Improv…
pero like en espanglish.

Chicago's only bilingual improv school

See Classes · Ver Clases Hire us · Contrátenos
As seen on
1,100+
People reached through classes, workshops & shows
95
Classes, sessions & workshops held
10+
Institutional & corporate clients
7
TV & press features

8-week Classes 
· Clases de 8 semanas

Students performing in a Bilingual Improv School class Two students playing a scene in a Bilingual Improv School class

STILL ACCEPTING LATE REGISTRATIONS · TODAVÍA SE ACEPTAN INSCRIPCIONES TARDÍAS

Classes meet weekly for 8 weeks and students perform in 2 of our monthly student showcase ·
Las clases se imparten semanalmente durante 8 semanas y los alumnos actúan en dos de nuestras presentaciones mensuales para estudiantes.

Level 1
Bilingual Improv Games
Spanglish · Collaboraction Theatre
The basics of improv in Spanglish. For beginners in either language — supportive and fun.
Tuesdays 7 PM · Jul 14
Register
Level 2
Bilingual Improv Scenes
Spanglish · Collaboraction Theatre
Nuanced characters, relationships, and high-quality bilingual scene work.
Sundays 6 PM · Jul 12
Register
Level 3
Bilingual Improv Forms
Spanglish · Collaboraction Theatre
Long-form structures and full improvised shows, en los dos idiomas.
Mondays 7 PM · Jul 13
Register

Not sure which level? Email rudy@bilingualimprovschool.com and we'll point you the right way.

Workshops · Talleres

Three performers mid-scene at a Bilingual Improv School workshop Two students in a scene during a Bilingual Improv School class

One-time sessions — no experience necessary, all fluency levels welcome · Sesiones únicas — no se necesita experiencia.

Drop-in
Intro to Bilingual Improv
Spanglish · Collaboraction Theatre
A 2-hour bilingual improv class in Spanglish, designed for beginners. No improv experience necessary — all fluency levels welcome. $20.
Every other Monday · 7 PM
Register
Private
Companies, Non-Profits & Schools
EN / ES · Your venue or ours
Bilingual improv workshops and team-building experiences — the tools of improv applied to real-world problems in bilingual environments.
By request
Hire Us

Shows · Funciones

Performers on stage with a full audience at Collaboraction Theatre Two performers laughing and shaking hands on stage

Come laugh with us — en español, English, y todo lo de en medio · Ven a reírte con nosotros.

Monthly
¡El Showcase!
Spanglish · Collaboraction Theatre
Our monthly student showcase — 45 students across the 3-level program in a 2-act show. Open to everyone, regardless of fluency.
Monthly
Tickets
Monthly
¿Cómo se dice?
Spanglish · Collaboraction Theatre
An improv show… pero like en Espanglish! The best bilingual comedians and actors in Chicago alongside the best of the BIS program.
Select dates
Tickets

In the press · En la prensa

Featured nationally on Telemundo

"Comedia en Spanglish gana popularidad en Chicago" — a national segment on how BIS helps people reconnect with language and culture through laughter.

Telemundo interview with Rudy Mendoza, founder of Bilingual Improv School Telemundo interview with BIS student Erika Latines
Watch the segment · Ver el segmento →
"The city's only improv program for both Spanish and English speakers." Chicago Tribune → "The only bilingual Spanish-language improv classes in the Midwest." Chicago Reader → "All levels of language fluency and improv experience are welcome." Chicago Sun-Times → "Rudy Mendoza founded the Bilingual Improv School to create more opportunities for Spanish-speaking performers." Block Club Chicago → "A very unique way to learn a new language." WGN — Adelante Chicago → "'Bilingual Improv School' ofrece lo que hace falta: voces latines." Columbia Chronicle →
Press kit Press Fact Sheet ↓ Capabilities One-Sheet ↓ Media Captions & Credits ↓

Hire us · Contrátenos

Bilingual improv workshops and experiences for teams that work across languages and cultures — facilitated by professional bilingual teaching artists, in English, Spanish, or Spanglish. No one needs improv experience (or perfect Spanish) to take part.

Team-building workshopsPlayful, structured sessions that build trust and collaboration — 2–3 hrs, calibrated to your group's language mix.
All-staff & retreat sessionsEnergizing experiences for full teams, from 10 to 100+, on-site or at our venue — half or full day.
Performances + ExperiencesOur bilingual teaching artists will explain our improv games, demonstrate them live for your audience and invite your team to come up and play!
BIS teaching artists at the Public Media Growth Conference 2026
Greater Public's Public Media Growth Conference — Hilton Chicago, 100 media professionals from around the country
Rudy Mendoza leading a bilingual improv workshop at the Enlace Chicago all-staff meeting
Enlace Chicago all-staff meeting — 75 employees at one of Chicago's most important non-profits

Trusted by Laughing Together, Embarc, City of Chicago (DCASE) & Chicago Latino Theater Alliance, Enlace Chicago, and Lewis University — 1,100+ people reached to date.

Email rudy@bilingualimprovschool.com

About Us · Nosotros

Bilingual Improv School (BIS) is Chicago's only improv school built for bilingual students, where people practice their Spanish (or English)... sin pena. To our knowledge, it is also the only improv school in the country whose entire curriculum is built around bilingual, Spanish-language improv. Founded by Rudy Mendoza in March 2025, BIS offers classes, student showcases, premium live shows, and workshops for companies, non-profits, and schools — all designed to welcome newcomers into improv regardless of language fluency or stage experience.

Founded by Rudy Mendoza

Rudy Mendoza is the founder of Bilingual Improv School, the only improv school in Chicago offering classes in Spanish.  Rudy is an understudy for The Second City, performing in the etc theater's  "Improv Supernova," 49th revue "Chaos Theory of Everything," and 48th revue "Best Kept Secret: Tell Everyone." He is a teaching artist with Laughing Together, a non-profit bringing improvisation to school-based mental-health programming, and serves as Facility Coordinator at Collaboraction Theatre in Humboldt Park.

"In a class of fifteen students, I was the only Latino. I knew we had to do something. My goal is to bring new people into improv with a welcoming environment that prioritizes play — and to give Latino voices a stage."

Rudy, who is of Cuban and Panamanian descent, is also the founder of Antojitos Improv, La Hora de Antojitos, and Antojitos Fest — Chicago's only bilingual improv festival.