Jose Gonzalez was a founding member of Galapagos (established in 2003 by former members of Barrow Gang Improv and FLD Productions), one of the pioneering longform improv groups in Phoenix. As one of the founders of The Torch Theatre, Arizona’s first theater dedicated to longform improv, he was an integral part of the team that pooled their experiences as students and performers to transform the Galapagos improv class curriculum into The Torch’s original four-level training program. As longform improv started to take hold in Phoenix, Jose was a member of the faculty that widened the scope of The Torch’s training program to strengthen the student experience and oversaw its expansion to six levels.
With over two decades of experience as a teacher and continually taking classes and workshops to keep sharp and current as a performer, Jose has revised and revamped the award-winning Torch curriculum (Best Improv Classes, Phoenix New Times’ Best of Phoenix 2015 & 2016) to provide the most fun, rigorous, and meaningful longform improv training program he could muster.
The classes launching in March 2025 are the first iteration of Monster Improv’s LIT Pro and are subject to adjustment and changes over time to better serve students. That’s reflected in the naming of our classes as labs, which is also a throwback to Galapagos-era courses.
Let’s open our hearts to serendipity and see how this goes! VROOM!