our Story
Radical Theatre
Bird City Improv, LLC is a liberation-focused school, improv theatre, and consultancy that centers the experiences and wisdom of queer, BIPOC, and femme artists. People learn how to create, connect, and negotiate through improv and inclusive collaboration. Bird City Improv offers accessible workshops, community-focused classes, and personal coaching. Our services center joy, healing, and communication strategies, both online and in-person.
Bird City Improv is a triple bottom line business working towards sustainability beyond wealth. This means we measure our success, not only by our revenue, but by our impact on communities and our environment. We work with a diverse range of individuals and organizations. We use flexible pricing, sliding scales, and diversity scholarships to increase access because we believe access to the arts and education is a right, not a privilege.
Eco-minded, we are proud of our green business model. By offering online and onsite training in shared spaces, we drastically reduce our carbon footprint. Improv is adaptable and low impact. As minimalist art form, we are able to bring workshops and classes to communities with ease.
Bird's the WOrd
Bird City Improv is named for Baltimore, known for its Ravens, Orioles, and Flamingos. Baltimore is the “Bird City.” We have chosen to represent ourselves with a swallow in flight. Birds in flight are symbols of freedom, and freedom is what improv is all about. Swallows represent love and luck. At the end of the day, ain't that what we all need?
About Tavish
Tavish Forsyth is the founder of Bird City Improv. He is a professor of applied improvisation. He is a queer artist, word technologist, and freelance consultant. He serves as Bird City's artistic director. Trained as a performing artist and storyteller with eighteen years of experience and two degrees in theatre, Tavish is dedicated to co-creating community spaces where individuals to feel seen, heard, and invited.
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Believing in the transformative power of expressive art, Tavish centers liberation-focused methodologies, trauma-informed care, and the joy of comedy in his work. He collaborates with a diverse range of teaching artists and prioritizes transparent pay-equity in those collaborations. In practice, Tavish invites communities and individuals to step into their creative power, change harmful systems, and advocate for better ways of living in a patriarchal world.
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Tavish is currently developing his signature approach to healing and promoting change through improv. He is cultivating a private practice as a personal coach. He is transitioning away from Johns Hopkins University, where he has been a professor in the Center for Leadership Education for the past five years. He is continuing to offer community-focused classes, school programs, and business workshops through Bird City Improv. He lives in Baltimore and is in love with community.
