about
Mission
Our mission is to equip students with the building blocks for personal and professional success through the power of an improv education
Vision
Every child leaves school prepared to embrace challenge, seize opportunity and unlock their own potential
our team
advisory committee
Dr. Angela Duckworth
Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania
Chief Executive Officer, Character Lab
New York Times bestselling author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Mae Early
Director of Education, Philadelphia Young Playwrights
John Gamba
Director of Innovative Programs, University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education
Kumud Goyal
Senior Vice President, Genomatica
Greg Hagin
Partner and Managing Director, CCS Fundraising
Kristen Krista
Director of Major Gifts, Franklin & Marshall College
Kelly Leonard
Executive Director of Insights and Applied Improvisation, The Second City
Christian Talbot
Founder, Basecamp
Stanford Thompson
Founder and Executive Director, Play on Philly
founding story
We’re Meera and Philip. We met on the first day of college and immediately became friends, bonding over a shared passion for the performing arts. Through our theater and improv experiences growing up, we developed confidence, sharpened our communication skills, respected and worked with differing viewpoints, and became comfortable with vulnerability. As business students, we found that these very same skills have been instrumental to our success in both school and the workforce – we learned how to be articulate public speakers, how to better understand others’ point of views, and how to persevere in the face of adversity. Drawing from these experiences, we created Unscripted to equip students with the building blocks for personal and professional success through improv; we aim to provide its value to everyone, particularly to those who might not otherwise have access.
Launched through the generous support of The University of Pennsylvania’s President's Engagement Prize, we are deeply committed to taking a methodical and interdisciplinary approach in building an innovative and impactful program for the students of Philadelphia. This all would not be possible without the support of educators, advocates, volunteers, and numerous partners - we are so excited for you to join us on our journey at The Unscripted Project.