Jonathan Pitts

Jonathan Pitts is an award-winning international improv theatre artist and storyteller living in Chicago. He’s performed and/or taught in 30 countries and over 110 cities. He’s the former Executive Director of Chicago Improv Productions; Co-Founder/Producer of Chicago Improv Festival; Creator/Producer of College Improv Tournament; Founder/Producer of Teen Comedy Fest; Creator/Director of improvised theatre productions The Oracle; The Silent Movie; and Storybox and Time Piece. He taught, coached, and directed at The Second City Training Center for 16 years and was a contributing writer to Anne Libera’s book, The Second City Improv Almanac. In 2025, he was listed #24 in Matt Fotis’ book 50 Key Improv Performers, and 3 times he was selected by New City magazine as one of Chicago’s “Top 50 Theatre Performers”. He’s also created and performed two original one-man storytelling shows, My Dad, His Chimp, and a Serial Killer and Not Quite A Ghost Story.

2026 Workshop: Scenework: The Chicago Way

Chicago is famous for grounded, honest, relationship-based improvisation scene work that produces deep laughs and deep sighs as the audience is moved to both. This style of work requires acting, listening, openness, patience, and responding through a shared process of give and take. This workshop will feature a deep dive into this process of two-person scene work that will bring improvisers discovery upon discovery. As those shared discoveries pile up, the improvised scene becomes deep, full and funny. It’s the Chicago way.

This workshop is open to improvisors of all experience levels.

2026 Workshop: Taking Care of the Now

If you take care of the “now” in any improv scene, the future always shows up as a great scene with give and take. If you don’t take care of the “now”, the future never shows up and the scene spins into quicksand or a cul-de-sac.

Using a deeply intuitive scenic process, inspired by the late Martin DeMatt’s renowned relationship duo work, the workshop’s exercise focuses on full and whole-body multi-level listening (you, me, the scene) and responding (not reacting) choices. The participants learn how to take care of the “now” by becoming open and invested, while doing a two-person scene played on a micro level, as he side-coaches the players to help them find their discoveries both dramatic and comedic.

The participants also learn how to let go of their worries about where the scene is going and instead learn to understand and be available to, to pay attention to where the scene was and where the scene is right now.

Jonathan has taught this workshop around the world, in multiple languages, and it’s one of the most popular workshops he teaches.