Howl and Flow w/ Diana Brown
Sunday, February 22nd
10:30am-1:30pm
$75.00 per workshop
includes showcase at NCT 3:30pm
Howl and Flow:
The Beat Generation Approach to Improvised Theatre
Snap your fingers and find your flow. Inspired by the spontaneous, truth-seeking rhythms of the Beat Generation, this workshop invites improvisers to trade punchlines for pulse. Using cadence, repetition, and emotional honesty, players create improvised monologues, ensemble riffs, and collaged scenes that feel raw, rebellious, and alive. We’ll draw from the energy of Ginsberg, Kerouac, and Diane di Prima—language as music, impulse as structure, and presence as poetry. Expect jazz-infused ensemble work, call-and-response storytelling, and moments of shared stillness where meaning emerges from rhythm.
Learning Objectives:
Discover how musical rhythm and verbal flow can drive truthful scene work.
Explore ensemble “riffing” techniques that build collective momentum.
Practice translating internal emotional states into spontaneous spoken poetry.
Develop tools for creating improvised theatre that feels intentional and thematically unified.
Takeaways:
Participants leave with fresh instincts for language-driven improvisation, a renewed relationship with silence and tempo, and an understanding of how to generate meaning from rhythm and themes.
3 Hour Intensive
Recommended Level: Intermediate – Advanced
This is part of the SAVI Sunday Circuit and features an intensive showcase at Neighborhood Comedy Theater at 3:30pm.
Students needing financial assistance can reach out to contact@savifest.com.
Diana Brown is an improv artist, actor, director, and teaching artist known for her grounded, emotionally rich approach. She was named one of The Improv Boost’s “Sudden Impact Teachers of 2025” and voted Most Valuable Mentor and Teacher at the San Francisco Improv Festival.
Diana serves as director for Care Actors: Applied improv role-play actors for professional communication. She teaches at Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s School of Theatre, where she leads the Advanced Improv Performance Lab. Diana also presents the Improvised Shakespeare program at All Out Comedy, is an instructor with BATS Improv, and with Leela Improv Theatre.
Diana has taught, directed and performed at festivals across the U.S. and internationally, including SAVI Fest, Camp Improv Utopia, San Francisco Sketchfest, Impro Amsterdam, Improv Fest Ireland, Belfast Improv Fest, Gather Fest, Vancouver Improv Fest, Dramatic Improv Festival in Chicago, Unscripted Shakespeare Festival in NYC, Playground Solo Fest in San Francisco and others.
Learn More About Diana ~ Follow on Instagram
SAVI FEST EDUCATION is sponsored by Neighborhood Comedy Theater and Gym Bear Fitness. — ADD YOUR BUSINESS HERE
