Lisa Rowland (Co-Founder) Lisa feels very lucky to say that improv found her early on and never let her go.  She started improvising in high school with the Devil Mountain Improv League.  She continued studying improv at Stanford University, with Patricia Ryan Madson and the Stanford Improvisors.  It was here that she fell in love with the artform and all its applications.  Upon graduating in 2005, she began working in the office at BATS Improv and joined the mainstage company there in 2006.

In addition to her job as Manager of Improv Training, she also performs and teaches at BATS, and is a member of the BATS Improv On-The-Go team, taking improv on the road for private entertainment and workshops.  Aside from her work at BATS, Lisa is the coach of two fantastic improv teams at Hillsdale High School and Aragon High School in San Mateo. 

Lisa joined forces with Dave Dennison in December of 2008 to form Awkward Dinner Party.

Rafe has been a Company Player with BATS improv since 1987.  The following year he became a founding member of Pulp Playhouse, which improvised stories in the style of the pulp magazines of the 30's and 40's.  In 1990 he formed Improv Theater, a group which would pioneer the exploration and performance of long form improv.  He was a member of True Fiction Magazine for five years and continues to be a frequent guest performer.  Rafe is 1/3 of the popular improv trio, 3 For All, which has played to sold-out houses across the country.

Rafe is also a writer and photographer.  His most recent project is a coffee table book of his photography titled, "Inside The Toy Box".

Rafe Chase (Guest 2009, 2011) Rafe Chase has been a consistent and innovative presence on the improv scene since 1978 and has performed to acclaim across the United States and in Europe.   He began his career as a member of Flash Family and left three years later to create the comedy group Riot Squad, which performed a mix of improv and sketch comedy. 

Dave Dennison (Co-Founder) Dave has been improvising since 1993 when he took his first improv class at BATS Improv.  Although it’s taken him some years to get the hang of it, he has always thought of improv as his first love.  Along the way, he has been a member of such groups as Start Trekkin, Scratch Theater and the Particulars.  He has been a BATS Company member since 1998 and served as BATS Artistic Director from 2005-2008.  He has also guest performed with a number of groups, including True Fiction Magazine.  When he’s not performing improv, Dave also passionately loves teaching improv.  He’s just that diverse.

He’s a native San Franciscan, was raised in Daly City, enjoys woodworking and walking fast and frequently.

He wanted to start a group with Lisa cause they have so much fun together on stage.

Daniel Walling (Musician)

Daniel Walling has felt awkward for as long as he can remember.  As a child he put his family through years of embarrassing piano lessons and cringe-worthy recitals.  He discovered improv with the Stanford Improvisers, stumbling through two years that felt like they would never end.  We weren't going to have music for tonight's show, but he just sort of showed up with his keyboard and everything and, well, here we are.

Pam McLeod (Lightician) Pam is a little awkward and loves to cook, so this is the perfect format for her!  She performs with The Streetlight People and BATS Sunday Players, and played in BATS Big Broadway Baby.  Pam improvises lights for BATS, Double Entendre, Improvised Arabian Nights, and Big City Improv.  When not on stage or in the booth, she teaches high school biology and works at farmers' markets.

Tim Orr (Guest 2009, 2010) Tim has improvised since 1988 with many San Francisco-based groups, including BATS Improv, Rafe Chase’s groundbreaking longform troupe Improv Theatre, the renowned True Fiction Magazine, and with the acclaimed troupe 3 For All. In 2009, he founded a new improv group, the Improv Playhouse of San Francisco. 

He has appeared in numerous plays in the San Francisco Bay Area, and received critical acclaim for his leading roles in the improvised feature films, Suckerfish and Security.   With Stephen Kearin, Tim co-wrote, and originated the role of Dirk Manly in, An Evening with Dirk & Blaine. 

Tim has taught (and performed) improvisation at the American Conservatory Theatre, BATS Improv Stanford University, and many other venues nationally (Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Austin, Louisville, Atlanta, etc.) and internationally (Amsterdam, Helsinki, Leuven, Paris, Stockholm). He is currently the Director of the BATS Improv  Long-Form Intensive.

Diane Rachel (Guest 2010, 2011) Diane is a professional improviser who performs regularly with San Francisco’s renowned BATS Improv and True Fiction Magazine.  She is a member of the teaching staff at BATS Improv and Berkeley Rep School of Theatre.  Diane is also active in the world of Business Training and is currently designing programs to improve work/life balance.  She uses improvisational techniques to inspire and enhance the lives of companies and the individuals who support them.

Joshua Raoul Brody (Musician) is music director for BATS Improv, a founding member of True Fiction Magazine, and principal accompanist for Three For All and many other improv groups in the Bay Area. He has been teaching song improvisation, alone and with Barbara

Scott, for about thirty years. He has many other things

to brag about, and you can read about them at

www.jraoul.org if you're so inclined.

HONORED PLAYERS FROM OUR PAST

John Kovacevich (Guest 2012)  John is familiar face to Bay Area fans of improv and sketch comedy thanks to hiswork as a member of the BATS Improv Main Stage Company, Killing My Lobster and True Fiction Magazine.

John can be seen on screen with Will Smith in

The Pursuit of Happyness and appears in the

independent films Security and Charlie the Ox.

You can also catch him in the occasional commercial

or sexual harassment training video. When not on stage, John works as a creative director in the world of advertising, where he only occasionally attempts to cast himself.

“Awkward Dinner Party” marks his return to the

improv stage after a two-year hiatus (thanks a lot,

parenthood) and he’s happy to be returning to the

world of “comedy make-em-ups.”

Regina Saisi (Guest) As well as being a native San Franciscan, Regina is an actor, improviser and teacher. She has taught at San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Stanford University, UC Santa Cruz, California Institute of the Arts, Oklahoma Arts Institute and is currently the Dean at the BATS Improv school.  She has worked in venues throughout the United States as well as Belgium, Holland, Italy, Finland, France, Sweden and Saudi Arabia teaching and performing improvisation. She is a founding member True Fiction Magazine, helping pioneer longform improv and is a company member of BATS Improv.