John Carroll
Washington Improv TheaterJohn Carroll is from Philadelphia, PA. He started taking improv classes at the Philadelphia Improv Theater when his wife deployed overseas with the US Army.
He stuck with it and continued his work at WIT when the Army put his family on the move again. When not performing with WIT Harold team Madeline, John can be found across the DMV area on an indie team called The Female Accent.
When not performing, John is a writer of short fiction and web comedy. He is one half of the duo John & Nick, as well as the co-founder of The Critics Agree! He teaches college writing and concludes any PowerPoints with a photo of his beagle.
Photo by Katilyn Hemingway
John took his first improv class with the intention of flaming out and getting into sketch comedy. But he found out it's impossible to fail in improv when you have the right support.
John’s journey from nervous public speaker to improv comedian would have been unfathomable to him years ago. He truly believes, though, that any success he finds is the result of the people he surrounds himself with. This background informs his ideal classroom environment: positive reinforcement and constructive feedback allow us to not just focus on negatives, but also what’s working in our performance. Feedback shouldn’t be strictly a negative experience. By supporting one another as both students and performers, we not only strengthen the personal, but the interpersonal.
John took his first improv classes at Philly Improv Theater. After moving to DC, he enrolled at Washington Improv Theater, where he finished the curriculum. John is a member of WIT company ensemble Madeline, as well as the indie team The Female Accent. He’s previously spent years working in education as a college writing instructor, personal tutor, and fundraiser.
Student feedback
“John always had good insight on how we were individually progressing, as well as how we were coming together as a team.”
“John was great. He gave quick, good feedback that was constructive and made the class better.”
Photo by Jeff Salmore