The Official Website for Ed Reggi

Celebrate 2004 First Night 04 Eve
Reggi and his Paper Slip Theatre, Inc performed at the Forest Park event that drew some 100,000 St. Louis residents. Well over 5,000 audience members were able to watch, laugh and participate during their improv show performance in the Living World at the St. Louis Zoo. The Painted Giraffe served as the backdrop for the nights activities.

Arts and Education Council Kick Off
Ed Reggi and his cast of Paper Slip Theatre, helped the Arts and Education Council of St. Louis kick off their 2004 Corporate Giving Campaign. Reggi and cast performed at the Edward Jones auditorium to some 100 participants; including local television and journalists. His performance was interactive and full of non-stop audience activated laughter.

Regional Arts Commission New Building
Regional Arts Commission recently commissioned Ed Reggi to perform at it's new Cultural Center grand opening in University City. During the event, Reggi performed and lead small improvisation classes for the community.

Improvapalooza IV
Incorporating suggestions from the audience, Ed Reggi performed a fully improvised 45 minute set, consisting of two-person relationship based scenes. Within the performance a range of two characters and situations were presented in the style of what is known as a "Marty" in the Improv community. The Marty is named and based on the work taught by the late Dr. Martin de Maat, The Second City Training Center's former Artistic Director. Ed Reggi studied under Mr. de Maat and was honored to perform at last years Chicago Improv Festival for the Second City special tribute.

Loyola Academy for Boys
In Fall of 2003, Reggi began a working relationship with Loyola Academy for Boys located in St. Louis City near Saint Louis University. Reggi was hired to work with a dozen 6th, 7th and 8th graders in Loyola's ENCORE after school program. The program allows the middle school students to obtain a greater exposure to the arts while in school. Reggi's art discipline was Spolin Theatre Games.

2004 Missouri State Thespian Conference
Ed Reggi was again invited to the State Thespian Conference held on the Kansas City side of the Show-Me State. Reggi instructed 5 workshops over a three day period to some 500 High School students. His Marty workshop was one of the most attended classes at the State conference. See www.mo-thespians.org/

Toronto International Improv Festival
Ed Reggi and his acting partner, Lindsey Patrick, performed their smash sold-out show, The Marty at the 2003 Toronto International Improv Festival. Despite a black-out of the entire north east coast, their show went on without any glitches. Audiences raved on their ability to perform a 45-minute long-form in the style of a filmed documentary.

National Down Syndrome Conference
Ed Reggi was invited to guest facilitate a special Improvisation Acting workshop at the 2003 National Down Syndrome Conference. His workshop was directed to Adults with Down Syndrome with the purpose to expose them to Viola Spolin Theatre Games. The workshop had over 30 participants.

14th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect
Ed Reggi and his cast of Paper Slip Theatre, Inc. performed audience activated improv games for the 14th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect participants. At the event, Reggi worked closely with conference organizers to help facilitate better communication, entertainment and understanding. The games performed at the main stage allowed many audience members to "just play."

PROMO Words of Love Spring 2003
Ed Reggi performed a successful series of solo "Marty" scenes at the Spring main fundraiser for local St. Louis Privacy Rights Nonprofit organization, PROMO (formerly called PREP). The event called WORDS OF LOVE was held at the Jazz at the Bistro. For more information on the event and the organization please visit www.promoonline.org

Rockwood Career Day
Ed Reggi acted as the Performing Arts expert at this year's Rockwood School District's Career Day. Several Rockwood schools transport students to a hotel in Eureka, Missouri. There the young adults were able to ask questions to local experts of specific careers. Reggi answered many questions to about 250 students throughout the Career Day, which included several solo performances demonstrated his work in the performing arts community.

Hazelwood Russell School
Reggi facilitated a half-day professional development workshop to 30 staff, faculty and administration. During the workshop, Reggi showed how to use Improvisation in the classroom. He talked about the use of "being in the moment" can create a strong sense of intuitive learning in children of all ages.

Parkway South High School
Ed Reggi worked with the local High School considered to have one of the BEST improv teams, Five Finger Discount. Reggi instructed the 20 students not on the basics of improvisation; rather, the powers of good improv skill-making. Character work, scene work and advanced SOLO performance building skills were covered in this one evening workshop. Reggi has been hired by the Parkway School District to coach all four High School improv teams.

