REGISTER FOR A COURSE IN JANUARY 2025
zurich improv comedy festival - 20, 21, 22 + 27, 28, 29 JUNE 2025
JIM LIBBY
He was born in Maine, in the USA, but made his home in Vienna, Austria, and has built a pretty good reputation as a performer, director, and artistic consultant.
Jim has performed in some of Europe’s most illustrious theatres, worked continually in television and film, and he's a featured voice-over artist in several prize winning film, commercial, and art productions.
In the world of improvisational theatre, he does tend to get around. Jim is a founding member of the English Lovers and have performed with or taught literally thousands of actors, directors, dancers, musicians, teachers, business folks, and just plain people, working on the application of the ideas and techniques of improvisation:
From the creation of Kabarett, theatre and performance, to team building, communication skills, television shows, films, art projects, and more.
Jim helped to create, "Zwischen Frechem Volke”, the very first, fully improvised, performance piece to ever be taken into the repertoire of a German state theatre.
He also helped to create the very first, fully improvised, radio drama for the BBC, “A Time to Dance”, which was nominated for a Sony Acadamy Award,
and co-directed the first, fully improvised, feature film to ever be produced in Austria, “Another One Opens”, which after several cinema runs, and winning a few prizes, is now on Amazon.
Jim is also the artistic director and host of the upcoming: Moment! -Vienna’s International Festival for Improvised Theatre, in TAG, this October.
Currently he can be heard in the new feature films, “Moonbound”, “Razzennest”, and in the web series, “Socks Talk Politics”.
JACOB BANIGAN is a Canadian living in Austria, teaching and performing impro around Europe. He has been improvising since 1990, when he joined Rapid Fire Theatre to play THEATRESPORTS in Edmonton. Jacob was Artistic Director of Rapid Fire for nine seasons, creating CHIMPROV, The RFT Improv Academy, and Canada’s biggest impro festival IMPROVAGANZA.
Living in Graz, Austria, ensemble member of Theater im Bahnhof, he is director of the impro show MONTAG. In 2012, Jacob premiered the improvised solo show GAME OF DEATH. Jacob has lead workshops across the world for such esteemed groups as Dad’s Garage (Atlanta), Extempore (London), Die Gorilas (Berlin), Stockholms Improvisations Theater, and il Bugiardini (Rome).
Banigan is currently Senior Lecturer on Improvisational Theater at the University for the Performing Arts Graz. He is a member of English Lovers in Vienna, Gordon’s Big Bald Head in Edmonton, and Rocket Sugar Factory everywhere.
HILA DI CASTRO is an actress, international improviser and trainer. You can find her every year in Pandora improv festival (Italy) as the artistic director of the international cast of the festival.
Since graduating from Acting Studio in 2002, she has acted in diverse theater, television and film productions in Israel (including the movie “7 blessings” which won 11 israeli academy awards).
In 2005, she has re-discovered the world of improvisation (after being terrified of it in acting school) and she felt in-love! This art form has changed her life, became her home, her life philosophy and her guidance.
Since then she has founded and performed with several improv groups in Israel including LAMABAT the trio “Momentum” – one of the leading improv groups in that perform in Israel and around the world.
In 2022 she has created the format and show called – WOMAN UP! An international, revolutionary, hilarious, authentic and mind blowing show that aims to expose what it feels and mean to be a woman on this planet. She is the creator, director, artistic director and producer of this show that performs regularly and Internationally with groups around the world. Hila's vision with this show is to have women group in every country and every city around the globe performing this show.
Since 2016 she is touring the world performing and teaching acting and improvisation – As festivals instructor or private calling. Hila has been performing and teaching in more than 10 countries. (Including: Finland, Estonia, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Italy, Canada, Sweden and more…)
everywhere she goes, she brings her unique, inspiring, personal style and improv philosophy.
Last but not list – I am the co-founder and the artistic director of “equal & above”- an improv performance and workshops that teaches and advocate gender equality throughout Israel.
JOLEEN BALLENDINE is an award-winning improviser, writer, actor, and educator with over 17 years of professional experience in comedy and storytelling. Based in Edmonton, Canada (Treaty 6 Territories), she is the Director of Outreach at Rapid Fire Theatre, one of the world’s longest-running improv companies.
Since joining Rapid Fire Theatre in 2009, Joleen has been instrumental in expanding the company’s reach. She founded its first outreach program in 2011, focused on empowering Indigenous youth through storytelling and comedy. Today, the program engages individuals of all abilities across the province, from young children to seniors, in inner-city and rural schools, correctional institutions, and beyond. Her work highlights her belief that improv is a tool for connection, creativity, and inclusion.
Joleen’s career has taken her across North America and Europe, where she has performed and led workshops for thousands of international audiences. This summer marks her seventh European tour, showcasing her expertise in long-form improvisation, character work, and inventive narrative formats.
In addition to her improv career, Joleen is an accomplished writer. In 2024, she won an AMPIA award for her Canadian Heritage Minute on Mary “Bonnie” Baker. She is also preparing for her play Kohkoms Bashuska to premiere at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in October 2025.
With nearly two decades of improv under her belt, Joleen brings sharp wit, an honest heart, and a knack for finding humor in everything—even jet lag. On stage and off, she’s dedicated to creating memorable moments and sharing the joy of improvisation with everyone she can.
