Tara & Rance Workshop: Beginning Musical Improv Clinic

Workshop

Experience: Beginner in musical improv / intermediate in improvisational scenes

Improvising music is a freeing, empowering, and joyful space - and you can start right here! Tara & Rance will teach you all proper warmups, short musical theory, committing to the moment, and leaning into emotions so you can earn the song right in front of you. We'll do vocal work, scenes into songs first playing in pairs, and even stepping swiftly into beginning side-support of your clinic ensemble. No need for stress - you've been prepping to play with music all your life, and this is the pathway to joyfully finding your footing in the fun of improvised musical work.

Bio

Tara DeFrancisco believes in the power of connection & collaboration of improvisation on a cellular level. Outside of improvisation and staged comedic work, she is often recognized "from the internet" from her Instagram & TikTok comedic bits and peptalks (with over 350k followers all over the world). She is a veteran performer of 6000+ shows on multiple world-renowned stages, including iO Chicago (Chaos Theory, The DelTones, defrancisCo, Armando, & HERE), The Second City (TourCo, Mainstage/etc understudy, Dysfunctional Holiday Revue), and ComedySportz (Chicago + CBus). As an instructor, Tara is honored to be brought all over the world for her bohemian yet professional approach to scenework - leading organic Harold, sketch revue creation, duoprov, musical work, stand-up clinics, and more. Most notably, her greatest love is “HERE: The (Improvised) Musical” – a two person improvisational show called “Nothing Short of Genius” from NPR and rated 4 stars by the Chicago Tribune; HERE been brought to 24 countries and 80+ cities worldwide to headline. One of the best things she’s ever made with her friends is The Improv Retreat, an event gathering hundreds of US/international improvisers each year for a sleepaway conference with teachers from multiple cities to celebrate their craft, brainstormed and founded in 2012, now many years running. Additionally – She is the Co-Founder, Artistic Director, instructor & mainstage performer for beloved The Nest Theatre (CBus, OH), a leading performance & educational community in Ohio, producing 35+ original mainstage shows and teams year-round, a space with active COE & "no-paperwork" scholarships for those underamplified in the arts (LGBTIQ, BIPOC, persons with disabilities, vets, and those over 65). She is an esteemed educator who has created curriculum for theatres all over the world, including all mentioned above, and also a liaison on Ethics implementation in artistic homes. She has been a Guest Professor to the Ohio University School of Performance (Athens), as well as an Adjunct Professor of Acting for Animation at Columbus College of Art & Design. As an artist, you may also hear her in voiceovers (Sirius, Rocky Rococo, Crocs, 7 Little Johnstons), a podcast (Debatables, the new Tough Love | Easy Love), see her in in commercials or industrials (Sheetz, Dish TV, Vegas.com, US Cellular, Sears, SunTrust, OH Lottery), in movies (The Life + Times of An Unhappily Married Man), on Internet Game Show (One Hot Dollar), and here and there in television (ABC Family, LOGO TV). She believes in that the tenets of improvisation & vulnerability of comedy are transformational and life-changing, and hopes she gets to share the joy it has brought her with you.

Rance Rizzutto has been professionally improvising since 1999 on stages all around the world. Starting in Portland, OR with ComedySportz, Rance soon found his calling as a mainstage performer after a big move to Chicago to work professionally in improvisation. He sustained multiple tours with Second City Theatricals aboard Norweigian Cruise Lines, heading to Hawaii, the Caribbean, and multiple countries throughout Europe. In Chicago, he most connected with iO Theatre where he became an adored mainstage performer and host featured on such beloved teams Chaos Theory, The Deltones, Armando – and later, lauded two-person touring duo, “HERE: The (Improvised) Musical” which tours globally as invited headliners at festivals, schools, and performing arts centers. Incredible host, teammate, and curriculum designer, his improv and prior work experience have enabled him to help businesses grow utilizing improvisation principles for their communication and team unity needs. He is the Co-Founder, Training Center Director, instructor & mainstage performer at the revered Nest Theatre in CBus, OH. He is a mainstay at The Improv Retreat, a summit running annually for hundreds each year to invite adults to reinvigorate their joy for the arts. In addition to his hosting hundreds of live industrials, you can catch him on an internet game show (One Hot Dollar), and you may have seen Rance in television commercials for Hewlitt Packard or Sears or hear his voice in animated commercials for Sears as well (as a bear, in case you’re wondering). He has been a Guest Professor to the Ohio University School of Performance (Athens), as well as an Adjunct Professor of Acting for Animation at Columbus College of Art & Design. His life has completely transformed due to enrichment from improvisation, and finds great passion in the potential energy and fun in the comedic arts he is fortunate to have as a career.

HERE: The (Improvised) Musical will be performing in shows Sept 13th, 2025 at the Endgames Comedy Festival. Check out the entire festival from Sept 4th until Sept 13th here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/endgames-comedy-festival-2025-4557443

Host or Publisher Endgames Improv