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.
Once his family was reunited, they were on the move to Washington, DC where John found WIT, zipping through the curriculum and joining the Harold program with Madeline, sticking with them through their promotion to company ensemble. In 2017, John won the Fighting Improv Smackdown Tournament with his team Childish Things.
On the move again later that year, John left the DC area for six years. In the Pacific Northwest, he performed regularly with Bandit Theater and Comedy Sportz Seattle, as well as mounting his own independent productions around the city.
John and family were thrilled to return to the DMV in 2023. Since returning, he has co-directed POTUS Among Us: Beyond Belief with Meghan Faulkner, reunited with his long-running indie troupe TFA, and joined the WIT ensemble LIZARD GIRL. He also currently coaches in the WIT Harold program.
Photo by Mikail Faalasli
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 ensemble LIZARD GIRL, the long-running indie team TFA and several other local projects. 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 Mikail Faalasli