JOEL VEENSTRA

Joel Veenstra, M.F.A. (co-founder of the Global Improvisation Initiative), teaches improvisation, stage management, and production at the University of California, Irvine. He promotes the intraconnection of all of these areas in his work as well as in life itself. He is currently exploring applied applications of improvisation with UC Irvine’s Program in Nursing Science and teaching improvisation applications at The Paul Merage School of Business. Veenstra produces improvisation investigations, including UC Irvine's annual Coup de Comedy Festival, a free 4-day comedy celebration for the community with over 30 performances and workshops, and Improv Legends: Ideas, Insights, Icons, a series of documentary shorts exploring the art of improvisational theater. Veenstra also has studied and performed extensively with luminaries such as Paul Sills and Keith Johnstone and at The Second City, Hollywood.