Who We Are

Jacque Arend, Krissy Lenz and LIz Hutchman, three women with deep roots in improv communities around the Valley, recently founded Sonoran All-Valley Improv, a non-profit dedicated to further connect performers, theaters, and the art of improvisation throughout Arizona. With our team of dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers, we are bringing an exciting, all-inclusive opportunity for play, education, and entertainment (and more) to the valley. Our mission is to produce an annual celebration of improvisation and comedy arts via SAVI FEST. We are going into our third year in 2026.

Sonoran All-Valley Improv has a 501c3 status under their fiscal non-profit sponsor, Improv Utopia, and will seek there own in the near future.

SAVI LEADERSHIP

Jacque Arend

Executive Director
Jacque started improvising in 2005 at the iO Summer Intensive, and soon after went on to be a founding board member of The Torch Theatre and Managing Director of the Phoenix Improv Festival. Now she’s Managing Director of Improv Utopia, Associate Artistic Director at Arizona Actors Academy, and a regular performer and instructor living in Phoenix, AZ. Her regular monthly shows are at Second Beat Improv Theater.
Liz Hutchman

Managing Director
Liz has been performing and teaching improvisation in Phoenix for over twenty years and you can find her on stage monthly with her teams Skewed News Hour, The Collaboratory, and Birds & Broads. When Liz isn’t doing something improv-related, you will find her enjoying quiet moments at home, cooking and watching movies, or out traveling and enjoying one of her favorite pastimes, camping and fishing.
Krissy Lenz

Artistic Director
Krissy Lenz is one of the Directors and the Most Enthusiastic Person at the Neighborhood Comedy Theatre in Downtown Mesa Arizona, working alongside her husband Dorian. In addition to improv Krissy enjoys podcasting and you can put her in your ears anytime on the Most Excellent 80s Movies Podcast, Gank That Drank: A Supernatural Drinking Game Podcast or the Cool TIme DIce Hour, all available on trustory.fm or wherever the finest podcasts are procured. Krissy is also a pro at mom-ing for two awesome teenagers.

SAVI Leadership Support

Stewart Gross is the owner of the Law Offices of Stewart F. Gross, PLLC located in Phoenix, Arizona. He handles many types of civil litigation cases including real estate, HOA, contract disputes, business disputes, and personal injury. He is also an improviser! You can watch his teams Schmeckle and Hearts on Fire perform at Second Beat Improv Theater every first and second Saturday of the month.

Marisol Chavez took her first improv class in 2012 and immediately fell in love with the art form. She especially loves finding connections between improv and everyday life. You can see her perform regularly at the Trunk Space with the Neighborhood and at the Bridge Improv Theater with her troupes Verizon Qwest, Hale & Hearty, SUPERLOOP, and the Spanish improv group, Buenas Vibras.

Jessica Abbott is a seasoned graphic designer with a rich history in the field dating back to 2006. With an extensive and diverse portfolio, her creativity spans from crafting captivating print materials to designing dynamic web assets and even eye-catching vehicle wraps. Jessica excels in providing innovative solutions that seamlessly align with her clients' distinct requirements, making her a standout professional in the realm of graphic design.

SAVI 2025 Special Thanks and Acknowledgements

Thank you to the 60+ volunteers, including other SAVI Leaders helping us make the magic happen.

Joe Malone - Sponsorship/Design Support | Annika Wines - Fundraising Support & MC

Troy Row - Marketing Support, Stage Manager | Dana Stachan - Social Media Manager | Andrew Riggs - Technical Director

Planning, prep and full festival support from all the folks mentioned above and David Gilmour, Jenna Jacobsen, Greg Callozzo, Barbara Sabbadini, Andre Bryant, Dorian Lenz, Grace Campbell, Karen Moss, Lisa Akorli, Lauren Shellenbarger, Michael J. Astrauskas, Jacob Stovall, Tamara Artis, Kaitlyn Concilio, Michelle Powers, Mindy Keeling, Chris Redish, Ryan Quenneville, Craig Kinsel, Margaret Tueller, Billy Brandes and Jose Gonzalez.

Thank you to our anonymous submissions panel who watched over 17 hours of video and curated a top-notch line-up.

Our hardworking weekend staff Grace Campbell, Joe Malone, Dana Strachan, Andrew Riggs, Annika Wines, Troy Row, Jacob Stovall, Lisa Akorli, Ryan Knoll, Jessica Abbott, Melinda Bleasdale, Jordan Blanton, Andre Bryant, Julie Cain, Greg Callozzo, Michelle Cannon, Tommy Cannon, Bob Caplan, Matt Francis, Bryan Gerdes, Rick Gregory, Bonnie Hawkes, Victor Irizarry, Jenna Jacobsen, Molly Kurtz, Maddie Moe, Caroline Ragano, Kevin Reagan, Brian Ress, Steena Salido. Laurie Shellenbarger, Howard Silverman, Steven Smith, Abbey Prochaska, Adrienne Wendt, Bob Caplan, Ceasar Udave, Dani Bonvouloir, Sharon Cereska, Rick Larson, Richard Tate, Sharaeah Brent Hood, Amy Smith, Javier Gilmore, Margaret Tueller, Daniel Broz and Eric Storie. A thank you to other volunteers offering their support and expertise following our fest, such as Cayla Jordan.

Special shout out to the support from our lead designer Jessica Abbott, The Phoenix New Times, Hotchy Kiene and team, John Monteith and Alphagraphics, Drag Me to Improv Producers, Performers and venues; The Rock & The Royale and Fox 10 Saturday Morning.

Thank you to all those who generously donated and supported via submissions and fundraising events, especially Greg Callozzo, Adam Rabinovitz, Matthew Rodriguez, Karen Moss, Susan Leonetti and Eric Lintz. And to our silent auction donors Rick Larson, Robert Caplan, Mindy Keeling, and Spencer Arias.

Thank you for special contributions from Dennis and Carol Arend, Howie Silverman, Steffany Kroeger, Matt Francis, Emily Mauser, Geraldine Carolan and Owen O'Leary.

MISSION

Sonoran All-Valley Improv's mission is to foster a connected, inclusive community of artists in Arizona to celebrate, grow and inspire the art of improvisation through an annual festival.

VISION

We aim to connect the Arizona improv communities to an array of diverse artists, resources, and education with a commitment to support the sustainability of our local artists and theaters for years to come. Our goal is to support inclusion and accessibility to improvisation through outreach programs and scholarship assistance.

VALUES

Provide a creative community outlet while enriching, educating and producing quality entertainment through our annual SAVI FEST.
As a volunteer based organization, we build as a collective, using the strengths and input from our local talent to achieve our goals through collaboration.
Our focus is to connect the community to an array of artists and education through shared experience with a commitment to support artists and theaters in our area.
Provide hands-on learning in improvisational theater through educators and theater representation nationwide while offering networking opportunities for Arizona theaters and artists to thrive and grow in our local community.
Connect our volunteers and donors through the celebration of improvisational theater and the arts.
Offer opportunities to our community through altruism and fundraising with an emphasis in accessibility, affordability and inclusion.
Support and feature inclusive and diverse representation of artists in the valley.