AIN 2022 Virtual Conference | November 16th - November 19th, 2022

Click here to access the recorded sessions!!

Program Schedule

Our Virtual Conference schedule was planned this year with time zones in mind! These channels are programmed so you can tune in to one place whenever possible. Times listed reflect three different timezones across the world, not three different session times. 

To join the sessions, we will be using Zoom and sending the links to registrants via email, along with posting the links on our website for registrants.

And with a Virtual Conference ticket, you also will get access to 30 days of the recorded sessions. After the conference, we will be granting access to registrants, so keep an eye out for that!

Recordings will be sent out to ALL REGISTRANTS of the conference on Monday, December 5th, 2022.

Click here to see the Full Conference Schedule!

Keynote SpeakersJeanne Lambin | Biography

Jeanne believes wholeheartedly in the power of improvisation, storytelling, and other creative interventions as tools to bring about personal, organizational, and societal transformation. She is the creator of the Human Imagination Project, The Museum of the Ordinary Extraordinary, and Eleven Minutes to Mars. She is the former Vice President of the Applied Improvisation Network, part of the organizing team for AIN Open Space, and the co-founder of Improv for Humanity. She is a Certified Designing Your Life Coach and also holds a certificate in Brain-based Coaching from the Neuroleadership Institute. She has a B.S. in Anthropology and a M.S. in Historic Preservation, and seeing dogs makes her unreasonably happy.

Keynote Workshop: How Is That Possible!? Attention, Intention, Wonder, and the Power of Applied Improvisation & Designing Your Improvised Life

Wednesday, November 16th, 4:45 pm–6:15 pm EST
Wednesday, November 16th, 10:45 pm–November 17th, 12:15 am CET
Thursday, November 17th, 6:45 am–8:15 am JST

Keynote Workshop: Designing Your Improvised Life

Thursday, November 17th, 2:15 pm–4:15 pm EST
Thursday, November 17th, 8:15 pm–10:15 pm CET
Friday, November 18th, 4:15 am–6:15 am JST

What are the wondrous quirks of being human that make it possible for us to improvise? How has this ability to improvise appeared over the years? As we move into the 21st century, how can the power of intentional improvisation be leveraged to transform our own lives and the lives of others? Join Jeanne Lambin and explore these questions and more in this inspiring and engaging and interactive look at the power of improvisation as a tool for change and transformation. This is the first of a two-part series: for those interested in doing a deeper dive, you can join the follow-up workshop, Designing Your Improvised Life, to bring the power of intentionality and applied improvisation to life design.

Click the link below to access...

Conference Presenters

Beth Boynton

Session: Medical Improv - An Interprofessional Collaboration for Interprofessional Faculty & Students   
Friday, November 18th, 4 pm–5 pm EST
Friday, November 18th, 10 pm–11 pm CET
Saturday, November 19th, 6 pm–7 pm JST 

Biography: Beth Boynton, RN, MS, CP (Boynton Improv Education), Jim Mecir, former MLB pitcher/teamwork expert, and Ellen Schnur, 25+ years in management & training (ImprovTalk), represent a unique interprofessional team with decades of experience in healthcare, corporate management/training, teamwork,  Applied and Medical Improv. 

Jessica Breitenfeld

Session: Your LinkedIn Profile. Sell Improv Better. 
Thursday, November 17th, 4:30 am–6 am EST
Thursday, November 17th, 10:30 am–12 pm CET
Thursday, November 17th, 6:30 pm–8:00 pm JST

Biography: Jessica is a therapist in Gestalt Psychotherapy whose passion is hospital clowning as a volunteer. She explores self through her transformative workshops. Being called a Team Whisperer, she brings humor and humanness to participants and has been awarded the National Champion of Public Speaking 2022 by Toastmasters. She was on the board of Directors and ran the AIN marketing conference in Barcelona in 2018.

