The Laughing Academy

Improv Training is Life Skills Training. Not limited to those who want to be actors, theatrical training has been proven to: Build self-confidence. Increase self awareness and a greater sense of how one is perceived. Develop critical listening skills. Enhance verbal communication skills. Produce greater empathy for others as a result of character work. Increase the capacity for peaceful conflict resolution as students learn to negotiate within an improv scene. Foster confidence in a student's own ability to create and make an impact. Teach teamwork as students work as an ensemble. The Laughing Academy Director Kim Hiller began her theater training on two coasts - at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco and at the Stella Adler Conservatory and Michael Howard Studios in NYC -before she made the great leap to the Midwest. In Chicago she discovered the art of Improv, studying and performing at the Annoyance and Improv Olympic before she was hired by The Second City. Kim has also worked as a casting director and earned a Masters in Education, teaching everything from preschool to high school. She has worked in the corporate world where she developed training programs, teaching public speaking and sales skills to executives.