Making Your Improv Auditions Equitable and Ethical with Mary C. Parker

Are you a show producer or director with a show idea and looking to cast it?

In this workshop, you’ll learn what you need to do to have equity in casting and how to design an inclusive, ethical casting process. This workshop will be led by Mary C. Parker, a veteran improv performer, teacher, and director. In 2025, Mary participated in 6 improv audition panels and cast over 250 improvisors across 20+ teams in 3 theaters and 2 states, for both long- and short-form improv teams. That same year, she directed 4 improv teams in long-form Armando and Spokane formats and a format inspired by follow the leaver that is designed as a Slacker, played as a simple La Ronde, and takes place as a macro scene. She created an original improv audition workshop to recruit BIPOC improvisers and delivered this workshop in Seattle and Portland.

In this workshop, Mary will share what she has learned from her experiences in front of and behind the audition table. This workshop will cover different aspects of auditioning and include topics on:

• Structures for an improv audition
• Audition applications
• Invitations and other communications
• What to look for with casting
• Drafting acceptances and rejection notifications

About Your Instructor:

Mary C. Parker (she/her) is Education Lead at Bandit Theater, founding director of Bandit’s BIPOC Tumbleweeds teams, and a founding faculty member of Kickstand Comedy’s BIPOC improv program. Mary has over a decade of experience in improv comedy as a performer and over 20 years in the training and learning development field. As a Certified Humor Professional (CHP), Mary believes we can all benefit from adding a little humor to our lives. She has published on identity, comedy, and structural racism, and performed research on how student dramaturgy, writing, and performance can have an oppressive impact on Black students. As Executive Producer of the Black Anthology Project (B.A.P.), she documents the stories of Black improvisers. Mary held faculty positions at Carnegie Mellon School of Drama and Point Park University Conservatory of Performing Arts. Offstage, Mary is as tall as Beyoncé, a frequent solo traveler, and has a never-ending sweet tooth. More at www.marycparker.com.

About Highwire Improv:

Highwire Improv is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization based in Baltimore, Maryland. Our mission is to steward a community of artists committed to growth, collaboration, joy, and justice — in Baltimore and around the world — through improvisational theater.

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