Hi, I’m Ann Doherty-Hardbattle.

I have been an educator for over 25 years.

I’m originally from NYC, and life brought me to Japan to teach English as a Foreign Language to children and adults in 1994. I was an EFL teacher there for 10 years, and upon my return to NYC, I continued teaching adults English from 2005 – 2020.

My improv journey began in 2001 in Tokyo with the Tokyo Comedy Store (TCS).  From my first workshop, I was hooked. Improv was exhilarating and so much fun!

I was asked to join TCS’s semi-professional improv troupe, Spontaneous Confusion, and I performed regularly at a venue with them in Tokyo from 2002 – 2005.

Upon returning to NYC in 2005, I took class at Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater, and then started taking class with Magnet Theater, where I completed four levels of their training program, and was then accepted into their conservatory program.  I also performed with various student improv teams over a 5-year period.

When I moved to Orange Park, Florida in 2020, I knew I wanted to share my love of improv. I started Ann’s Improv in 2021, and have been teaching a wonderful group of adults monthly since then. I have created a nurturing community-based improv program, accessible for mixed-level improv students.

One of my students thought I would be a perfect fit for Shepherd’s Center, a senior center here in Orange Park. I started teaching improv to older adults there in October of 2022 – and fell in love with it. As a result, I created Spontaneous Smiles!!, an improv program tailor-made for older adults.

In addition to teaching regular community-based improv classes, I am thrilled to be able to deliver innovative improv programming to the senior community as well. Teaching seniors has become a real passion for me, and I look forward to teaching each and every class. I love modifying improv games and activities to meet the needs of older adults -and I am overjoyed at the spontaneous smiles that my program Spontaneous Smiles!! brings to these mature adults.