Performers for the 2025 Improv Festival!

Unexpected Productions (Seattle, WA, USA)

Unexpected Productions is Seattle’s oldest and most successful Improvisational theatre company. Today, Unexpected Production is producing a wide array of improvisational-based theatre for Seattle audiences and has developed a worldwide reputation for high-quality improvisation. Comedic in style, Unexpected Productions focuses on the art of storytelling in its work. They have performed in New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, and all over the United States.

Mouth Wide Shut

“Mouth Wide Shut” is dedicated to exploring the artistry of mime and the creativity of physical improvisation. In the beginning, MWS was marketed as a silent improv show that features improvisers who “are not mimes.” Today, after years of show evolution and training, we can say with confidence that this show is made up of mimes who are improvisers.

Catch them in shows all weekend and in their MainStage showcase on Sat, Oct 18th at 7 pm

Jay Hitt

Jay Hitt is the creator and director of Mouth Wide Shut, a completely non-verbal improvised show that uses Pantomime, Figurative mime, Stage combat, and various types of dance to create scenes based on the spectators’ suggestions. These suggestions are also retrieved non-verbally. Mimes can create full environments and objects using only their skill and imagination. How do they do it?

Jay is also the Managing Director of Unexpected Productions and has been with this improv company since 1993. He has performed and directed a variety of short and long-form improv shows since 1988. He created the popular Duo Improv Showcase in 2008. He has studied with great coaches from America and Europe and has been teaching and coaching improv since 1998. He is well known for his fearless approach to physical improv and his precision when it comes to object work and environment creation.

Ken Hall

Ken Hall is a Dora Mavor Moore Award nominee, an award-winning public speaker and keynote speaker and a Canadian Comedy Award winner (Best Breakout Artist) and multiple CCA award nominee, including most recently, Comedic Artist of the Year.

Ken plays the lovable Herb and provides motion capture as the body of Pogo in Netflix’s THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY, and has appeared in numerous film and television roles, including two seasons as Jeff the Grey, on TBS’s hit series PEOPLE OF EARTH and has appeared as a guest on CONAN. Ken is also one-half of the critically acclaimed, comedic clownprov duo, 2-MAN NO-SHOW, and has had the pleasure to work for CIRQUE DE SOLEIL.

Kelly Turner

Kelly Turner is the Artistic Associate of Longform Improv at Rapid Fire Theatre, where she has been performing, teaching and gigging since 2016. Kelly has performed and taught at festivals throughout North America, from Minneapolis to Vancouver to Toronto and now finally Winnipeg! At the Edmonton Fringe Festival, she was part of the main ensemble of Colin Mochrie and Friends.