Who We Are

Femprovisor Fest showcases diverse womxn and feminist improv ensembles, solo performers, and sketch groups from the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout the US. We produce workshops, panels, and shows with innovative artists who are committed to increasing the visibility of womxn in all areas of improvised performance. 

We are a fun bunch of smart, passionate, and creative improv and arts enthusiasts!

Production Committee

Jill Eickmann (Executive Producer)

Jill Eickmann is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Leela, a holistic San Francisco based improvisational theater and training center. She is also a Board Member and past Producer for The San Francisco Improv Festival. Jill has directed over 100 original productions. She has taught her signature style of improvisation to thousands of improvisors at Leela, EndGames Improv, Pan Theater, San Francisco Comedy College, Stanford University (GSB), the University of Chicago (GSB) California Improv Festival, Improvaganza: Hawaii Festival of Improv, San Diego Improv Festival, Denver Improv Festival, Seattle Festival of Improv Theater, The San Francisco Improv Festival and the Gainesville Improv Festival. Jill Eickmann currently performs in Shades of Grey, an improvised duo with Marcus Sams, Leela’s Armando Company, and Leela’s resident all women’s Harold ensemble, Sorry Not Sorry. She has performed in multiple duos including notable national improvisors Jay Sukow, Janene Lin, Kat Brown, Sunita Deshpande, Marcia Aguilar, Diana Brown, and Steven Burnett. Jill has directed many ensembles through Leela’s Performing Improv Ensembles (PIE) Program including True Medusa, Robot Butler, Luxury Cruise Singles Mixer, Objectively Speaking, Sketchy Alley, and YUM!. Notably, she taught a six week private improv class to cast members of Disney’s The Lion King – Broadway Tour. Jill was the founder of the three person improv ensemble, Road Dawgz, where she performed with Tony Award Winner Dan Fogler (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) and Law Tarello (Photo City Improv- Rochester) throughout NYC. She studied in New York and Chicago with some of the best from Upright Citizens Brigade Theater (UCB), The Second City, IO (Formerly Improv Olympic), Annoyance Productions, and Magnet Theater. Jill is also a play therapist, psychotherapist, drama therapist, and self-revelatory theatre director who continues to research and teach the psychological implications and therapeutic benefits of improvisation. She also enjoys facilitating workshops with SF local start-ups, established companies, and business leaders to support a positive working environment while fostering boundless collective creativity. Past clients include The Clorox Company, Adobe, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google (among others.) Jill blogs at femprovisor.com and is committed to encouraging and supporting an active women’s presence in all areas of improvised theatre.

Dominica Malcolm (Producer)

Dominica is the founder of Improvative Productions, an innovative improv business that asks, “Yes, and, what else can you do with improv?” Through this business she is developing the tentatively titled documentary “Improvation: A Documentary About Innovative Improv and Festivals,” where she has already recorded footage in San Francisco, Hawaii, and Los Angeles. She is also the creator or co-creator of numerous innovative improv shows, including: “So You Want a Job,” a reality TV style job interview show that has been featured at Improvaganza! Hawaii Festival of Improv, AS IF – The Alaska State Improv Festival, and The San Francisco Improv Festival; [   ] – improv without words; and “The Secret Lives of Villains,” a character-based duo show with Diana Brown. Her improv training comes from Leela, Moment Improv Theatre, and workshops at various festivals and from visiting improvisors. Additionally, Dominica has performed improv at SF Sketchfest, the Hollywood Improv Festival, San Diego Improv Festival, and the Antelope Valley Improv Comedy Festival. Dominica is also a tour guide, writer, publisher, comic book fanatic, and former stand-up comedian. For more information about this Australian transplant, visit her website and blog at http://dominica.malcolm.id.au.

Mithra Vankipuram (Volunteer Coordinator)

Dana Cory (Musical Accompaniment)

Dana Cory improvised jazz professionally as a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist before discovering theater improv, and has been joyfully combining both for twenty years. Dana co-directs the Leela Musical P.I.E. Major Sixth, teaches all levels of Leela’s Musical Improv classes, and accompanies Leela shows. An alumna of BATS Improv and ImprovWorks, she performs regularly with her own musical improv troupe “All That Jazz!”, has guested with many other sketch and improv groups nationwide, played for years with SF fave Harold troupe SNAFU, is a frequent cast member for Un-Scripted Theater Company shows including festival-favorite “Swipe Right”, and also produces the annual West Coast Musical Improv Festival. Dana accompanied all of the musical groups for Leela’s sold-out Femprovisor Festival 2018 and performs, produces, and teaches music and improv in the Bay Area and beyond.

