Laura began her improv training at BATS Improv in San Francisco in 2005 and never stopped. She began teaching by request in 2017, put together a show at Occidental Center for the Arts (the site of her former grammar school, where she was by far the shyest kid in the 7th grade!) and ZipLine Improv was born. She now runs several classes weekly, produces shows sporadically, and is also a company member at BATS, where there are shows every week.

COACHES

Improv makes things better

With two decades of improv exploration behind her and more to come, Laura wants to pass along the playfulness and transformative skills that have reshaped her relationship to herself and the world.

Improv is deceptively simple: listen, respond. So why is it so challenging to get out of our judging minds and do just that in our interactions with one another? Improv helps us explore our perceptions of ourselves and others, aids our understanding of why different people do things in different ways, and builds empathy and communication in our various relationships.

You don’t even have to care about all that—it's also just really, really fun.

Whether you’re a team leader looking to enhance your team’s connection and productivity or an individual interested in fun and an exploration of your own possibilities, improv is right for you.

“It had been a while since I
had heard myself laugh or felt such delight! I recommend Laura highly x infinity!”

— JS

josh jobrack

As a kid, Jennifer was drawn to sketch comedy shows like The Carol Burnett Show and Saturday Night Live, where the characters were bigger than life, comedic and flawed. She had a blast learning the basics and performing at 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa between 2018-2020. In 2022 she found ZipLine Improv and “the rest is his (her)tory!” Her love of the art of improv has grown deeper while studying with Laura and taking risks in improv has brought about growth both onstage and in life.

Jennifer has her multiple subject teaching credential, and began with elementary school kids for a few years before going on to manage Youth Employment programs for high school ages for nine years, teaching pre-employment skills courses to over 150 teenagers. She found that teaching and watching them grow, and then seeing their excitement when they get their first job was incredibly rewarding.

She loves bringing her array of skills to beginning and teen classes for ZipLine Improv.

Josh Jobrack grew up in Sebastopol and has been nurturing his love of improv for more than a decade and performing for the last three years. His influences and inspirations include both the BATS Improv and UCB (Upright Citizen’s Brigade) styles of improv, and performs regularly with StandProv and Evil Improv, where he also leads practice sessions. He’s all about collaboration, playfulness, and finding the magic in making something out of nothing.

As an improv teacher he is patient, supportive, and playful, and right in line with ZipLine’s aim to have beginners feel safe trying things, learning to say “Yes, And,” and getting comfortable with being present—even when things don’t go as planned.

His goal is to help students gain confidence, understand the fundamentals of improv, and feel encouraged to continue exploring the art form.

A Sonoma County native, Dylan graduated from UCSC in 2018 with a degree in Biology and worked several labs and field gigs, ranging from ornithological research to capturing and collaring live mountain lions.

As a scientist nurturing his penchant for humor, he discovered Evil Improv in early 2023 and, after learning a few improv basics and performing in a few shows, he wanted to dig deeper and began classes with ZipLine. He also performed in the troupe Creature Comedy, writing and performing sketches, improvising, and filming digital shorts.

Dylan truly believes that comedy is not just for fun, but for healing and growth and he wishes to share this with anyone it may help, particularly those who may not consider themselves “theater” types, just like him. He also loves working with teens and kids.