Xuan Zhao

Performer · Researcher· Producer

Xuan Zhao (They/ She/ He) is a New York based performer, applied improvisation researcher, and producer whose work bridges performance, education, and intercultural dialogue. Through theatre, storytelling, movement, and community practice, she creates performances, facilitates workshops, and develops collaborative platforms that reconnect people through play, embodiment, and human connection. She holds a B.A. in Economics with a minor in Drama from the University of California, Irvine, and an M.A. in Performing Arts Administration from New York University, bringing together artistic practice, organizational leadership, and interdisciplinary research.

As a performer, Xuan is an actor, improviser, storyteller, and multidisciplinary theatre artist. She has trained across renowned improvisational theaters in New York, Chicago, and California, including Magnet Theater, The Annoyance Theatre, The PIT, and iO Theater, , building a practice that spans theatrical improvisation, musical improv, sketch comedy, storytelling, and physical performance. She is currently a house team performer at Magnet Theater with both the musical improv team GO GO GO! and the sketch team Hot Dolphin. Her work has been presented in venues ranging from intimate community theaters to Off-Broadway stages, and she has performed at festivals including DC Sketchfest, Asian Comedy Fest, and Fun & Dumb Improv Festival, with upcoming appearances at Asian AF Comedy Fest. Alongside her ensemble work, she is currently developing an original full-length solo storytelling performance that blends autobiographical storytelling, improvisation, and embodied performance.

As an applied improvisation researcher, Xuan explores how performance can transform the ways people learn, communicate, and build relationships across cultures. Drawing on an interdisciplinary background in economics, theatre, and arts administration, she approaches improvisation as both an artistic practice and a framework for understanding social systems, cultural exchange, and human-centered learning. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Applied Theatre Network and has facilitated workshops, led presentations, and participated as a panelist at conferences including AATE, AIN, GII, and other interdisciplinary gatherings. Her current research investigates applied improvisation, embodied learning, intercultural communication, and language education, with a particular focus on designing participatory experiences that foster empathy, collaboration, and authentic human connection.

As a producer and arts manager, Xuan develops artistic programs and collaborative platforms that connect performers, educators, researchers, and communities across cultural contexts. During her graduate studies in Performing Arts Administration at New York University, she contributed to the production and management of performances ranging from independent theatre to large-scale collaborative events, including ShowsOff, an all-Asian-cast improv showcase presented at Second City New York. She is also the founder of Big Orange Theater, a Chinese-language improvisation community dedicated to expanding access to improv theatre while cultivating meaningful cross-cultural artistic exchange. Across all of her producing work, Xuan is interested in building sustainable creative ecosystems where artists, educators, and communities can experiment, collaborate, and grow together through performance.