Patti Stiles

Patti is an actor, director, author, playwright and teacher who specialises in improvisational theatre. She is a former Artistic Director of Rapid Fire Theatre (CA), Dream Kitchen Theatre (CA), Impro Melbourne (AU) and the International Theatresports Institute (CA), and a founding member of the award winning Die Nasty – the live improvised soap opera (CA).

Her tutelage and mentorship has strongly influenced many improvisors and improvisation companies all over the world. Such as Rapid Fire Theatre (CA), Impro Melbourne (AU), Spontaneity Shop (UK), Closer Each Day (UK), Smoking Sofa (FR), Teatro A Molla (IT) and I Bugardini (IT), B.L.U.E – the musical (IT), Courtyard Playhouse (UAE) and the award winning Austentacious (UK).

In 2021 she released her first book Improvise Freely. It has received an enthusiastic response from improvisors, teachers and impro companies around the globe. In 2022 it was translated into Italian.

Patti has been featured on the cover of the Spanish impro magazine Status; she is a contributor to the book The Art of Making Mistakes and has been interviewed for the books Something Like A Drug and The Improv Handbook (which is dedicated to Patti in recognition of her mentorship.) She has been interviewed for numerous podcasts and University papers and her blog has been translated into French, Italian, German and Portuguese.

Adding to her list of credits are three nominations for an Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award, plus she holds the unofficial record for being the first female to improvise for 53 hours in a row in the famous Die Nasty soap a thon.