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This fall, spontaneity, laughter, and connection take center stage at the second annual Diablo Improv Festival (DIF), a three-day celebration of unscripted theater at the Lesher Center for the Arts in downtown Walnut Creek.
Whether you're a seasoned improviser, a comedy fan, or simply improv curious, DIF is an opportunity to see great live improv, try it for yourself, and become part of a welcoming creative community. No experience is necessary. Just a willingness to play!
COME FOR A SHOW. STAY FOR THE WEEKEND.
You don't have to be an improviser to enjoy the Diablo Improv Festival. Come see a show, take a workshop, jump into a jam, or make a weekend of it.
Special festival packages make it easy to experience more while saving money.
WATCH IT. LEARN IT. PLAY IT
The Diablo Improv Festival is presented by Spontaneous Mind, DKW Productions, Synergy Theater and The Lesher Center for the Arts.
CHECK OUT OUR ENTIRE WEEKEND LINEUP OF SHOWS, WORKSHOPS, AND JAMS!
Diablo Improv Festival: Performance!
- Date: 10/18/2026 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
- Location: Lesher Center for the Arts
1601 Civic Drive
Walnut Creek, California 94596 - Introduction: with EMMY, NIBLING RIVALRY, WOMEN IN ___
About this Performance
Emmy Browning is an LA based native actor, comedian, writer and experimental theatre director who happens to also be a professional balloon artist. Emmy's improvised stand up hour with balloon sculptures was chosen by LA's beloved, Lyric Hyperion Theatre to be the first produced comedy special under the SPESH! umbrella. The special is now streaming on YouTube titled Temporary, Beautiful. Right now Emmy just wrapped her third run of her first written and directed play called HANDS! This live cooking, restaurant comedy ensemble piece that is so The Bear meets The Office meets immersive theatre, was selected to debut at The Elysian Theatre's Spaghetti Festival in 2025. Follow Emmy's journey for future shows on Instagram, YouTube and Tiktok with 100k+ followers @emmybrowntown
Nibling Rivalry is a high-energy, fast-paced improv show that is going to take you on the comedy equivalent of a midway ride at a kitten rodeo. The format shares DNA with The Groundlings’ Crazy Uncle Joe Show — the most enduring long-form improv show in Los Angeles (25 years and counting!)
The show begins with three of your suggestions. Then sit back and enjoy the fun as we weave a series of interconnected scenes, laugh out loud as characters and situations escalate to the pinnacles of silliness, and bask in the mantle of pure absurdity as we present to you dozens of scenarios at lightning speed. No kittens will be harmed! But we can’t promise your cheeks won’t hurt from laughing really hard.
(What’s a nibling? It’s a gender-neutral term for niece or nephew. Think of us as a bunch of rascally cousins with a famous Hollywood uncle.)
Cast: Hawley Allen, Kevin Cooley, Michelle Daubner, Sam Harrison, and Mickey McKim; Special guest performer: Navaris Darson
Women In ____ Wynne Hegarty, Toni Mazzuca, Kristian Ruggieri, and Regina Saisi are four fearless Bay Area improvisers who turn audience suggestions into fully improvised scenes, building brand-new characters and worlds on the spot. Playful, fast, and completely unscripted. You pick the word. We make the show.
Prepare to be inspired, delighted, and entertained at the Diablo Improv Festival. Laugh while you learn at improv workshops designed for all ages and experience levels, meet new friends, cultivate creative collaborations, and enjoy unforgettable performances from top-notch improvisers who take the craft to the next level.
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