Terje Brevik

Session: The High Five method! 
Thursday, November 17th, 6:15 am–7:30 am EST
Thursday, November 17th, 12:15 pm–1:30 pm CET
Thursday, November 17th, 8:15 pm–9:30 pm JST

Biography: Terje Brevik teaches methods and mindset from improv theater to individuals and teams who want to improve communication, collaboration, and creativity, on or off stage.
Terje is the founder of Tøyen Impro (for improvisers), Day of Yes (for non-improvisers), and the Short Notice Improv Festival (for both). He holds two Bachelor's degrees, one in Drama and Theater Communication, and the other in Computer Engineering. Terje lives in Oslo, Norway, and already regrets ending this sentence with bicycle helmet jenga group.

Angelina Castellini

Session: People Need People
Saturday, November 19th, 4 am–6 am EST
Saturday, November 19th, 10 am–12 pm CET
Saturday, November 19th, 6 pm–8 pm JST

Biography: Angelina Castellini explores how we as humans can relate improvisationally to ourselves, each other, and our environments. Since 2020, Angelina has been training in the People Need People and Warm Data Lab processes and is an active part of Nora Bateson's Warm Data community. Her article "Enticing Scripts: Making Improvisation (Im)Possible" has recently been published in the Warm Data Anthology by Unpsychology Magazine. Angelina is an AIN Professional Certified Practitioner and has in the past been the AIN Administrator, Conference Organiser (2016 Oxford), and co-founder of the AIN Watch Parties. As the founder of impro studio, she offers support for people to recognize, train and act on their improvisation abilities. Whatever happens, life is to be experienced and engaged with. This can be challenging. And fun!

Marisa Cohen

Session: Improve Through Improv: The Application of Improv to Group Therapy
Wednesday, November 16th, 1 pm–2 pm EST
Wednesday, November 16th, 7pm–8 pm CET
Thursday, November 17th, 3 am–4 am JST

Biography: Dr. Marisa T. Cohen is a relationship researcher, marriage and family therapist, and teaches college level psychology courses. She is also the author of From First Kiss to Forever: A Scientific Approach to Love, a book that relates relationship science research to everyday experiences and real relationship issues confronted by couples. Dr. Cohen is passionate about discovering and sharing important relationship research from the field, and has given guest lectures at locations including the 92nd Street Y, Strand Bookstore, and the New York Hall of Science. She is also a 2021 TEDx Speaker, has appeared in segments for Newsweek, and is the subject of a piece focusing on her work, which aired on BRIC TV. Her work has been quoted in publications such as Bustle, Good Housekeeping, The Cut, InStyle, The Washington Post, Men’s Health, and Women’s Health. She has also appeared on many podcasts and radio shows to discuss the psychology of love and ways in which we can improve our relationships. 

Johanna de Ruyter

Session: Releasolution - an embodied and emergent process to sense-making.
Friday, November 18th, 4 am–6 am EST
Friday, November 18th, 10 am–12 pm CET
Friday, November 18th, 6 pm–8 pm JST

Biography: Johanna de Ruyter and Sophia van Ruth are each skilled improvisors and facilitators. They each explore improvisation from different practices both based in an embodied response to the spontaneous moment. They are from the Wicked Elephant Co-op - a contemporary co-operative initiated by modern elders who are inspired to serve the people and planet earth by bringing our collective attention to how we respond to the complex and wicked challenges we’re increasingly facing. Wicked Elephants focus on generating a shift from ME (individual) to We (collective) by changing the quality of conversation. Our programs sit within the field of relationship with self, with others and with the complex nature of life. We facilitate a range of conversations with individuals, teams, leaders to develop capabilities for generative collaborations.

