BIORAPHIES
Tim ORR
Tim Orr is an internationally respected improv actor, director, and teacher whose work has shaped long-form improvisation for over three decades. A cornerstone of the San Francisco improv scene since 1988, Tim has performed with and helped define legendary companies such as BATS Improv, True Fiction Magazine, and 3 For All, and is the founder of the Improv Playhouse of San Francisco.
Tim’s artistry moves seamlessly between stage, screen, and classroom — from critically acclaimed improvised feature films (Suckerfish, Security) to globally touring theatrical productions and deeply influential training programs. As longtime Director of the BATS Improv Long-Form Intensive, he has mentored generations of improvisers with a focus on craft, clarity, and truthful play.
A sought-after international teacher, Tim has performed and taught across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and North America, sharing a vision of improvisation rooted in listening, structure, and storytelling. His work continues to inspire performers worldwide to approach improv not just as comedy, but as a disciplined and deeply human art form.
Paula Galimberti
Paula is an actor, director, coach and improviser. She studied acting in Cristina Rota school for 4 years. She also studied psychology in the UAM. She has been working as an actress since 1996.
She started her own improv company “Jamming” 23 years ago. We can also see her working in cinema and TV. She worked as an improv-acting teacher in Bogotá, Lima, Cuzco, Santiago de Chile, Lyon, Berlin… And she completed her professional career Jordan Bayne and Ivana Chubbuck.
Now she is working in Madrid regularly and also traveling around the world.
In Madrid she works with her company Jamming. As an actress, director, coach and teacher. She is the Artistic Director of Impro Bora Improv Festival in Trieste. She also collaborates with a national Spanish radio program doing an improv show on air.
Will Luera
Will Luera is an internationally acclaimed improv actor, director, and educator who has spent decades exploring how improvisation builds connection, courage, and meaningful change. Artistic Director Emeritus of ImprovBoston and founder of Free-Form Improv, Will has shaped generations of performers while touring globally as a teacher and performer across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.
Beyond the stage, Will brings improvisation into communities, organizations, and leadership spaces — collaborating with festivals, universities, global companies, and non-profits to create custom, human-centered experiences. His work bridges comedy, social impact, and leadership, from award-winning performances to initiatives like Healing Moments for Alzheimer’s, where improvisation becomes a tool for care, presence, and dignity.
Will’s career is marked by international recognition, artistic leadership, and a deep belief in improv as a practice that transforms how we listen, lead, and relate to one another.
Jacintha Damstroem
Jacintha Damström, who has been performing as a circus artist since 1996, started with improv in 2012.
In 2016 she was invited to perform in the wordless Decibel!-show with the French comedians Morgan Mansouri and Frédéric Pont, with whom she integrated acrobatics into improv besides mime and comedy.
Since then she has been invited to perform and to teach in improv festivals around the world, both as a solo player and in groups. In 2022 she became one of the leading members of the professional improvisation group “Stjärnfall” in Helsinki, Finland.
Besides improv, Jacintha works also as a classical musician, physical actress, and clown.
Ronald Harvey (aka Dr. Ron) is a psychologist and improv teacher and performer from Chicago, USA. Dr. Ron has a PhD in Community Psychology (2014) from DePaul University.
Since 2016, he has created and taught improv workshops in-person in the USA, Bulgaria, Russia, South Africa, Vietnam, Thailand, Norway, and Peru, and an online “Psychology of Creativity” workshop during the COVID lockdowns.
He has been a professor and senior lecturer in undergraduate psychology at the American University in Bulgaria and RMIT International University in Saigon, Vietnam. He has also completed the training programs in short form (Second City, Chicago) and long form improv (iO Chicago, The Annoyance Theater, CiC Theater).
Ronald Harvey
Zlatin Tsvetkov
Zlatin Tsvetkov is the founder of ShiZi Improv Theater, the premiere longform improv theater in Sofia, Bulgaria. A pioneer of the Bulgarian improv scene, he co-founded the country’s first improv company and took part in Sofia’s very first improv show back in 2009.
Zlatin graduated the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia in 2005. His career spans over two decades in theater and television, including a three-year run as co-host of a morning show on Bulgarian National Television.
Between 2015 and 2018, Zlatin deepened his improvisational craft in Chicago, completing the 5-week Intensive and 2-week Advanced Intensive at the renowned iO Theater. He also trained with The Annoyance Theater (Chicago) and The Showstoppers (London).
In 2010, Zlatin led Bulgaria’s first-ever improv class and soon after founded the ShiZi Training Center. There, he developed a comprehensive, year-long curriculum spanning 7 levels and advanced groups. The training center now hosts around 160 students, with Zlatin actively teaching five days a week.
Zlatin’s passion for improv lies in its elusive, ephemeral nature — where the process itself is the ultimate goal. He chases the synergy between freedom of expression, deep partner support, and confident stage presence. Equally drawn to the ethereal, interwoven structure of The Harold, the raw truth of theatrical improv, and the over-the-top fun of improv games, Zlatin embraces every facet of the form.
Harmony McElligott is a Los Angeles based comedian and improviser who currently teaches improv at the world famous Groundlings Theater in Los Angeles.
He spent many years training at The Groundlings where he developed his improv and sketch comedy skills. He is a dynamic performer who is known for his original characters and sharp wit.
Harmony has been nominated for two Emmy awards for writing on the iconic show, Robot Chicken.
He is also a stand-up comedian with a one hour special currently streaming on Amazon. He has appeared on HBO, Comedy Central, Adult Swim as well as numerous commercials.
Harmony brings a wealth of knowledge and creative energy to his workshops and is excited to be a part of the Sofia International Improv Festival.
Harmony McElligott