PSU welcomes Global Improvisation Initiative Symposium in July

Portland State University's School of Music & Theater will host the Global Improvisation Symposium 2026, July 8 - 11, 2026, at Lincoln Hall. This symposium brings together theater artists, performers, and improvisation experts from around the world for four days of performances, workshops, panel discussions and interactive experiences - all exploring the wide-ranging benefits and applications of improvisation.

The Global Improvisation Symposium is an immersive experience focused on harnessing theatrical improvisation as a catalyst for transformation, building connection, and creative problem solving. Embracing the theme "Activate the Possible," the symposium features more than 50 sessions, including performances by the region's leading improvisation ensembles, including Kickstand Comedy's BIPOC Program; Love, Shakespeare; Curious Comedy; and Portland Comedy Theatre. PSU theater students, collaborators and ensembles, including the PSU Impro Ensemble, will contribute to and lead sessions throughout the event.

The symposium is anchored by an interactive "un-keynote" presentation by Tony Award winner Anthony Veneziale, who co-founded the beloved improvisational hip-hop comedy musical group Freestyle Love Supreme with Lin-Manuel Miranda. Veneziale will also present a mashup of his Freestyle Love Supreme and his interactive musical podcast "American Immigrants" in a unique improvised musical performance on the second evening of the symposium.

While many of the symposium's activities center on theatrical practice and the ways in which improvisation can support the creative process, a wide array of sessions also demonstrate the power of applied improv in healthcare, business, interpersonal relations, and more. Sessions will share how doctors and nurses at OHSU are using improv skills in end-of-life conversations with patients and their families, and how licensed clinical social workers can use improvisation for conflict resolution. In other sessions, attendees will learn how improvisation can be used as a tool for psychosocial support and peacebuilding in Nigerian IDP camps, and how it can be employed to help those who are living with dementia, and their caregivers.

"Joel Veenstra and I founded the Global Improvisation Initiative in 2016 to honor the historical roots of improvisation, originally developed as a tool for social work and theatrical problem-solving, not just a vehicle for comedic entertainment," said Theresa Robbins Dudeck, assistant professor at PSU School of Music & Theater and co-founder of the initiative. "Improvisation is so often relegated to the realm of wacky comedy, but in fact this creative discipline has the ability to change lives, turn conflict into opportunities for growth and connection, and strengthen our resilience in the face of crisis."

"This symposium is a vital space for everyone - practitioners, scholars, educators, and artists - to explore the theories and structures that make this work so profoundly connective and transformative," said Dudeck. "Expect to be energized, challenged, entertained and delighted."

"I am excited to welcome so many brilliant artists and thinkers to Lincoln Hall, where attendees will come away with new creative skills, confidence, and a renewed sense of purpose," said Leroy E. Bynum, Jr., dean of PSU's College of the Arts. "This symposium showcases both Theresa's leadership and extensive expertise in improvisation, bringing PSU's motto, 'Let knowledge serve the city,' to center stage."

Launched in 2016 by co-founders Theresa Robbins Dudeck and Joel Veenstra, the Global Improvisation Initiative has served as an international nexus for practitioners, scholars, and artists dedicated to the advancement of theatrical improvisation. The GII Symposium began in 2017 at the University of California, Irvine, and Chapman University, followed by a 2019 gathering in London on the theme "Awareness," co-hosted by Improbable theater company and Middlesex University. In 2021, the symposium transitioned to a global online format with the theme "Transform," and in 2023, the "Exploration"-themed event embraced a hybrid model in collaboration with Improv Revolution's Coup de Comedy Festival. The 2026 symposium in Portland marks the latest milestone in this ongoing effort to evolve the transformative power of improvisation.

One of few internationally recognized authorities in the field of performance for the stage, Keith Johnstone, was a pioneer in the area of improvisation, leading to breakthroughs in management, writing, filmmaking, teaching, psychology and therapy, and the founding of Theatresports and other improvisation formats. Johnstone's influence will be prominently featured and explored throughout the event. An exhibition of Johnstone's paintings and sketches, curated by Dudeck, will be on view in Lincoln Hall's Broadway Gallery from June 29 through July 17. Screenings of two new films, The Theatre Machine Reunion, award-winning, documentary short & Keith Johnstone's Master Class from the GII 2017. In addition, many other influential Johnstone-trained artist-practitioners will lead sessions and perform in evening shows, including William Hall from Bay Area Theatresports (San Francisco), Randy Dixon (Unexpected Productions, home of Seattle Theatresports), and Improbable's founding artistic directors, Phelim McDermott and Lee Simpson.

About the organizers

Theresa Robbins Dudeck, Ph.D. is an international theater practitioner-scholar with expertise in improvisation. She is a Fulbright Scholar, which took her to Brazil to teach and direct, and considered one of the foremost teachers of Keith Johnstone's impro system of training. She serves as Johnstone's biographer and literary executor, is co-founder of the Global Improvisation Initiative, and co-director/executive producer of the YouTube docuseries "On Keith: Artists Speaks on Johnstone & Impro." She is frequently invited to present talks and facilitate applied improvisation master classes that focus on changing the way people and organizations lead, create, and collaborate.

Joel Veenstra is the current Chair of the Department of Drama and Head of Stage Management at University of California, Irvine, where he also teaches improvisation, stage management, and collaborative production. He has performed with improv ensembles including River City Improv (Grand Rapids, Mich.) and Second City Hollywood. He is active in the improvisation and applied improvisation world, including teaching improvisation to business executives and nursing and medical students at UC Irvine. As a story editor, he worked on films including My Dog Skip, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and The Blind Side. As an Actors' Equity Association stage manager, he has worked with renowned regional theaters including Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Pasadena Playhouse and Laguna Playhouse, and he has stage-managed celebrity galas such as the Legacy Awards, the California Science Center's Discovery Ball featuring the Space Shuttle Endeavor, and more. In 2019, he stage-managed Maestro Impro™ in London, UK. He is the co-founder of the Global Improvisation Initiative.