Nuveen Theater Improv Festival Launches Off!

The improv scene in the White Lake area has been steadily growing these past few years and the ACWL-Nuveen is excited to be offering the inaugural Nuveen Theater Improv Festival on Friday, May 2 and Saturday, May 3 at the Playhouse at White Lake. Sponsored by Harwood Flats, there will be two performances and three workshops featuring and taught by world-class improvisers! These two days are PACKED with improv comedy performances and workshops featuring the talented...

🌟Veteran Chicago improvisers Liz Allen, Kevin Reome, and Dee Ryan

🌟Pants Improv from Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo

🌟Local performers from White Lake

Each performance and workshop is $20 and you can purchase another ticket for a second show or workshop for only $10! Visit https://www.artswhitelake.org/2025-improv-fest to learn more about the performances, workshops, instructors, and to purchase tickets. Your patronage will help support the ACWL-Nuveen and our commitment to bringing the arts to White Lake!

Friday, May 2

Workshop: Scenes and Long Form - Intermediate Improv Workshop with Dee Ryan, Kevin Reome, and Liz Allen,

3:00-5:00pm

Learning to weave spontaneous stories and characters together into a cohesive piece of theater is the goal of long-form improv. In this workshop, we’ll cover the tenets of improv (along with quick tips from experience over the years) for weaving scenes and worlds into a believable, grounded and fun piece of long-form theater. Ages 16+.

Performance: Chicago Crosses the Lake featuring Liz Allen, Kevin Reome, Dee Ryan, and local performers, 7:00pm

Veteran Chicago improvisers Liz Allen, Kevin Reome, and Dee Ryan create improvised scenes that coalesce into an entirely made up comedic performance. This event also features local improvisers performing impromptu scenes and games. You won't want to miss seeing your friends and neighbors perform alongside Liz, Kevin, and Dee at this hilariously fun event.

Saturday, May 3

Workshop: I Can't, You Can! - Beginner Improv Workshop with Dee Ryan and Kevin Reome, 10:00am-12:00pm

Get the basics of improvisation with this introductory class. Nervous? Don’t be. This gentle fundamentals class will be hilarious and fun without expectations of having to think fast or be funny—but don’t be surprised if both of those things happen. Join us. We’ve got your back. Ages 16+.

Workshop: Unexpected Perspectives - Intermediate Improv Workshop with Liz Allen, 2:00-4:00pm

This workshop is SOLD OUT! Please email [email protected] to be added to the waitlist.

Performance: Nevada's Paradise: 13 Years in Vegas - a one-woman show by Liz Allen. Also with special guests, Pants! improv group, 7:00pm

In NEVADA’S PARADISE: My 13 Years in Vegas, Liz Allen chronicles her unexpected move in 2004 to Las Vegas with her husband and toddler son. Liz details the lesser known side of Vegas, living off-Strip, where there are slot machines in the grocery stores, Elvis on the school board, and a preponderance of Mormons...everywhere. In this comedic look-back at her 13 years in Vegas, Liz shares her ups and downs of forging family life in the hot desert under neon lights in a city famous for debauchery.

No foul language, but there are adult themes (like Vegas).

Last summer, veteran Chicago improvisers Kevin Reome and Dee Ryan were kind enough to get on a Zoom call for a fun discussion about their experiences as improvisers. Dee recounted how she wound up performing on The Office, which led to her becoming a meme. And Kevin describes what it was like doing a TED Talk about the life lessons he's learned from improv.

And several summers ago, Liz Allen discussed the book she co-wrote, Improvising Better: A Guide for the Working Improviser, as well as her one-woman show Tonight I’m My Mother, and the importance of removing the pressure to be funny when taking an improv class.

A big thanks to Harwood Flats for sponsoring this ACWL-Nuveen fundraiser!