Our Story
Incognito Improv was born from a shared passion for the unpredictable and the humorous. Founded by a group of friends with a love for the stage, we aim to bring the joy of improv to everyone and create a community where creativity thrives and laughter is the universal language.
Our mission is to bring the world’s leading improvisers together into a global network, to support up and coming talent, launch new show formats, and create opportunity for collaboration across geographical borders.
Meet The Company
Inbal Lori
Teacher and Performer - Berlin, Germany
Inbal Lori is a Berlin-based improviser, actress, writer, and coach who has been performing and teaching worldwide since 2001. Originally from Israel, she has brought her expertise to stages and classrooms across the U.S., Canada, Australia, Europe, and beyond. As of 2025, she is the artistic director of the Berlin Impro Festival and has coached companies like Spotify, Disney, and McKinsey. Passionate about improvisation’s power to transform communication, she helps performers and professionals alike develop confidence, creativity, and charisma.
Christiane Brew
Teacher and Performer - Tokyo, Japan
Christiane Brew is an improviser, actress, and award-nominated voice artist based in Tokyo and the UK. With 15 years of experience performing and coaching worldwide, she specializes in narrative and musical improv, theatrical storytelling, and movement. She is the co-director of Tokyo Comedy Store and Pirates of Tokyo Bay, with training from iTi, RADA, and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Some say she’s naturally funny, though you’ll have to be the judge of that!
Claudia Novati
Teacher and Performer - London, UK
Claudia Novati is from Italy and currently based in London. They began their improvisation journey in 2016 with I Bugiardini and later trained and started teaching with Hoopla. In 2019, Claudia established ISL – Improv as a Second Language, a friendly community for improvisers who use English as a second, additional, or foreign language. They are passionate about the diverse applications of improv philosophy and performance, and – with a Master’s in Voice Studies from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama – they blend their improvisation experience with their work as a voice teacher at several drama schools in London.
Declan Wolfe
Performer and Teacher - Cork, Ireland
Declan Wolfe is an actor, director, teacher, and coach best known as the co-founder of Studio Wolfe, a leading theatre school in Cork City. With over 15 years of experience, he has trained performers in acting, improvisation, and musical theatre, while also lecturing at University College Cork and developing arts education programs adopted nationwide. A seasoned broadcaster and performer, he has worked with RTÉ, Cork’s 96FM, and major Irish theatres, as well as coaching actors from The Young Offenders and CCCahoots. His passion for innovative drama training has taken him worldwide, studying at institutions in Chicago, London, Berlin, and Dublin.
Sophia Fairman
Performer and Producer - London, UK
Sophia has performed improv with many, many teams: The Unscripted Players, Bristol Improv, The Cambridge Impronauts, Hoopla’s House Team, and is currently a member of Rumourville, to name a few. She also did a (short) stint with The Cambridge Footlights. In 2020 Sophia directed a Longform Improv Show ‘Improgeddon’ at the ADC Theatre, and infamously said ‘the best part of that show was it being over’. During the daytime, she works as a junior comedy producer.
Lorna Francis
Producer - UK
Lorna Francis is a British actor and producer with a rising presence in the theatre scene. She discovered Incognito Improv after seeing People Pleasers in 2024 and quickly became part of the team, helping produce their 2025 Edinburgh Fringe show. Passionate about storytelling both on and off stage, she brings creativity and dedication to every project she works on.
Pete Smith
Performer - London, UK
Pete Smith has been performing improv since 2015. He has a part of the Calgary Kinkonauts house team; returning to England he is a member of Rumourville and has performing at Cambridge and Brighton fringe. Pete once got paid by the BBC for a joke about putting your finger in your bum.
Matt Prestage
Performer - London, UK
Matt entered the improv scene a decade ago in Sheffield, performing with Stürike and Foolish Bandits Theatre. After moving to London, he joined Rumourville (improvised village gossip) and was a founding member of Every Everyday Theatre (extra ordinary unscripted people). He has a particular passion for longform narrative improv, but always has time for some silly games here and there. His improv goal is for everyone just to be lovely to each other onstage. He regularly leads workshops and coaching sessions for improv teams perfoming in London and at festivals across the UK.
Charissa Shelton
Photographer - Chicago, USA
Charissa is a US-based portrait and performance photographer with a decade-plus design career in Chicago and London. She specializes in capturing candid moments with an artistic eye, bringing stories to life with a documentary-style approach. Whether photographing individuals, events, or creative projects, Charissa blends a collaborative, unobtrusive style with a commitment to capturing the beauty, vibe, and authentic spirit of the moment — from the big picture to intimate details. Charissa is available for travel across the U.S. and internationally.
Chia Kwa
Designer & Performer - New York, USA
Chia Kwa is an award-winning and interdisciplinary designer, photographer, immersive improvisation performer, actor, and maker in both physical and digital spaces. A ‘swiss army knife’ collaborator at Houseworld Immersive, they worked on the cult immersive hits Whisperlodge and Bottom Of The Ocean, featured by the New York Times, Forbes, and Netflix. By day, Chia designs usable and accessible digital experiences for brands such as New York Life, Trojan Condoms, and American Express. Chia graduated from Pratt Institute and has lived in NYC ever since.
Chris Wells
Performer and Teacher - Tokyo, Japan
Chris Wells is a Tokyo-based improviser, voice actor, and innovation facilitator originally from the U.S., and has lived in Japan for over 30 years. He is the founding director of Improvazilla and Studio Gokko Impro Dojo, known for his work in Johnstone-style storytelling and musical improv. Chris also serves as Senior Advisor at EY Japan’s wavespace, leading design thinking workshops for global organizations. A familiar voice in Japan, he narrates for JR train platforms, NHK World, museum audioguides, and the Ultraman YouTube series.
Jun Imai
Performer and Teacher - Tokyo, Japan
Jun Imai is a Tokyo-based improviser, teacher, and author, and the Vice President of In The Moment, Ltd.. After studying method acting in California, he began coaching improv in 1995 and now teaches at Tokyo Comedy Store and Studio Gokko. Known internationally for his Zen Improv workshops, Jun guides students to move from pure impulse, letting go of judgment and fully embodying the present moment. He is the author of It’s Tough to be Free and four other influential books on improvisation and acting.
Markus Wisth Edvardsen
Musician - Oslo/Trondheim, Norway
Markus is a multi-instrumentalist musician based in Oslo and Trondheim, Norway, specializing in improvised music for unscripted theatre. He has been a key figure in the Trondheim improv scene and has performed at international festivals including IMPRO Amsterdam, Trondheim International Impro Festival, and Improfestival Karlsruhe.
Tom Munro
Managing Director and Co-founder - London, UK
Tom Munro is a Fringe veteran with over 20 years of experience at the Edinburgh Fringe, where he has worked as a producer and manager for Incognito Improv, supervised the Pleasance Theatre box office, and seen over 1,000 shows. By day, he is a data analytics and sustainability strategy consultant, helping companies reduce their environmental impact. His passion for both the arts and sustainability reflects his commitment to creativity and positive change, on and off the stage.
