David Charles

David Charles, PhD, works as a professional improvisational practitioner, deviser, author, and improv scholar. A New Zealander by birth, David has called central Florida home since 2003, where he has served as a Professor of Theatre and Dance, Departmental Chair, Producing Director of the historic Annie Russell, and Founding Artistic Director of Rollins Improv Players at Rollins College (University). He is a former Equity improviser with Walt Disney World’s Comedy Warehouse and a proud ensemble member, instructor, and director at the region’s preeminent improv venue, Sak Comedy Lab. His Improv Dictionary: An A to Z of Improvisational Terms, Techniques, and Tools was published by Routledge in April 2024. Original improvisational works include: (Your) Opera in a Trunk, Variations on a Theme, The Lost Comedies of William Shakespeare, Upton Abbey: An Improvised Comedy of English Manors, Murder We Wrote, and Lights Up: The Improvised Rock Opera. He is a frequent blog writer on all things improvisational as the ImprovDr.