Acting Out at Rossman School
Reggi is working with premiere St. Louis Elementary School, Rossman School in Ladue, Missouri. Reggi is incorportating improv acting into their school's curriculum that does not include a theater department. The third and fourth graders work with Reggi weekly on drama techniques and improvisation building skills. A final performance is scheduled for December 2002 and May 2003.

Missouri Thespian Society
Ed Reggi was one of the only professionally trained Improv Instructors who presented at the 2003 Missouri State Thespian Conference. Over 250 High School-aged students took beginner and mastery level improvisation acting workshops based in the Spolin Theater Games and Sills Story Theater. See www.mo-thespians.org/

Memphis Comedy Festival
Using only two suggestions from the audience, Ed Reggi and Lindsey Patrick improvised a 45 minute Marty at the Memphis Comedy Festival 2002. The Marty is named and based on the work taught by the late Dr. Martin De Maat, The Second City Training Center's former Artistic Director. Ed Reggi studied under Mr. De Maat.

Words of Worship
Ed Reggi co-emcee this years Words of Worship at the Chesterfield Community Theatre. The event was sponsored by the YMCA of Chesterfield and several religious organizations in the S.t Louis area. During the evening religious leaders and musicians sang, spoke, chanted, read and lead the audience into their world of spirituality.

Club CHIPS
During the Summer of 2002, Ed Reggi worked with a diverse group of young adults from various St. Louis City schools. The purpose of this Community Health In Partnerships Services (CHIPS) sponsored project, is to help "club" participants develop strong career and life skills. Teens learned basic and advanced improvisation techniques in a series of workshops lead by Ed Reggi. Improv scenes were created to understand and practice communication, teamwork, creativity and conflict management skills. A final performance was presented by the Club CHIPS students at Columbia High School off St. Louis Avenue.

Jennings School District
Ed Reggi facilitated a teacher development workshop with the Jennings School District during August 2002. Reggi coached the teachers on how they can make a "spontaneous classroom" in any subject area. Music, Fine Arts and Drama teachers made up this 15 person class. Reggi demonstrated the history and use of Viola Spolin Improvisation Games and how those games can be incorporated into any curriculum with powerful results at keeping the students "present." Workshop results were amazing, with full performance improv participation of all the teachers enrolled. Several final scenes touched on drug abuse and use; historical facts; the keeping of a tempo; to name a few.

Missouri State Treasure's Office
Ed Reggi and his spontaneous theatre company was hired by Nancy Farmer, the Missouri State Treasurer and the National State Treasurers Association; during the Summer of 2002. Reggi and the entire Paper Slip Theatre cast, entertained some 400 state employees from over 45 states during the week long conference. No jokes about elephants, donkeys and income tax were told.

St. Louis Pride Festival 2002
Ed Reggi with the cast of OUTprov, performed at the annual PrideFest event in Tower Grove Park, St. Louis. The festival drew some 50,000 people over the two-day event. In addition to performing on the mainstage, Reggi and OUTprov were seen in the Pride Parade.

Temple Israel
Ed Reggi gave a talk and improv demonstration at Temple Israel in Ladue Missouri. Reggi, along with improv performer Sarah McLaughlin, performed several audience participation games with over 100 Jewish (retired) congregation members. Reggi first spoke on his personal experiences growing up (in Brooklyn New York) and learning improv and acting. He discussed the rules of improv set down by mentor Viola Spolin. Ed completed the activity by getting some of audience to play a game of "One Word Story."

Hair Ball 2002
Ed Reggi and members of OUTprov helped raise money at this year's HAIR BALL 2002. The annual event helps raise over $20,000 for a local St. Louis women's shelter for that helps those suffering from domestic violence.

Growing American Youth Improv Workshop
Ed Reggi visited Growing America's Youth weekly meeting and showed the organization's members (and leaders) what improv was all about. Reggi performed a series of short improv games and explained the history of improvisation. After the performance, Reggi facilitated a series of simple improv games to the core membership of 50 teens and young adults. Drama Freeze was the most exciting improv game introduced. Several youth members were able to fully enjoy the process of what it means to improv or as Reggi explained, "be in the moment."

