Dan O’Connor

Dan O’Connor is a versatile actor, improviser, writer, director, and teacher with a career spanning over three decades in both performance and education. He is the founder and former producing artistic director of Impro Theatre in Los Angeles, a critically acclaimed company known for its innovative, narrative and genre driven improv.

A co-founder of BATS Improv in San Francisco and LA Theatresports, Dan has been performing and teaching improv professionally since 1986. He has developed pioneering techniques in narrative improvisation, creating visceral, unscripted theater, and has applied these methods to improve communication and foster collaboration in diverse settings.

Dan has trained with some of the greatest minds in the improv world, including Keith Johnstone, Phelim McDermott, and Lee Simpson. Over the years, he’s had the honor of teaching and performing with Wayne Brady and appearing with renowned theaters and companies such as The Groundlings, The Second City, and stages from Auckland to Oslo.

For Impro Theatre, Dan has directed productions such as Chekhov UnScripted, Jane Austen UnScripted, Fairytales UnScripted, The Western UnScripted, Shakespeare UnScripted, and Sondheim UnScripted. These shows have performed at prestigious venues including The Broad Stage, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and The Laguna Playhouse, to name just a few. His stage credits also include Improbable Theatre’s Life Game (Off-Broadway), as well as performances with the American Conservatory Theater and A Noise Within. On television, Dan has directed shows like ABC's Sons and Daughters and Oxygen’s Campus Ladies, and acted in Seinfeld, VEGAS, Raising Hope, Starstruck, and Malcolm in the Middle. He co-created and starred in NBC/PAX’s World Cup Comedy.

Dan’s teaching expertise has reached across the globe, from universities like USC and Duke, to companies such as DreamWorks, Disney Animation, and Cirque du Soleil. He is a graduate of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Artin London and gave a TED Talk about the transformative power of improv.

In addition to his performance work, Dan is a co-author of two books with Dr. Jeff Katzman on the power of improv for personal and professional growth:

• Life UnScripted: Using Improv Principles to Get Unstuck, Boost Confidence, and Transform Your Life

• Ensemble!: Using the Power of Improv to Forge Connections in a Lonely World

Both books, published by North Atlantic Books and available through Penguin Random House, offer practical insights into how improv can unlock creativity and forge deeper connections in everyday life.

Dan has taught improv to a wide variety of people—from novice actors to NBA players and CEOs—helping them harness the skills of improvisation to boost creativity, improve communication, and lead with confidence.

A graduate of the Teacher Development Program of the National Alliance of Acting Teachers, Dan is also a Webby Award winner for creative direction.

He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, actress and writer Edi Patterson.