Dorothea Deley

Session: Look for the Kindness: It’s All Around Us!
Thursday, November 17th, 5 pm–6 pm EST
Thursday, November 17th, 11 pm-12 am Nov 18 CET
Friday, November 17th, 7 am–8 am JST

Biography: Dorothea Deley is a storyteller and improv/sketch comedian based in Las Vegas, Nev. She's performed her solo show around the West, from church basements to conference ballrooms. Both the Vegas Theatre Hub and ComedySportz Las Vegas cast her on their inaugural improv house teams. Her comedy group, Cardio Spider, received a Nevada Arts Council grant and was named the Neon Museum’s Performing Artists in Residence. Most recently, Dorothea became a certified Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE®) provider. She teaches TRE® and improv to help people relax, remember how to play, and reaffirm the goodness in themselves and others.

Rashad Donaldson

Session: Improv Serving Communities - Diversifying Improv by Addressing Community Needs
Friday, November 18th, 7:30 pm–8 pm EST
Saturday, November 19th, 1:30 am–2 am CET
Saturday, November 19th, 9:30 am–10 am JST

Magnus Florin

Session: The story we share is an anthropological study of theater improv or how to save the world.
Thursday, November 17th, 9:30 am–10 am EST
Thursday, November 17th, 3:30 pm–4 pm CET
Thursday, November 17th, 11:30 pm–12 am midnight JST

Biography: Taught Improv for 25 years almost daily within a performing arts school in Sweden. Brought the exercises from improv into business as communications exercises though I believe that improv trains abilities that we need to face our common future global challenges. 

Dion Flynn

Session: Clanging With Josh And Dion
Saturday, November 19th, 2 pm–3 pm EST
Saturday, November 19th, 8 pm–9 pm CET
Sunday, November 20th, 4 am–5 am JST

Biography: Cited by Oprah Magazine as “one of our favorite creative thinkers…”, improvisor, comedian, actor, writer and army veteran Dion Flynn, is best known as Barack Obama (and other characters) with over 100 appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. If Dave Chappelle and Eckhart Tolle had a son who did improv, it would be a weird looking -- and so is Dion. He's an expert in fun and innovative ways to help people connect. He holds an MFA in acting from New York University. Has appeared in Shakespeare in the Park in NYC. The Guthrie Theater. And the New York’s Public Theater. He’s had numerous television appearances through the years and done voiceover work for radio and TV. Dion’s passion is improvisation. When he discovered that the skills used in improvisational comedy paralleled the skills needed in recovery from addiction as well as basic human development he created Improv Recovery Workshops and The Improvisor’s Mindset to illustrate and draw connections between certain theatrical skills and the critical skills needed for successful long-term recovery for addicts and for enhancing regular life for the rest of us. During his hilarious and informative keynotes, Dion shares how the journey from isolation to connection is the basic journey of the soul.

Alison Gitelson

Session: Applied improv – a powerful tool to ‘Yes and’ your toolbox
Thursday, November 17th, 1:30 pm–2 pm EST
Thursday, November 17th, 7:30 pm–8 pm CET
Friday, November 18th, 3:30 am–4 am JST

Biography: Alison Gitelson is a growth enabler, a facilitator, mentor, and coach. She works with brave leaders and teams to unlock human ability and to develop Congruent Organisations, organizations that are strategically effective and positively impact society. Originally qualified as an optometrist, her earlier careers spanned optometry, ICT, transformation, project management and leadership development. In 2013 she met Dr Petro Janse van Vuuren, the founder of Strategic Narrative Embodiment (SNE). Excited by the power of the tools for revealing individual and group wisdom and enabling real change in behavior, Alison began incorporating SNE tools and techniques into her workshops, talks, and programs. Participants describe her work as experiential, engaging, and full of practical value. Passionate about the need for effective facilitation in organisations, Alison trains and mentors facilitators to develop both the science and the art of facilitation.

