Erick Acuña Pereda
(he/him)
Washington Improv TheaterErick is an award-winning Peruvian comedian based in Washington DC.
Erick won the Capital Fringe Festival’s awards for Best Solo Show (2019), Best Comedy (2023), and Best of Fest (2019 and 2023). He has performed sold-out shows in comedy festivals across North America, Latin America, and Europe. He has also been a guest on several comedy podcasts, including Earwolf’s improv4humans with Matt Besser and Improv Nerd with Jimmy Carrane.
At WIT, Erick performs with The Broken Bones (an ensemble that turns injury stories into improv comedy) as well as the show STAT! An Improvised Medical Drama. Among his other projects are DC Dating, Secrets Only, and Who Did It? An Improvised Murder Mystery (winner of Best of Fest and Best Comedy at the 2023 Capital Fringe Festival).
Erick first studied improv at Ketó Improv Theater in Peru, and after moving to the US, he completed the training programs at WIT and New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade. He also finished The Second City’s Comedy Writing program.
Website:
erickacuna.com
Born and raised in Peru, Erick learned that the language of improv is universal. Erick believes that no matter where we come from, we all can improvise. At the end of the day, improvisation is not scripted, nor is everyday life.
Erick Acuña is a Peruvian comedian and writer based in Washington DC. He first studied improv comedy at Ketó Improv Theater in Peru, and after moving to the US, he completed the training programs at WIT and New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade. He also finished The Second City’s Comedy Writing program.
For the last decade, Erick has performed and taught improv at WIT. He also teaches at Will Hines’s World’s Greatest Improv School. Additionally, he has taught improv workshops and performed in comedy festivals in over 20 cities around the US, Latin America, and Europe.
Erick’s one-person comedy show Acuña Acuna has had sold-out runs in DC, NYC, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (UK), and it was a finalist at the Yes, And… Laughter Lab in partnership with Comedy Central. He is also a founding member and writer of The Cherry Swamp, Washington DC’s top satire site.
You can find out more at erickacuna.com
STUDENT FEEDBACK
“Erick was a fantastic instructor! He fostered such an open and fun environment to practice in and always provided very candid and constructive feedback.”
“Erick brings a great deal of enthusiasm to his teaching. He excels at highlighting specific behaviors and actions that help a scene along, and continuously offers clear and meaningful support to everyone in the class.”
“Erick was wonderful. Each week very clearly built on the class prior, and I feel like I received very clear ways of thinking about characters and perspectives. Also, time was utilized very well, as he filled the class with actual exercises that helped me practice and improve.”
“It was such a joy learning under Erick, he was very supportive during class. He gives thoughtful and detailed feedback to every player and shares with us the great techniques he has as a performer.”