Dive into the heart of improv with the 2026 XL Happy Valley Improv Festival. This year, we're thrilled to offer a lineup of uniquely crafted workshops, each designed to enhance your improvisational skills, whether you're just stepping into the spotlight or already basking in its glow. With a cap of 16 participants per session, we ensure an intimate learning experience for $60 per workshop.
Our commitment extends beyond the stage; all proceeds directly support our esteemed workshop teachers, covering their honoraria and supporting the ongoing costs of producing the festival.
This opportunity to learn from these great improvisers from around the country has been made possible through the generous support of a Tourism Grant from the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau and the County Commissioners, highlighting Happy Valley's vibrant cultural scene. Discover more about what makes Happy Valley a hub for adventure and creativity at www.happyvalley.com.
Mark your calendars: tickets are available March 1st for performers and March 19th for the general public. Don't miss your chance to be part of this extraordinary improv journey!
Our commitment extends beyond the stage; all proceeds directly support our esteemed workshop teachers, covering their honoraria and supporting the ongoing costs of producing the festival.
This opportunity to learn from these great improvisers from around the country has been made possible through the generous support of a Tourism Grant from the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau and the County Commissioners, highlighting Happy Valley's vibrant cultural scene. Discover more about what makes Happy Valley a hub for adventure and creativity at www.happyvalley.com.
Mark your calendars: tickets are available March 1st for performers and March 19th for the general public. Don't miss your chance to be part of this extraordinary improv journey!
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Elana Fishbein
Workshop Title: I Am Your Blank, But That's Not All Workshop Time: Thursday, May 14th | 3:00pm - 5:30pm Every character has the capacity be a protagonist. If we look closely enough, they all have wants, needs, baggage, and fixations.... just like real people! In this workshop we'll use scenes, exercises, and tag-outs to explore and widen the world, bringing depth to each and every character. |
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Elana Fishbein is an improv teacher, performer, and director at the Magnet Theater in NYC where she can be seen with the Armando Diaz Experience. Elana has written and performed for The Truth and Story Pirates podcasts, and is the creator/director of The Schmooze, a living room style improv show featuring a cast of performers ages 69+. Previous projects include: Kiss Punch Poem, Pepita (Best of the Fest, San Diego), and the two-woman play, Sisters Three (NYTimes Critics’ Pick), devised entirely through improv. She has designed curricula and facilitated improv workshops for theaters, corporations, non-profits, and educational institutions around the world. Elana holds a Masters in Educational Theatre from NYU. For more info check out elanafishbein.com.
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Colin Thornton Workshop Title: Improvising Fast and Slow: An Exploration of Drift Workshop Time: Friday, May 15th | 11:00am - 1:30pm Great improvisers know how to shift gears. In this workshop, you’ll explore the concept of drift—moment-to-moment discovery whether you're improvising quick, premise-driven scenes or slower, more patient organic scenes. By learning how to follow the drift, and balance speed with stillness, you’ll expand your range and unlock new possibilities on stage. Torn between the high-energy punch of UCB and the grounded discovery of iO? In this class, you don’t have to choose—you’ll practice both, and learn how to weave them together into a dynamic, flexible improv style. |
Colin Thornton is the Artistic and Education Director of Improv Cincinnati, where he teaches, performs, and coaches. He has been improvising since 1999—starting with the college team he founded, then honing his craft at iO and the Annoyance in Chicago, before building a thriving improv community in Cincinnati. Colin is the author of Overcoming Fear: A Guide for Budding Improvisers, cohost of the Improv Touchstones podcast, and founder of the Improv Leadership Summit. You can find his blog articles at improvleadership.substack.com.
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Navaris Darson
Workshop Title: The Wonder of Why Workshop Time: Friday, May 15th | 2:30pm - 5pm "Why” is an incredibly powerful tool that can elevate your improv skills and performances to a higher level. It makes improv scenes more specific, and it’s often where "the funny” comes from. Join Groundlings Sunday Company alum Navaris Darson for this exciting workshop that hones in on how exploring the WHY grounds emotional choices, fuels relationships, and makes each improv scene unique. Open to all skill levels! |
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Navaris Darson began his love affair with improv over 20 years ago, and he credits his solid improv foundation to two stellar college improv troupes: Easy Baked Improv (Berry College) and To Be Named Later (Valdosta State University). Upon moving to Los Angeles, Navaris continued his improv education at the world-renowned Groundlings Theatre and School, which has inspired and produced five-decades worth of astounding comedic talent – including SNL cast members, sitcom actors, and film stars.
In 2013, after becoming a Groundlings Sunday Company alum, Navaris discovered his passion for teaching. Within the past two years, in addition to serving as an instructor at The Groundlings and at Verve Studios in Arizona, Navaris has taught improv workshops at UCLA and USC, and he’s served as a featured instructor and performer at ITS Comedy Festival 2024 (Sydney), SAVI FEST 2025 (Arizona), Camp Improv Utopia West 2025 (California), and at Sacramento Comedy Spot. This year, he’s super excited to teach and perform at the 2026 Happy Valley XL Improv Festival!