Adrián Bosada (Technical Director)

Adrián Bosada is a native of Mexico and has been studying improv since 2011, studying both long-form and short-form improv in Los Angeles and the Bay Area. For the last 2 years, Adrián has been teaching improv to adults in the Bay Area as an art form, as well as a skill for use in social settings, and for work. Currently Adrián performs consistently with Leela’s Armando Company, Synergy Theater in Walnut Creek and the duo Mispronounced. Adrian uses his background in animation and character design to bring characters to life on stage through archetypes, and movement. He believes that on stage, the most beautiful truths about the human condition are revealed through the actors’ ability to take risks, and to allow themselves to be surprised by their own choices.

Natalie Ernst (Hospitality)

Natalie is an improv instructor and performer with Leela in San Francisco. She has a background in musical theater and is currently a part of Leela’s musical improv troupe, Major Sixth. This is a group that performs 30 minutes improvised musicals, complete with piano and drums. Natalie is also the producer of a Troupe called The Leftovers that is comprised of various Leela performers and instructors. These improvisors come out in the dark, dancing with glow sticks and perform an improvised montage based on a one word story they create, inspired by an audience suggestion. She also has the joy of being part of a group called Giraffe Town that performs the Deconstruction format, created by Miles Stroth. Natalie has her own company, “Paint a Face Designs,” where she has the opportunity to express her creativity through face painting, body art and henna. Natalie is grateful for Jill and Christopher Eickmann, founders of San Francisco’s Leela Training Center, and all of the amazing people she has met through this incredible art form.

Solitaire Miguel (Social Media)

Solitaire Miguel (She/Her/They/Them) is an Early Childhood Educator and multidisciplinary artist born and raised in Hawai’i and based in San Francisco (Ohlone Territory) since 2003. She has been playing with Leela since 2017 and does improv for spiritual reasons. Solitaire is passionate about restorative justice, vulnerability, kindness and foggy days. She has been an organizer for SF Zine Fest and has volunteered for various festivals such as SF Clusterfest, American Indian Film Festival, APAture and CODAME to name a few. Solitaire is currently the Production Manager and a co-founder of the improv group, Emotionally Available.

Victoria Artz (Social Media)

Victoria found improv as therapy to find her voice and feel comfortable with speaking her truth. One class at Leela led to her completing 5 levels there and performing on stage – something she never thought she’d do but now loves. Victoria currently works at Facebook as a Product Designer, and spent the last 10 years working and consulting with start ups in the Bay Area and in New York, where she grew up. On the weekends, Victoria is spending her free time hiking, making perfume, growing plants, and laughing and watching improv.

Sascha Goto (Graphic Design)

Sascha Goto hails from Düsseldorf, Germany. After crossing the ocean in 2011, he found his way to improv at Leela in 2017, and hasn’t stopped improvising since. Sascha is both production manager and cast member of The Professionals, a Leela P.I.E. (Performing Improv Ensemble). They perform mockumentaries that delve into the lives of characters, based on a hobby or pastime of the audience’s choosing.

Lauren Hay (Out of Town Liaison)

Lauren Hay’s original love of performing came through dance. In 2018, she got back on the stage with improv classes through Leela. Lauren is now a member of the improv group, The Professionals. She enjoys jumping into the quirky and passionate world of characters who are all drawn together based on a hobby or pastime in a mockumentary format.

Support

Diana Brown

Diana is an improvisor, actor, and teaching artist and producer. She’s a member of Leela’s training center faculty, leading Level l and lll classes. She performs with the improv duo Bingewatch, Radiostar Improv, Leela’s all womxn Harold troupe #SorryNotSorry, the indie show So You Want a Job, and the duo Yaaas Honey! Diana Directs the Leela Performing Improv Ensemble The Professionals and the indie troupe LiGht BrighT.  She coaches the all lady troupe Peach Pit. Diana has appeared at Femprovisor Fest, The San Francisco Improv Fest, San Jose Improv Fest, Improvaganza Hawaii, and upcoming Alaska State Improv Fest. Diana is an Associate Artist with 3Girls Theatre Company. She is co-producer of The Southern Railroad Theatre Company. You can listen to Diana and Radiostar on the Radiostar Network at www.radiostarnetwork.com.