all the games are published on musicalimprov.org so you can play them later with your friends and family or run your own improv choir workshop. 

The improv choir is tailored for all skill levels, from absolute beginners who want a low-pressure way to try musical improv, to advanced improvisers looking to build trust with an ensemble.

About the instructors

Brian E. Young (he/him), Casey Watts (he/him), and Alexa Sciuto (any pronouns). Music is for everyone! We’re Baltimore-based improvisers behind the three-person musical improv team The Tritones, where we all play piano. For both Baltimore Improv Group and Highwire Improv, we’re among the co-creators and facilitators of their musical improv curriculums which we’ve also presented in Philadelphia and at the Chautauqua Institution. In 2017, we launched the monthly workshops that grew into the peer-led organization Baltimore Musical Improv. Since 2016, we’ve performed throughout Maryland and at the Del Close Marathon and the New York Musical Improv Festival with teams like Bad Karaoke Experience and Unofficial. Our focus is always on creating an accepting and supportive environment where players can safely experience music without judgment.

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All Flava No Filter

Flava Flavor Flavour

Saturday, August 8, 1:00–3:00 pm | The Commodore

“They won’t get it.” That thought has sabotaged more scenes than any mistake on stage ever will. In this workshop, Flava Flavor Flavour will push you to stop editing yourself and bring your voice, point of view, and culture into every scene. Through short-form and long-form improv you’ll find out what happens when you trust that your flavor is exactly what the scene needs.

About the instructors

Flava Flavor Flavour is a Chicago-based improv team that has performed for and studied at theaters including iO, Second City, and Annoyance Theatre. As a team, Tysh Chrisp, Jason Tolliver, and Warren Stokes have built an improv form around their own original games, their own style, and a whole lot of chemistry.

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neuroscience based warm-ups for pre-show connection

Tara O’Nay

Sunday, August 9, 10:00 am–12:00 pm | HC Studio Theatre

For small teams especially, connecting before a set can make a huge difference. But at times, warm-ups can put us in our heads or leave us feeling like we have something to prove or something to hide onstage.

Historically and prehistorically, humans have always modulated our cognitive states using music, dance, breath, movement, etc. We now know some of the how and why of these, on chemical and electrical levels.

This workshop will survey several tried-and-true non-substance methods of accessing a creative flow state with others, also touching on the neuroscience behind them. For each method, we will practice several exercises to take home and use with your teams as efficient and fun pre-show warm-ups.

About the instructor

Tara O’Nay of 2zin Tarandon has spent 17 years working at the intersection of community, cognitive disability and the arts. They facilitate improv clubs at adult daycares and community centers around St. Louis and help others research improv as a dementia intervention. They’re also trained to facilitate laughter club, theater of the oppressed, hatha yoga, breathwork and meditation. They like to dance, learn, garden, make art, facilitate monthly musical improv jams with Brandon Bowers, perform on lots of teams they love, and produce wild joyful shows w Brandon.

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History and methodology

From 2018 through 2020, festival workshops were programmed on an ad hoc basis, with the festival organizers choosing the instructors, and, in some cases, the workshop topics. We did it this way for a few reasons — for one thing, it felt like the easiest way to curate a diverse, high-quality workshop roster each year — but we were always aware that this process was neither particularly transparent nor egalitarian. In 2021, we decided try to fix this problem by putting the workshop-programming process in the hands of our performers.

In 2022, we refined the process to make performer voting the primary, but not the sole, determinant of that year’s workshop roster. We opened voting for a nine-day span and allowed all performers to vote once. The key difference between 2021 and 2022 was that the two executive producers of the festival also voted — but each of their votes was worth 4 performer votes. In the end, this meant that the producers’ votes accounted for roughly 20 percent of the total votes received.

To determine 2026’s workshop roster, we ran a variety of scenarios to identify the clear winners. First, we looked at the total number of votes received. Then, we looked at the total number of points received, where a first-choice workshop vote will receive 6 points, a second-choice vote will receive 5 points, and so on. Then, we looked at the total number of first, second, and third place votes that each workshop received. Then, we averaged the results from all three categories to come up with our workshop roster. In 2026, the executive producers’ votes were once again worth 4 performer votes. 73 performers voted for workshops in 2026.