COCA Offsite programs with Rockwood School District 2002
Ed Reggi working with the Center of Contemporary Arts offsite program, successfully completed one semester of Improvisation Outreach with two Middle Schools in the Rockwood School District. Reggi coached improv games (over 45 hours) with 200 kids from Selvedge Middle and Rockwood Valley Schools.

Conflict Resolution with Carver Elementary School
A project facilitated by Community Health In-Partnerships Services (C.H.I.P.S.) and Carver Elementary St. Louis City School 21st Century. Ed Reggi worked with 20 Carver Elementary School kids and a C.H.I.P.S. Social Worker on ways of dealing with conflict and anger. Reggi taught special improv ideas and skills that helped students understand how to deal with their real emotions. "YES and" and learning how to be "present" was the essential end result of this successful program.

Down Syndrome Regional Conference
Ed Reggi lead an improvisational theatre workshop during the 2002 St. Louis Down Syndrome Conference held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Union Station. Reggi worked with over 25 Down Syndrome adults, coaching them in the basics of creating drama. Using Spolin's early technique of Theatre Games, Reggi lead the afternoon group to some powerful moments.

Lindenwood University and Nancy Polette teachers' education series.
Every year hundreds of Missouri elementary, middle and high school teachers need to enhance their education. Nancy Polette and nationally acclaimed author and teacher, sponsers a series of summer workshops to enhance teacher's education and curriculum. Nancy hired Ed Reggi to present "Using Improv to Imagine," for her 2001 series. Reggi coached over 150 teachers on how to incorporate improv into their classrooms. Spolin served as the foundation and Reggi added his spin on Viola's games to help science, history and math teachers.

Improvapalooza II: Louisville Kentucky Festival
Incorporating suggestions from the audience, Ed Reggi and Lindsey Patrick performed a fully improvised 45 minute set, consisting only of two-person relationship based scenes. Within the performance a range of two characters and situations were presented in the style of what is known as a "Marty" in the Improv community. The Marty is named and based on the work taught by the late Dr. Martin de Maat, The Second City Training Center's former Artistic Director. Ed Reggi studied under Mr. de Maat and was honored to perform at last years Chicago Improv Festival for the Second City special tribute. Ed Reggi travels throughout the midwest and performs improv to young audiences. Reggi is the founder of SLIP Theater, a community based improv project to teach the art of "playing." He also performs and serves as training director at CITY Improv, located in downtown St. Louis. Lindsey Patrick is a professional storyteller. As a Program Supervisor for the St. Louis City Public Library, Lindsey reads hundreds of stories to school aged children every month. She is also a resident cast member at CITY Improv. Reggi and Lindsey have been working together for the past year. Their first Marty experiment was dubbed "Bissellprov." On a bare stage, both performers used only standard Bissell cleaners while performing an improvised set based on one audience suggestion. The only goal is to fully clean their improvised environment while learning about their character's relationship.

St. Louis Artworks
Based on Chicago's successful Gallery 37, St. Louis Artworks provides jobs to many local teens. Over seven different arts disciplines were available to choose by young artists this summer. Each young adult had to apply for a job. Their goal was to learn on-the-job training while doing art. Ed Reggi, founder of St. Louis Improv Project (SLIP), employed 15 teenage improvisation actors. During the summer program, Reggi allowed his apprentice artist to experience the business of live theater. Utilizing Nationally acclaimed theater companies like the Black Repertory, apprentices were able to observe first hand careers in the performing arts.
Central Reform Congregation and Cotebrillant Church Mentoring Project - ongoingIn 1990 the Central Reform Congregation and the Cotebrillant Church started a mentoring project with elementary school children. Each religious community matched an adult with a child from their St. Louis City community. Ed Reggi, along with creative writer/poet Wendy Surinksy, began working in 2001 with most of the original children, who were now in high school. Using improv games and writing, Reggi and Wendy were able to bolster involvement in the program from the adults and teens. Using improv, Reggi has helped teens learn job and career building skills.