Emily Harris

Session: Spirited Fun Improv for ADHD Women
Friday, November 18th, 11 am-12 pm EST
Friday November 18th, 5 pm–6 pm CET
Saturday, November 19th, 1 am–2 am JST

Biography: Who the heck is Emily Harris, and why should I care? I’m going to share a secret with you that only took me 63 years to learn…I learned how to FLY! More importantly, I learned how to land the plane, not crash in flames…again. If I could have, I would have. But I couldn't, so I didn't. Now I can. When Emily Harris turned 70 in early 2020, she rediscovered her love of Improv. Harris says, “During a scene, I heard the robust laughter of one of the players, and it startled me. I looked around to see who it was, and to my surprise, it was me! Laughing - for the first time in years. My whole being lit up! The release was amazing! Until that moment, I didn’t realize just how much I needed that. What I did realize was that I wanted to share this discovery with my friends, because at this time in our lives, we need all the laughs we can get. Spirited Fun Improv took flight in March 2020, and for 90 minutes each week, our imaginations take flight. We land the planes gently, with the sound of our laughter to brighten the day.”

Paul Z Jackson

Session: Inspirational Facilitator Masterclass – The Toughest Challenges
Thursday, November 17th, 7:45 am–8:45 am EST
Thursday, November 17th, 1:45 pm–2:45 pm CET
Thursday, November 17th, 9:45 pm–10:45 pm JST

Session: Applied Improvisation Magazine. The story so far, and how you can join in
Thursday, November 17th, 8:45 am–9:15 am EST
Thursday, November 17th, 2:45 pm–3:15 pm CET
Thursday, November 17th, 10:45 pm–11:15 pm JST

Biography: Paul is an experienced improviser, facilitator and coach.

Kat Koppett

Session: Growing Power Intelligence through AI
Saturday, November 19th, 10 am–11 am EST
Saturday, November 19th, 4 pm–5 pm CET
Sunday, November 20th, 12 am–1 am JST

Biography: Kat Koppett  is the Eponymous Founder of Koppett. (www.koppett.com) a consultancy specializing in the use of improv and storytelling techniques to enhance individual and group performance. She is the author of Training to Imagine: Practical Improvisational Theatre Techniques to Enhance Creativity, Teamwork, Leadership and Learning, and has worked with diverse clients including Meta, Apple, Prezi, PwC, NASA,  and the Clinton Global Initiative. In addition, Kat is the co-director and a performing member of the Mopco Improv Theatre (www.mopco.org) and the co-host of the podcast Dare to be Human (www.daretobehumanpodcast.com). She is a founding member and board member of AIN.

Marc Levine

Session: Achieve your goals leveraging AI (Applied Improv) and AI (Appreciative Inquiry)
Friday, November 18th, 2:15 pm–3:45 pm EST
Friday, November 18th, 8:15 pm–9:45 pm CET
Saturday, November 19th, 4:15 am–5:45 am JST

Biography: Marc Levine is the founder of Improv My Sales. For over 20 years Marc has helped clients create bottom-line results as a consultant, trainer, coach, facilitator, sales rep, and sales director. For six years he was director of development for The Mulvaney Group, a niche training firm, where he led the company to record revenues. He was also a consulting manager with Retensa, an employee retention consulting firm, before starting his own company. Marc’s clients include Prudential, Standard Bank, Citibank, Bayer, GlobeTax, Sony Pictures, Comcast Entertainment, Madison Square Garden, NY Methodist Hospital, Volunteers of America, Island Sole, Noa Botanicals, Jaco Rehab, Pacific Retail.

Jim Mecir

Session: Medical Improv - An Interprofessional Collaboration for Interprofessional Faculty & Students
Friday, November 18th, 4 pm–5 pm EST
Friday, November 18th, 10 pm–11 pm CET
Saturday, November 19th, 6 pm–7 pm JST

Biography: Beth Boynton, RN, MS, CP (Boynton Improv Education), Jim Mecir, former MLB pitcher/teamwork expert, and Ellen Schnur, 25+ years in management & training (ImprovTalk), represent a unique interprofessional team with decades of experience in healthcare, corporate management/training, teamwork,  Applied and Medical Improv. 

