Character First, Song Second

About this Workshop:

Learn how to root your songs in character in this workshop taught by Bay Area luminary Diana Brown.

Drawing on acting and long-form improv practices, students will learn how point of view, emotional intention, and physicality shape vocal choices and lyrical expression.

Through guided exercises and playful exploration, you'll experiment with letting character lead the song—using posture, rhythm, and emotional clarity to create grounded, expressive musical moments. The focus is on storytelling, specificity, and connection, not singing “well.”

Designed to be welcoming to singers and non-singers alike, this class offers an accessible entry point into musical improv for performers who want their songs to feel alive, intentional, and rooted in character truth.

Date, Time & Location: This three hour workshop will take place on Saturday, April 18 from 2:00pm to 5:00pm at the Endgames Improv training center at 2989 Mission St, San Francisco.

Intermediate/Advanced Students Welcome: This workshop is open to those who have studied or performed musical improv at the intermediate or advanced level.

Maximum Capacity: In order to ensure the best possible experience for those taking part, we are capping this workshop at a maximum of 12 total students.

About the Weekend: The 2026 Weekend of Workshops is a two-day event run by Bay Area Musical Improv, featuring eight workshops all taught by local musical improvisers and concluding with our annual FREE Jam & Bread community event--a combination potluck and social gathering, plus improvised songs with a live band! See a full list of all events here.

About the Instructor:

Diana Brown is a theatrical improv artist, actor, director, producer, and teaching artist based in San Francisco, who was named one of The Improv Boost’s 2025 Sudden Impact Teachers and voted Most Valuable Mentor and Teacher at the San Francisco Improv Festival. She is known for emotionally grounded, character inspired, genre-driven, and theatrical longform work that lives at the intersection of emotional depth and joyful comedy — from Tennessee Williams–inspired longform to large-scale festival improv comedy.

Diana was invited to co-direct and perform in Mark Smith’s ensemble show Taxi Tales with an international cast at Improv Amsterdam 2026. She'll present the genre track at Camp Improv Utopia Yosemite, and will direct the festival ensemble at Improv Fest Ireland 2026. Diana teaches and directs across the country and internationally, with her credits including Belfast Improv Fest, Vancouver Improv Fest, Improv Fest Ireland, Gather Fest (Ireland), Rise Comedy Festival, SAVI Fest, and Unscripted Shakespeare Festival in NYC, Countdown Improv Fest, and others.

She leads the Improv Performance Lab at Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s School of Theatre, is an instructor and corporate facilitator with Leela Improv Theatre, and presents improvised Shakespeare programs at All Out Comedy Theater. Diana is a guest teacher with BATS Improv, San Francisco.

As a performer, Diana appears with Bingewatch, Fleeting Reminiscence, Gamesome Frolic, Slumber Party, DJ, and the Twilight Zone inspired ensemble But of Mind. She appeared at San Francisco Sketchfest 2026 with Groundlings: Personals directed by Brian Palermo. Diana has enjoyed sold-out performances at San Francisco Sketchfest with Bingewatch and Fleeting Reminiscence. She's performed at Improv Fest Ireland, Vancouver Improv Fest, Impro Amsterdam, Liverpool Improvisation Festival, NYC Improv Festival, Playground Comedy Festival, and festivals across North America and Europe. Diana has also appeared in scripted theatre productions and festivals in New York, Washington, D.C., Charlotte, SC, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and most recently in Playground's Solo Fest 2026 in When You are Called.

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