AMY SHOSTAK is an improvisor and facilitator based in Vancouver, Canada. She is a member of the Faculty at Blind Tiger Comedy School, former Festival Organizer of the Vancouver Improv Festival, and she performs regularly with Tightrope Impro Theatre.
Amy is former Artistic Director of Rapid Fire Theatre (Edmonton, Canada), where she had been part of the ensemble since 2002. During her time at Rapid Fire Theatre, she coordinated five weekly shows, a busy improv academy, three annual festivals and an ensemble for 40 performers. In this role, she received an Excellence in Artistic Direction Award from Edmonton's Mayor's Evening for the Arts.
Amy is thrilled to have been a part of many amazing improv festivals around the globe where she has performed, led workshops, and directed original formats, including Impro Amsterdam, FERIIR on Reunion Island, Monkeyfest in Bogota, Improvention in Canberra, and Impro in Berlin. She tours regularly with her improv duos Rå Power with Joleen Ballendine and Amy + Tom with Tom Hill. Amy is passionate about creating brave spaces where creativity flourishes, and directing formats that challenge what improv can be. She is deeply stoked to return to beautiful Zurich!
ALEXIS SAKELLARIS (@alexis_sakellaris) is a queer international artist with Italian, Greek and Austrian roots. Born in New York and raised in rural Germany, culture clashes have shaped his entire life, including UK boarding school (problematic), a botched attempt at medical school in Salzburg (do not recommend) and an undergraduate degree in German musical theater in Vienna (huh?). Performing, especially a deep love for singing and acting, have been the one constant.
A STAN IS BORN! is Alexis' debut show, written as a thesis while studying Musical Theatre at Mountview Academy in London. Despite not having been encouraged to write before, he decided to give it a shot after starting a part-time job at Soho Theatre, a comedy venue in central London. It was there that comedian Matt Rogers (known for the podcast Las Culturistas) heard Alexis singing in the office and offered him a gig on the spot, supporting him in the UK and US tours of his musical comedy show "Have You Heard Of Christmas?".
This experience inspired Alexis so much, he decided to focus on his original material and expand A STAN IS BORN! After successful runs at the Edinburgh Fringe and numerous London venues (including a sold-out Soho Theatre show), Alexis is writing a new show with drama school friends (ACHILLES: A New Musical, centered around the Trojan War) and is hoping to take this and A STAN IS BORN! back to Edinburgh Fringe this summer.
Trained as an Actor at the Russian School of Jurij Alschitz and at the Schott Acting Studio in Berlin with the former teachers of the London Drama Center. He worked for the European Association for Theatre Culture in Berlin. In Italy he founded THEATRO, a School of Theatre focused on Improvisation, where he teaches and directs the main company. He is head of the international Theatre Collective “gli Eredi” along with members form Italy, Paris and London. He works as an Actor and Director in Movies, Series and Theatre and host a radio program.
He devised his own training method, always in development and growth, out of the deep experiences and research all over Europe in theatre, mask, movement, body and voice work with a special attention in the field of improvisation and ensemble work.
ETTORE'S IMPROVISATION POINT OF VIEW: Improvisation is not nearly a a question of comedy or stand up comedy or sketches or just sport theatre. While potentially laughter oriented i see a deep artistic potential in it. For me Improvisation is the core of theatre and brings to light the creative act itself. Listening. Accepting. Letting go of judgment. Using mistakes and failure as creative tools. My aim as pedagogue is to lead my students to access the infinitude of creative possibilities and to tap in the subconscious energy to reveal the truth within. My expertise is providing a safe setting, while remaining demanding and challenging.
GEORGIA PALIOGIANNI is a multifaceted Greek artist based in Zurich. As a musician, physical theatre actress, dancer and clown, she can pull from an extensive and diverse range of skills. As a teacher, she focuses on creating a safe, expressive environment, emphasizing joy in challenges and finding innovative ways to blend dance and theatre in her classes.
Since the age of 8, Georgia has trained in dance, piano and musical theatre. She took workshops at Diagonal (Gr), TanzFabrik (Germany), Pineapple (London) and London Center Studio. She was a musician at the Philharmonic youth Orchestra of Thessaloniki for more than 14 years, a singer and musical performer at the Korais choir of Thessaloniki for 4 years and she created and presented her solo work ‘Avanti Maestro’ for 3 years in Greece, Germany and Bulgaria.
As a performer and teacher she has worked in Greece, Spain, the UK, Germany and Switzerland.An influential chapter in Georgia's career was her residency in January ‘24 with Gecko UK, a renowned physical theatre company. This experience profoundly shaped her life and teaching philosophy, bringing new perspectives and techniques to her artistic repertoire.Georgia's artistic journey is characterized by inspiring and diverse encounters and experiences. She values collaboration over solo work, believing that group achievements often surpass individual ones.
Academically, Georgia holds a MAT Pilates certification from MK Pilates (2016, UK), a BA in Physical Theatre from Accademia Teatro Dimitri CH (2022), and is currently pursuing her Master's in Dance at Zhdk, focusing on teaching and rehearsing.Overall, Georgia's artistic and academic pursuits showcase a passionate, collaborative, and dynamic individual who continues to evolve and inspire through her work in the realms of theatre, dance, and education.