Charna Halpern

Charna Halpern has been teaching performers how to work together for more than 20 years. Her world-famous I.O. theaters in Chicago and Los Angeles are the meccas of training in the art of improvisation, and they act as a recruiting stop for television shows like Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and MADtv, supplying New York and Hollywood with writers and performers.

Charna's book Truth in Comedy, which she co-wrote with Kim "Howard" Johnson and her late partner, Del Close, acts as a guide for theatres and improv groups around the world that teach and perform improvisation. Specializing in creating a group mind with hilarious end results, Charna is now sharing her secrets and skills in order to give businesses the creative edge they need to compete in the corporate world. And she's making them laugh as they learn.

Charna is also the author of Art By Committee, a follow-up to Truth In Comedy that builds on the ideas and lessons espoused in the first book.

Hometown: Chicago, IL


Charna Halpern