Mime and Physical Improv with Jay Hitt

What if you could build an entire world on stage using nothing but your body and imagination? In this dynamic and playful class, you’ll discover how mime techniques and physical improv can transform empty space into vivid environments filled with objects, characters, and stories.

Through guided exercises and performance games, you’ll learn the foundational tools mimes use to create invisible walls, lift imaginary objects, define environments, and communicate clearly without speaking. These skills will deepen your physical awareness, sharpen your stage presence, and give you powerful new ways to express ideas in improv scenes.

This class is perfect for improvisers who want to strengthen their physical storytelling, improve object work, and explore the expressive possibilities of movement. Expect a highly active, supportive environment where you’ll experiment, play, and learn to make the invisible visible.

Class Details
Dates: Four (4) Fridays
Time: 7:00 pm–9:00 pm
Location: Unexpected Productions – Issaquah
1315 NW Mall Street, Suite 4, Issaquah, WA 98027 (next to the Gaslamp Bar and Grill)
Maximum Students: 16
Cost: $270
Prerequisite: Any Improv Class or Experience

Meet Your Instructor:

Jay Hitt is an improviser, director, and educator renowned for his groundbreaking work in non-verbal improvisation. As the creator and director of Mouth Wide Shut, he has pioneered a completely non-verbal improvised show that seamlessly blends Pantomime, Figurative Mime, Corporeal Mime, and various dance styles to bring audience suggestions to life. These suggestions, staying true to the nature of the show, are also retrieved non-verbally, creating an immersive and unique theatrical experience.

In 2020, Jay launched the Fearless Physical Improv Workshop with Jay Hitt, a non-verbal comedy workshop at Unexpected Productions designed to push improvisers beyond spoken language and into the realm of physical storytelling. This workshop quickly gained popularity, selling out consistently and making its way to improv festivals, where Jay continues to share his expertise with eager performers.

Jay's talents extend beyond the improv stage. In 2018, he was a featured artist in an updated version of The Gong Show, hosted by Mike Myers. That same year, he was a featured guest on the podcast Folk Stories (folkstories.org), where he discussed his journey in improvisation and mime. He also showcased his skills on a segment for KING5’s Evening Magazine, performing as a featured mime in a humorous hotel front desk skit (KING5).

His performances have been celebrated at numerous prestigious improv festivals. In 2025, Mouth Wide Shut was featured at the Third Coast Improv Festival in Nashville, showcasing his distinctive approach to non-verbal improvisation. Additionally, Jay has performed at the Alaska State Improv Festival and the Annual Improvaganza Hawaii Festival of Improv.

Jay is also a key figure in the Seattle improv community. As the Managing Director of Unexpected Productions, he has played a significant role in shaping the city’s improv scene since joining the company in 1993. His journey in improv began in 1988, and over the decades, he has performed and directed a diverse range of short and long-form improv productions, including Playborhood, Black Ice: An American Sitcom Improvised and Poe Unexpected: An Improvised Edgar Allan Poe. In 2008, he created the Duo Improv Showcase, Seattle’s only improv open mic, providing a platform for improvisers to experiment and grow.

Jay's dedication to his craft is reflected in his extensive training. He has studied with renowned U.S. and European coaches, refining his expertise in physical improvisation, mime, and object work. Since 1998, he has taught and coached improv, earning recognition for his fearless and dynamic approach. His precise attention to object work and environment creation has set him apart as one of the most skilled improvisers in the field.

Jay Hitt’s passion for improvisation continues to inspire performers and audiences alike, proving that the art of storytelling transcends words and that physical expression holds limitless potential on stage.

NOTE: Please note that this class has a great deal of movement and action. Please dress accordingly and bring a bottle of water.

“Physicality is a kind of language, especially in improv. Jay's class helped to remind me just how important, nuanced and exciting it can be and gave me the ‘words’ to use and showed me how to ‘speak’ them with physicality. Jay as a teacher is like a clown's never-ending scarf bit. I'm not sure how he keeps pulling more and more interesting stuff out of his pocket, but there seems to be a never ending supply of it.”
— James L., 9/18

“Jay reminded me that physicality is the foundation of performance and he gave me the tools to get there!”
— Randal F.

Cancellation policy: We are unable to offer refunds.

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Host or Publisher The Improv School Unexpected Productions