CRISTINA AINHOA
founder, actor, improv junkie
Cristina is an actor, improviser and member of the screen actors guild having received formal training in acting, voice and dance in New York City.
She began her improv journey at Improv Olympic in Los Angeles. She later went on to the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Los Angeles where she studied long form and musical comedy while working as a work-study student on Friday Nights at UCB Franklin. This was only after spending her afternoon doing reps at some version of a speak-easy practice group at The Clubhouse’s Improv Bootcamp in Hollywood.
Cristina is an empathic and intuitive educator whose teaching style blends deep listening with bold encouragement. She creates a space where students feel truly seen, while also being gently but powerfully challenged to move beyond their comfort zones. With a gift for tapping into each student’s unique potential, she inspires growth not just in skill, but in confidence, creativity, and self-awareness. Her classroom is a space of transformation, where curiosity is met with care—and boundaries are expanded with purpose.
Some of her most influential and formative coaches whose pedagogy informs her own include Will Hines, Jaime Moyer, Suzi Barrett and James Mastraieni.
She also did character work at Second City Hollywood where she was a cast member of the Second City’s premium show “ Hispanic Attack” and was also featured in the Los Angeles Diversity in Comedy Festival, celebrating talent from diverse backgrounds. She hopes to help expand and build community and enthusiasm for long form comedy in Boston.
ROSEMARY WEST
Rosemary is a New York City and Boston-based actor, improviser, and performance artist. She began her artistic journey in portraiture before discovering a passion for performance art. Her acclaimed solo piece, Egg, debuted at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and continues to be performed regularly.
Rosemary launched her improv career at Boston’s Improv Asylum, first joining the women and femmes cast, Hen House, before being cast in the theater’s resident NXT ensemble, known for its fast-paced, interactive sketch comedy. She continues to study with the MainStage cast and has received formal acting training.She is a whirlwind of laughter, warmth, and high-energy playfulness! With a heart as big as her sense of humor, she creates a welcoming space where students feel safe to take risks, be silly, and grow their confidence on and off the stage. Her teaching style is like a cozy hug—supportive, uplifting, and sprinkled with just the right amount of mischief. Whether you're a total beginner or a seasoned performer, she’ll help you find your funny and feel fantastic doing it.
actor, visual artist, improv junkie
…additional bios
Coming Soon
Special Guest Instructors
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James Mastraieni
What People Are Saying
“Cristina has been such an impactful teacher. She's helped me break out of my comedy shell and really get what it means to be an improv performer. I can't speak highly enough of her constructive and supportive teaching style. Using small groups she put concepts into practice and helped us really drill in those ideas with active learning. 10/10. 5 Stars. Cool person. Take classes at Indie Prov if you wanna be good at stuff.”
— Dan Holly, improviser, comedian, engineer, educator
“My journey in improv got much more serious/professional when I took a class with Cristina. Her teaching style was fun, supportive, but helped me to grow much faster than I have with other improv teachers. She saw my potential and helped me pinpoint my strengths and weaknesses to become a stronger improviser within the span of just a few weeks.”
Caity Holly, improviser, main cast, medical health specialist
“Cristina was a very well-rounded instructor who taught a variety of improv fundamentals. Personally, I thought that her focus on grounding our characters in the scene’s reality was the most helpful for myself and the entire class.”
— Lili Loughlin, improviser, member of the main cast, robotics scientist
“ Cristina provides insightful feedback and brings experience from multiple improv styles. She creates an environment where you feel real growth after each class! She is supportive yet challenging in the best way, keeping you accountable to your own progress.”
— Ian Darby, improviser, comedian, engineer, educator