Health in Motion
Ed Reggi collaborates with Community Health In-Partnerships Services (C.H.I.P.S.) to teach the benefits of good health to middle school-aged children. Reggi and three other St. Louis artists used their art discipline to facilitate better health knowledge to workshop made up of teens. Improv games served as Reggi's primary tool to teach basic hygiene and conflict management skills. Viola Spolin games were adjusted to concentrate on health-related words, principles and practices. For example, Spolin's "Name Six" became "Name Proteins." In a circle, kids had go around and quickly free-associate on where they could find sources of proteins. Short improv scenes (Spolin's "Freeze") allowed students to put into practice new health knowledge they learned from the programs nurses and dietitians. Improvised games also allowed students to reveal health misunderstandings or myths to the program facilitators-this allowed the program to adapt itself at better educating the needs of the children.

Chicago Improv Festival 2001
Ed Reggi participated in a fully improvised evening, consisting only of two-person relationship based scenes. Each scene in the show featured two actors improvising one complete relationship based scene. After each scene was done, a different pair of actors entered on-stage and they too improvised a different, relationship based scene. Actors from Chicago, Los Angeles and New York performed in the show. All the actors in the show are former students of the late Dr. Martin de Maat, The Second City Training Center's former Artistic Director. A percentage of all tickets sold were donated in Martin's name to New York's Rivington House. Ed Reggi performed with Shaun Landry of Oui Be Negroes.

Reach to Teach - currently in phase II
An intergenerational project facilitated by Community Health In-Partnerships Services (C.H.I.P.S.), Williams Middle St. Louis City School and JVL Retirement Center. A dozen of middle school students and senior citizens work with four artists to understand HIV and AIDS history and education. Ed Reggi used basic improvisation games to bring personal stories and experiences from both generations together.

Incarcerated Improv
Ed Reggi works with incarcerated persons at various facilities throughout the St. Louis region. Inside these institutions, Reggi leads improv workshops and classes. Reggi has worked in Farmington, Pevely and North City on developing these programs.

Improvapalooza I: Louisville Kentucky Festival
Ed Reggi brings his latest Saint Louis Improv Project, OUTprov to Louisville. OUTprov is a 8 member improv troupe that performs longform improv based on cotemporary issues dealing with sexuality, gender and orientation.

Kids-Day for YMCA-St. Louis City 2000
Under the direction of Ed Reggi, three cast members of CITY Improv perform to children and their families at the new South St. Louis City YMCA location. The day celebrated YMCA's throughout the United States, as a place for healing the body and mind. Improv games were played with children, adults and seniors.

Taproots Summer Arts
Ed Reggi taught a dozen grade school aged children improvisation theater games in the span of two-week summer camp program. When the students were in Reggi's drama session, they were invited to learn the most essential part of all improvisation, "to play." Over 50 Viola Spolin games were used to demonstrate how improv could generate original material. An overall camp session theme provided some foundation for direction of improv. At the end of each two-week session, the students created an original performance based on their improvisation experiences and discoveries. One of the original works included a performance called, "A Backyard Carpet." It is a story about a boy who travels many countries with his dog Spot. As they visit a country, high in the sky, the boy and dog share various insights of the culture. Different types of foods, dance and music were some of the examples of what the boy discovered and shared with his audience. At the clsoe of the 2000 Taproots Summer Arts program, Reggi worked with over 100 students.

21st Century Program St. Louis Public City Schools
Ed Reggi taught Improvisational Theater with St. Louis City Elementary, Middle and High Schools. 21st Century Program allows students the freedom to choose an after school enrichment program. All students are allotted time to complete school homework and then time to learn about a new subject or trade that interests them. Improvisation allowed the students in this program to find a place to nurture and develop their own ideas. Basic theater games provided a new venue for physical activity and advanced improv scenes served as the stage for emotional growth.Many of the students in the 21st Century Program read and write below their grade levels. Reggi's Improvisation Theater component empowered them to practice skills needed to improve their grades.

Taproots School of the Arts: Drama department
Ed Reggi served as the Drama and Improvisation Theater Artist in 2000 and 2001. While teaching drama and improv classes at the art school, Reggi also worked with the Taproots board of directors and administration. Reggi educated the entire Taproots community on the benefits of improvisation and the effects it has with children and adults. The improv learning environment Reggi created at the art school encompassed materials and ideas borrowed from theater game pioneer Viola Spolin; puppeteer Julie Taymor; director Martin de Maat and pantomime master Marcel Marceau.

date 4/21/2005