Sloane Miller

Session: Improvise Your Story: A Writing Workshop
Friday, November 18th, 5:15 pm–6:15 pm EST
Friday, November 18th, 11:15 pm–November 19th, 12:15 am CET
Saturday, November 19th, 7:15 am–8:15 am JST

Biography: Sloane Miller is a sought-after workshop leader, speaker, award-winning author, coach, and consultant. As a licensed social worker and experienced applied improvisation facilitator, Sloane is exceptionally adept at harnessing the power of improv comedy to help clients solve problems faster, build better interpersonal skills, communicate more effectively, and discover their infinite capability for more yes! For the past 20 years, she has worked with private clients and as a consultant to the pharmaceutical, healthcare, food and hospitality industries, government, and not-for- profit organizations. Sloane earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College, her Master of Social Work degree at New York University’s Silver School of Social Work, and her Master of Fine Arts degree in Writing and Literature at Bennington College. She is certified in Katie Goodman's "Improvisation For Life" Workshop Certification Program. She has been performing musical improvisational comedy since 2012 in and around New York City.

Nathan Minns

Session: Improv through Entrepreneurship: Creating, Creativity, and Resilience
Wednesday, November 16th, 2:15 pm–3:15 pm EST
Wednesday, November 16th, 8:15 pm–9:15 pm CET
Thursday, November 17th, 4:15 am–5:15 am JST

Biography: Nathan is an actor & 3X entrepreneur based in Columbus, Ohio. He loves creating new ventures & helping people see value in different ideas. Much of his non-acting professional experience before Green Light Improv was as a product manager in various startups & corporations and as a web designer in the no-code web design space. He has also created an online course that has over 40,000 students. Nathan has been acting professionally since 2015, and since then, he's seen a dramatic change in himself. He's a more open and confident communicator. He's a better listener and entrepreneur. He's better at navigating change. He has developed more of a growth mindset and more.

Sean Mulvihill

Session: Act Social Film Screening
Saturday, November 19th, 5:30 pm–7:15 pm EST
Saturday, November 19th, 11:30 pm–1:15 am Nov 20 CET
Sunday, November 20th, 7:30 am–9:15 am JST

Biography: Director of ACT SOCIAL documentary film about applied improv, which stars many AIN members plus Colin Mochrie! actsocialfilm.com

Nicola Pauling

Session: Applied Performance for those living with Dementia.
Wednesday, November 16th, 3:30 pm–4:00 pm EST
Wednesday, November 16th, 9:30 pm–10 pm CET
Thursday, November 17th, 5:30 am–6 am JST

Biography: Nicola Pauling is a facilitator, director, actor and playwright with over 20 years experience developing people and communities through play and performance. She is the founder and Artistic Director of the charitable trust, Voice Arts, based in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand.. She has led more than 50 successful participatory performance projects working with children, teens, at risk youth, former refugees and new migrants, prisoners, seniors and elders. She has developed these projects in partnership with government agencies, local councils, health professionals and social service providers. Nicola is an Associate of the New York based East Side Institute and a graduate of their International Programme. She is a founding member Reimagining Dementia: a creative coalition for justice. Nicola is a improvisor herself, she co-founded ‘Best on Tap’ an improv troupe renowned for creating truth based spontaneous theatre. She is a trainer and mentor to up and coming community theatre practitioners, providing opportunities for them to work in community settings. Nicola has worked internationally, training teachers in The Cook Islands, tertiary students in Tokyo, and leading community projects in Uganda and Ethiopia. Voice Arts is an award wining organisation, receiving an Arts Access Aotearoa’s Community Partnerships Award and a Diversity Award from the Human Rights Commission.

