ACADEMY OF IMPROVISATION - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor for Curricula and Corporate Applied Science
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor for Improvisation and Corporate Education
Rena is a communications & marketing professional, having worked in a wide range of industries and roles, ranging from high school educator, to sales & marketing, to corporate travel management and in the performing arts.
She's a long-time active supporter of improv in Australia, Chicago and L.A., and loves going to live performances (comedy, music, theatre, improv etc.). In her free time, she loves singing in her local choir, playing ukulele and harp, baking fancy cakes for friends, and spending time with her senior dog Wilbur.
Richard Bennett is a long time improvisor, producer, director and improvisation innovator, in radio, video and on stage. He has an even longer history of innovation using lean/agile processes and methods, including spontaneity, divergent thinking and creativity, in the corporate and tech startup spaces, including management and technical roles with KPMG and IBM.
Richard's worked with most of the other improvisation schools in Sydney, including many years producing and directing shows for Impro Australia, including their training show Scared Scriptless, and as an integral part of the initial development of curriculum, faculty, house team program and show production at Laugh-Masters Academy, including training many of their early teachers and coaches.
Richard's often been called the "Archive of Improv Knowledge" and "The Keeper of Chicago Long Form in Sydney", and his knowledge of Chicago method improvisation is unrivalled in Australia. Richard is also author of the book Inside Improvisation, a definitive text on improvisation theory, which details the differences between the various improv methods and how to best learn improvisation based on science, history and arts theory and practice.
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor and Head of Comedy Writing and Sketch