The Players
Dana Cory has been improvising for over 15 years. A BATS alumna, she is a founder of Dojo Fabuloso (SF's first all-LGBT improv troupe), played for many years with SNAFU, has guested with most well-known Bay Area improv and sketch groups, produced/directed the ImprovSlam! Singing Contest and taught the ImprovSlam! music workshops. Dana performs and produces music, comedy, and improv in a variety of media.
Guest Performer, credits his love of long form improvisation to his early instructors Diane Rachel and Carol Hazenfield, for showing him that improv can go beyond a simple funny game and create a rich tapestry of all kinds of stories. Currently, he is proud to work with the Un-Scripted Theater Company ensemble, where they allow him to obey the inscrutable exultation of his soul. He gives thanks to his family, his Treasure Island Pirate dogs, and to all the improvisers who he has worked with, been taught by, and failed spectacularly with throughout the years. All That Jazz Improv is thrilled to have him as a guest performer!
Melissa Dinwiddie has studied improv with Ann Randolph, and has been a BATS student since 2013. In her misspent youth she studied dance at the Juilliard School in New York, and since 2006 has performed around the Bay Area as a jazz singer/songwriter, including at the San Jose Jazz Festival and the Jazz School in Berkeley. A former professional artist, Melissa now runs a creative consultancy that uses improv, art, LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®, and other play-based methods to help leaders, teams, and organizations cultivate thriving creative cultures.
Pamela Hawley is an accomplished actress, improviser, dancer and singer with over 150 performances in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. She is trained by The Groundlings School and performed two years with Groundlings founder Gary Austin’s Advanced Improviser Troupe. She’s a graduate of the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York and Los Angeles, advanced level of writing with The Second City, Los Angeles, and graduated level three at The Second City, Chicago. Pamela is also a BATS improv player, who trained and performed with Sunday Players for over ten years. Pamela's expertise is as an experienced character actor. Her experience ranges from short form, long form plays, solo/group singing, voiceovers, sketch, theatre and television.
Yael Schy - has been studying improv for 12 years with East Bay Improv, BATS, Un-Scripted Theater, Loose Moose, and Keith Johnstone. She is a former member of Pan Theater and Leela Improvisational Theatre Company, and is a current cast member of "The Dinner Detective" Interactive Murder Mystery Dinner Show. Yael uses dance and improv in her work as a consultant, specializing in leadership and communication skills, and is an active member of the Applied Improvisation Network. In addition, Yael teaches various forms of dance and writes songs in her spare time!
Keyboardist, is a piano-playing comedy musician, and a serious musician when the jokes don’t land. Combining inspiration from musical theater, piano rock, and internet culture, his lyric-rich songs explore needing therapy, pursuing music as a career, and dating. He focuses on satire, observationalism, wordplay, and meta-humor, while also taking inspiration from his personal life and his experience in the music industry. He has performed at the New York Comedy Music Festival (2019) and will be performing at SF Sketchfest in January 2023.
Cast members emeritus
Joe Balfantz is an improviser in the Bay Area focusing on strong storytelling and fun characters, throwing in a dash of singing along the way! Joe was trained at BATS (started in 2014), and has been making things up ever since!
Russ Bradley is a Canadian import to the Bay Area improv scene. Originally from Vancouver Island, British Columbia he has been improvising since high school. He has been improvising locally since 2005 and has performed with groups such as: Out of Line, Fosse Posse, Double Entendre, and BATS Sunday Players. He has studied with Tim Orr, BATS School of Improv, Keith Johnstone of Loose Moose Theatre, Vancouver Theatresports League, and Simon Fraser University’s School for Contemporary Arts. When not improvising he moonlights as a marine biologist and has appeared in several nature documentaries on NPR, BBC, National Geographic Channel, Outdoor Life Network, and Bay Area Network Television Affiliates.
Channing Clarkson - has been performing for 10 years. His training includes 5 years with BATS Improv and privately with Rafe Chase, Stephen Kearin, Joshua Raoul Brody and currently with Tim Orr. He was co-founder of The Fosse Posse, a long-running improvised long-form musical troupe and performed with 80’s Improvised Teen Movie!; Science Nerds; Staff Infection; The Five Deadly Improvisers; Double Down; Improvicus; Double Entendre; Big City Improv; and, currently, Out of Line. While working in the legal profession to supplement his improv income, Channing made the surprising discovery that performing improv in front of a live audience and working alone in a windowless cubicle on draft after draft after draft of legal documents have absolutely nothing in common.
Shanon Gylnquist started doing improv at Comedy Sports in San Jose in 2014 and soon became hooked on musical improv. She cofounded a group called Arigato Mr. Staccato and hosted jams to network with other musical improvisers and bring more musical comedy to the South Bay. Shanon joined musical comedy groups at CSZ, AIT, and in San Francisco before taking a few years off from Improv. She also enjoys playing clarinet and auditioning for musicals as a vocalist.
Joan Laqui - has been studying at BATS since 2012. She also wrote and performed on her music album Shrinking Violet and has played shows around the SF Bay Area since 2004. Past performances include side stage act for the Backstreet Boys at the Concord Pavillion and Sleeptrain Amphitheater in Marysville, Red Devil Lounge in San Francisco and most recently an acoustic set at the Brainwash Cafe. Joan is currently taking classes at BATS Improv.
Daniel Will-Harris decided as long as a hyphen is part of his name, it could be part of his job description, too. So he’s a writer- inventor- designer- actor- producer- singer- songwriter. MoMA calls him "a computer graphics pioneer," and his work "truly unique. He’s created a new writing technique called “Subliminal Storytelling” and is using it to write writing a series of first-person stories called “Lives I have lead in my head,” each from a very different person’s point of view. Go on, read them at www.subliminos.com - and all he does at www.will-harris.com
Jon Zimmerman - has been acting and performing improv since the late 80's in NYC, LA and SF. His formal Improv training started at BATS in 2006. Jon spent much of his theatrical career producing theater and film in the Bay Area since 1995. Some of his producer credits include: Medea the Musical by John Fisher, Mama's Boy by Len Ivankovitzer and 3 For All Improv troupe for Comedy Central. Jon is currently working on building the only Comedy Theme park in the world. He is grateful for his kids who simply tolerate him and his performing antics on and off stage.