Dale Placek

Session: "Embracing the Uncertainty": An Exploratory Case Study of Improvisation-Based Teacher Professional Development
Wednesday, November 16th, 7 pm - 7:50 pm EST
Thursday, November 17th, 1 am–1:50 am CET
Thursday, November 17th, 9 am–9:50 am JST

Biography: Dr. Dale Placek is a theatre director, arts educator, researcher, and professional development workshop leader who specializes in improv-based team-building events and professional development workshops for schools, businesses, or any other group seeking to work, learn, and laugh together. Last May, he earned his PhD in Teacher Education and Professional Development from the department of Teaching, Learning, Policy, and Leadership at the University of Maryland, College Park. His dissertation research focused on the intersections between classroom teaching and improvisation and included a semester-long series of improvisation-based workshops for a group of nine high school teachers. Dale also holds a BFA in Theatre from Boston University and an M.Ed in Arts Integration from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Susan Pope

Session: How Not to Re-traumatize Traumatized People while doing Applied Improvisation with them
Thursday, November 17th, 6:15 pm–7:15 pm EST
Friday, November 18th, 12:15 am–1:15 am CET
Friday, November 18th, 8:15 am–9:15 am JST

Biography: Susan Pope is a Mental Health Peer Support Specialist, a Trauma Informed Care Trainer, and an Applied Improvisation Facilitator. She devised and performs a one-woman show based on her own life –  Dreadfully White -- an absurdist play about a child growing up in that absurd place called “home.”

Josh Radnor

Session: Clanging With Josh And Dion
Saturday, November 19th, 2 pm–3 pm EST
Saturday, November 19th, 8 pm–9 pm CET
Sunday, November 20th, 4 am–5 am JST

Biography: MFA, How I Met Your Mother, Liberal Arts and Hunters w/Al Pacino.

Ellen Schnur

Session: Medical Improv - An Interprofessional Collaboration for Interprofessional Faculty & Students
Friday, November 18th, 4 pm–5 pm EST
Friday, November 18th, 10 pm–11 pm CET
Saturday, November 19th, 6 pm–7 pm JST

Biography: Beth Boynton, RN, MS, CP (Boynton Improv Education), Jim Mecir, former MLB pitcher/teamwork expert, and Ellen Schnur, 25+ years in management & training (ImprovTalk), represent a unique interprofessional team with decades of experience in healthcare, corporate management/training, teamwork,  Applied and Medical Improv.  

Chinmayee Somaiya

Session: People Need People
Saturday, November 19th, 4 am–6 am EST
Saturday, November 19th, 10 am–12 pm CET
Saturday, November 19th, 6 pm–8 pm JST

Biography: Chinmayee is a Leadership & Developmental Coach, Group Facilitator, Warm Data Host, and a former business leader. Her career started in Engineering and progressed to Global Engineering leadership, leading program delivery across geographical and organizational divides. In the process, she became adept at bringing people of different backgrounds, agendas, and seniority together to align with organizational strategy and coordinated delivery. She utilized many diverse workshops to facilitate the process: strategy, ideation, design, conflict resolution, collaboration, ways of working, systems thinking, leadership development, and facilitation training, among them. Along the way, she found herself moving more and more towards coaching and facilitation, which brought her to her current career. Along with running her own business, Chinmayee also volunteers as a facilitator/coach/mentor for several non-profit organizations: Mediators Beyond Borders International, Project F: Women in Tech, and Enneagram Prison Project, amongst others. Passionate about helping others create positive change, she especially loves mentoring young women. Chinmayee lives in Sydney with her two children and two dogs. In her spare time, she loves venturing out into nature, and dancing.

Ana Sousa Gavin

Session: How does a public speaking coaching session look like?
Wednesday, November 16th, 9:45 pm- 11:30 pm EST
Thursday, November 17th, 3:45 am–5:30 am CET
Thursday, November 17th, 11:45 am–1:30 pm JST

Biography: Ana Sousa Gavin coaches public speaking skills, using applied improvisation and applied storytelling techniques. She looks at a speaker as an athlete who releases tension through play and awareness. She is currently on a journey to make sense of how her varied background, in social and organizational psychology, fitness coaching, early years education, storytelling and improvisation theatre, contributes to her holistic coaching approach. Ana loves being a co-facilitator in the AIN APOS (Asia-Pacific Open Space) team.