As an improv instructor, Navaris stresses connection, specificity, and the importance of making joyous choices. He works with improvisers of all skill levels, and he greatly enjoys helping students develop improv skills that will benefit them professionally and personally.
Also, it's pronounced nuh-VAH-ris. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle!
www.navarisdarson.com
In 2013, after becoming a Groundlings Sunday Company alum, Navaris discovered his passion for teaching. Within the past two years, in addition to serving as an instructor at The Groundlings and at Verve Studios in Arizona, Navaris has taught improv workshops at UCLA and USC, and he’s served as a featured instructor and performer at ITS Comedy Festival 2024 (Sydney), SAVI FEST 2025 (Arizona), Camp Improv Utopia West 2025 (California), and at Sacramento Comedy Spot. This year, he’s super excited to teach and perform at the 2026 Happy Valley XL Improv Festival!
As an improv instructor, Navaris stresses connection, specificity, and the importance of making joyous choices. He works with improvisers of all skill levels, and he greatly enjoys helping students develop improv skills that will benefit them professionally and personally.
Also, it's pronounced nuh-VAH-ris. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle!
www.navarisdarson.com
Karla Dingle
Workshop Title: Seriously Platonic - Love Without Romance
Workshop Time: Saturday, May 16th | 11:00am - 1:30pm
Love is bigger than romance—and it belongs on the improv stage in all its forms. In this in-person workshop, we’ll explore how to show affection, care, and connection through grounded scene work that avoids romantic tropes. Using the Five Love Languages as a practical framework, along with the Eight Types of Love and Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love, students will gain new ways to bring tenderness, intimacy, and joy into their scenes. This class highlights the beauty of non-romantic love, creating work that is heartfelt, funny, and deeply human.
Workshop Title: Seriously Platonic - Love Without Romance
Workshop Time: Saturday, May 16th | 11:00am - 1:30pm
Love is bigger than romance—and it belongs on the improv stage in all its forms. In this in-person workshop, we’ll explore how to show affection, care, and connection through grounded scene work that avoids romantic tropes. Using the Five Love Languages as a practical framework, along with the Eight Types of Love and Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love, students will gain new ways to bring tenderness, intimacy, and joy into their scenes. This class highlights the beauty of non-romantic love, creating work that is heartfelt, funny, and deeply human.
Karla Dingle is a Charlotte, NC–based actor, improviser, and teaching artist. She holds a B.A. in Theater from the University of Georgia and has trained with The Second City, Hoopla, and The Groundlings. She is the Education Director at Queen City Comedy and the Improv Director at Acting Out Studio.
An internationally sought-after teacher and coach, Karla has taught across five continents and has been a guest instructor at Improv Fest Ireland, Highwire Improv, Bangalore Improv Community, the Impro Amsterdam Festival and more. Her students have gone on to work with major platforms and brands including Apple TV, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and CBS.
An internationally sought-after teacher and coach, Karla has taught across five continents and has been a guest instructor at Improv Fest Ireland, Highwire Improv, Bangalore Improv Community, the Impro Amsterdam Festival and more. Her students have gone on to work with major platforms and brands including Apple TV, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and CBS.
Shulie Cowen
Workshop Title: Beginning Music Improv Workshop
Workshop Time: Saturday, May 16th | 2:30pm - 5:00pm
Join Shulie Cowen (director of Opening Night: The Improvised
Musical!®) for a beginning music improv workshop! The class is a fun opportunity to learn the basics of music improv, with a focus on song structure, rhyming, and gaining confidence with using music to
enhance your play.
Workshop Title: Beginning Music Improv Workshop
Workshop Time: Saturday, May 16th | 2:30pm - 5:00pm
Join Shulie Cowen (director of Opening Night: The Improvised
Musical!®) for a beginning music improv workshop! The class is a fun opportunity to learn the basics of music improv, with a focus on song structure, rhyming, and gaining confidence with using music to
enhance your play.
Shulie Cowen teaches improv to kids, senior citizens, and everyone in between. After teaching for over 15 years at The Second City Hollywood and iO West, Shulie now travels the USA and the world teaching acting and improv at festivals and schools, including Camp Improv Utopia Yosemite, The Florida State Thespian Festival, and the Shanghai American School. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, a former member of The Second City National Touring Company, and an original cast member of Schoolhouse Rock Live!. Shulie studied improv in Chicago at The Second City Training Center, The Annoyance Theatre, and at iO Chicago with Del Close. She currently directs and performs in Opening Night: The Improvised Musical!® (the longest running improvised musical in Los Angeles--and possibly the world!) and with the improv team EST. Film and television credits include Mr. Mayor, Parks and Recreation, 2 Broke Girls, Liza on Demand, and How I Met Your Mother.