Dojo Comedy

Murphy has been writing, performing, and living comedy for over ten years, starting with standup and then moving to improv and sketch. He discovered his love for improv after auditioning for a college group and getting fully hooked. In 2008 he started training at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater and The People's Improv Theater. Murphy has trained with Shannon O'Neill, Kevin Hines, Neil Casey, Billy Merritt, Gavin Speiller, Joe Wengert, Anthony King, Kurt Braunholer, Pat Shay, Rebekka Johnson, Matt Donnelly, and others. He moved back to DC and has been teaching, coaching, directing, and playing in Washington since then. Murphy currently performs improv with Season Six and sketch with Brick Penguin, as well as jumping into a variety of other shows.

Students say:

"Presented info clearly, dug deeply into each topic and question asked."

Stacey Axler began taking improv classes at Dojo Comedy in the winter of 2015 and completed the Dojo Comedy curriculum in 2016. She is currently a member of the Dojo Harold team program. In addition to that, Stacey completed the WIT curriculum in 2017 and has taken multiple other improv classes and workshops. Stacey also performs stand-up comedy, hosts a monthly comedy show, and also hosts a monthly bagel talk show at Dojo Comedy.

Sarah Fell started taking sketch classes in 2009 and has had the bug for sketch ever since. An editor by day, she keeps a keen eye on the written word, especially when structuring jokes, and is a resource of positive and critical feedback. Sarah was a co-founding member of DC sketch group Hand Poured and is currently working on a 2-woman sketch show.

Former student quotes:

"Great perspectives, excellent feedback, real concern for our growth"

Richie's improv journey began in 2013, upon moving to D.C. from LA. He felt an instant affinity and now can't stop won't stop improving. Having studied at Dojo Comedy, WIT, and with instructors from all over, Richie has performed in theaters and festivals all over the East Coast. He performs with a Dojo Harold team, as well as with indie teams Huggy Smalls: the Notorious H.U.G. and Invisible Knapsack. He loves teaching because he gets to help students discover the fun of improv.

Students say: "Gave deeper explanations . . . very specific notes"; "Gave clear reasons why and how certain tools could be used"; "Hitting game really hard was so helpful"

JEN KOVACH

Jen has been writing and performing sketch comedy in DC since 2013. She learned sketch writing classes at Dojo Comedy as well as through workshops with Joe Schiappa, Amanda Xeller, and Murderfist. Jen trained in improv at Washington Improv Theater. After TAing Dojo’s sketch writing classes, Jen began teaching sketch writing classes at Dojo Comedy, which she's been doing since 2015. Because that's apparently not enough for this sketchmonger, Jen also facilitates and hosts Dojo’s monthly sketch jam, and she writes and performs with Dojo’s sketch comedy house team, Frankie. She can also be found writing for Dojo's late night talk show: A Place to Fail with Tim Montgomery. Past credits: Ladies' Sketch Show: 77% As Funny (co-writer) in 2015, 3 Dojo student/alumni sketch shows from 2015-2016 (writer-performer), and several Frankie shows since 2016 (writer-performer).

Students say:

"Jen was great!"

"Taking this class was an awesome experience. Jen and Sarah did a great job of providing helpful feedback while being encouraging to the whole group."

When Alan discovered improv, it slingshotted him into a brave new trajectory. Improv melded his passion for jazz, writing, and comedy while meeting engaging people from all walks of life. Since then, he has studied at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, Dojo Comedy, WIT, DC Improv, and Chinese Menu Comedy. During the day, he teaches 8th grade English and runs a creative writing program for his middle school students. He has a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Maryland, and he is always expanding and digging to take on new creative challenges. He currently performs improv with the groups Company Blood Drive, The Bully, Radar, and Anybody But Tim. Scientifically, he is a rare specimen known as a DMV local, though he seasonally migrates.