Bright Su

Session: 3D facilitation technique
Friday, November 18th, 6:30 pm–7:30 pm EST
Saturday, November 19th, 12:30 am–1:30 am CET
Saturday, November 19th, 8:30 am–9:30 am JST

Biography: Bright started to study Improv in Chicago in 2008, trained in various levels with ComedySportz San Jose, He was a teaching assistant to Prof. Patricia Madson's popular Improv course at Stanford University. Bright is the author of JI XING XI JU (Improvisational Theatre), published in China on May 2020, an industry first Improv book written originally in Chinese language. He is the founder of Bright Improv, which focuses providing improv theater, applied improv and sketch comedy trainings in Chinese. His book website http://brightimprov.com/ and a short endorsement video https://youtu.be/ugKjw6_145Q Bright graduated from the University of Tennessee with an MBA degree in 2002 and loves hot yoga, laughter yoga, and meditation with routine practices. He lives in San Jose, Ca, USA.

Emma Supica

Session: Improv Serving Communities - Diversifying Improv by Addressing Community Needs
Friday, November 18th, 7:30 pm–8 pm EST
Saturday, November 19th, 1:30 am–2 am CET
Saturday, November 19th, 9:30 am–10 am JST

Matt Tolliver

Session: Utilizing Applied Improvisation to Develop Cognitive Complexity
Friday, November 18th, 9:45 am–10:45 am EST
Friday, November 18th, 3:45 pm-4:45 pm CET
Friday, November 18th, 11:45 pm–12:45 am Nov 19 JST

Biography: Dr. Matt Tolliver has a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision with a concentration in Leadership. He is a certified Professional School Counselor (Pk- adult) and elementary school teacher (K-5), a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), and an Approved Licensed Professional Supervisor (ALPS). He is the owner and operator of Tolliver Counseling and Consulting Services, LLC, which includes workshop development and delivery using applied improvisation. He is an adjunct professor for West Virginia University and a member of the Fearless Fools improv comedy troupe. 

Cathy Towers

Session: YOUR BODY, YOUR BAROMETER
Friday, November 18th, 1 pm–2 pm EST
Friday, November 18th, 7 pm–8 pm CET
Saturday, November 19th, 3 am–4 am JST

Biography: Cathy Towers has several decades experience as a psychotherapist, body therapist, and trainer behind her. In later years she has been a regular improv performer and also taught improv online and in person. Working with stress, trauma, and related conditions throughout her career and personal life has given her a fascination with the interface of body, mind, and emotions. Using improv as a sensitive but fun way to strengthen resilience and adaptability has been a welcome creative approach. Cathy hosts an interview show on Phonic FM radio station twice a month, meeting a wide variety of interesting people - actually she believes all people are interesting if you ask the right questions! Improvised dance and movement is also her thing – from argentine tango to five rhythms. Known for her quirky observational take, Cathy engages with curiosity and variety. She presented Power of the Pause, a well-received workshop, at the last virtual conference.

Sophia Van Ruth

Session: Releasolution - an embodied and emergent process to sense-making.
Friday, November 18th, 4 am–6 am EST
Friday, November 18th, 10 am–12 pm CET
Friday, November 18th, 6 pm–8 pm JST

Biography: Johanna de Ruyter and Sophia van Ruth are each skilled improvisers and facilitators. They each explore improvisation from different practices, both based in an embodied response to the spontaneous moment. They are from the Wicked Elephant Co-op - a contemporary co-operative initiated by modern elders who are inspired to serve the people and planet earth by bringing our collective attention to how we respond to the complex and wicked challenges we’re increasingly facing. Wicked Elephants focus on generating a shift from ME (individual) to We (collective) by changing the quality of conversation. Our programs sit within the field of relationships with self, with others, and with the complex nature of life. We facilitate a range of conversations with individuals, teams, and leaders to develop capabilities for generative collaborations. 

Ketan Varia

Session: Conflict Management in Business Change
Saturday, November 19th, 7:30 am–8:30 am EST
Saturday, November 19th, 1:30 pm–2:30 pm CET
Saturday, November 19th, 9:30 pm–10:30 pm JST

Biography: Ketan is the director of Kinetik Solutions (www.kinetik.uk.com), is a UK based consultancy, which specialises in business transformation, process excellence and change management in operational settings. He has delivered change management to a variety of sectors working with large complex clients. Ketan intertwines applied improv in workshops and training for clients.

Anne Veal

Session: Improv Serving Communities - Diversifying Improv by Addressing Community Needs
Friday, November 18th, 7:30 pm–8 pm EST
Saturday, November 19th, 1:30 am–2 am CET
Saturday, November 19th, 9:30 am–10 am JST

Biography: I am a teaching artist and creator in Nashville, TN. I work with Unscripted (more on the org in session description), develop bespoke workshops in team building and organizational adaptability with the Arts & Business Council, as well as teach & perform with Third Coast Comedy Club. Prior to the pandemic I taught improv in NYC, with Reckless Theater and The Armory, as well as independently. In addition to improvisation, I've worked in both corporate and non-profit operations. As an improviser, actor, and creator, I've performed across the country and internationally. I study with the Compassion Institute and center those practices in my work.

Brad Waters

Session: Re-imagining Computer-based Work
Thursday, November 17th, 12:15 pm–1:15 pm EST
Thursday, November 17th, 6:15 pm–7:15 pm CET
Friday, November 18th, 2:15 am–3:15 am JST

Biography: Dynamic consultant, facilitator, design thinker, & improv'er. Brad works for Siemens Healthineers, where he helps run an internal innovation lab focused on rapid prototyping and digital transformation. While working on innovation projects, he always tries to inject effective workshop structures with fun and improv. Prior to Healthineers, he worked in consulting, software, and retail industries. Originally a southern boy from North Carolina in the US, he now lives in Berlin, Germany. He's occasionally funny but always curious.

Asia Pacific Open Space

Two session times!

Wednesday, November 16th, 8 pm–9:30 pm EST
Thursday, November 17th, 2 am–3:30 am CET
Thursday, November 17th, 10 am–11:30 am JST

AND

Friday, November 18th, 8 pm–9:30 pm EST
Saturday, November 19th, 2 am-3:30 am CET
Saturday, November 19th, 10 am–11:30 am JST

AINx Watch Party! Featuring Brent Darnell

Session: How to Manage Stress - Brent Darnell - AINx Watch Party
Thursday, November 17th, 10 am–12 pm EST
Thursday, November 17th, 4 pm–6 pm CET
Friday, November 18th, 12 am–2 am JST

Session Description: Join hosts Per Rasmussen and Ellen Schnur for 90 minutes of highlights, discussion and activities from Brent Darnell's 2021 AIN Global Virtual Conference Session. 

This session will explore the concept of stress and its effects and how to deal with them effectively using improv concepts and interactive learning. We will offer our Body Battery Inventory that measures stressors versus recovery activities and offer skills such as proper breathing, mindfulness, meditation, and silence as ways to recover from the stressors in your life. 

Invited Presenter: Luntu Masiza

Session: Inspirational Storytelling
Saturday, November 19th, 8:45 am–9:45 am EST
Saturday, November 19th, 2:45 pm–3:45 pm CET
Saturday, November 19th, 10:45 pm–11:45 pm JST

Biography: Luntu Masiza is a AFDA alumnus with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He is also the founder of Changing Your Business Through Theatre (Pty) Ltd, a company that focuses on facilitating workshops in customer-driven environments to build staff confidence.