Conor Hanney has built a unique career blending writing with live improvised musicals. As founder and director of THEE Improvised Musical, he leads a show in Los Angeles at The Elysian Theater creating fully improvised musicals with a band, drawing audiences craving fresh, one-of-a-kind entertainment.
— Conor Hanney has built his career around story—both on the page and on the stage. Though he has years of experience writing for major studios like Disney, Netflix, Paramount, and Warner Bros., his passion project is anything but scripted: THEE Improvised Musical, a fully improvised musical comedy built entirely on audience suggestions.
Every performance is made up on the spot. No script. No cues. Just an ensemble cast, a live four-piece band, and an audience ready to see where the night takes them. And yet, the show delivers with the polish and energy of a Broadway production.
“We really do make up everything,” Hanney explains. “All the characters, story, dialogue, lyrics, singing, rhyming, and attempts at dancing.”
The company has performed over 200 shows and currently runs at The Elysian Theater in Los Angeles. The Elysian spotlights the best in LA’s burgeoning alternative comedy scene, drawing both returning fans and curious first-timers of THEE Improvised Musical to the beguiling 150-seat venue.
Hanney’s background in screenwriting, playwriting, and songwriting shapes the show. With experience in nine writers’ rooms, 14 stage productions, and a track record of sold scripts and songs, he brings an instinct for both musical and narrative theory to each performance, even as it unfolds in real time.
“In 60 minutes, we do a week’s worth of writing and a month’s worth of songwriting,” he says. “Probably way more than that, because us writers are lazy.”
Hanney’s commitment onstage is never in question, perhaps no more evident than at an Elysian show in July 2024, where he managed to catch an actual fly from midair and eat it. Twice. Hanney is also notorious for his live scripted stunts, particularly in best man speeches where he has dressed in drag as a bridesmaid in Tuscany, teased a fake proposal in Michigan, and performed a full musical number in Texas, complete with a breakdancer, sword juggler, and the Austin Children’s Choir.
Hanney also supports performers with disabilities, as the founder and director of THEE Improvised Musical’s opening act Down to Clown: the first all-Down syndrome improv team. Offstage, he runs an adaptive improv school of the same name with his brother Kevin, with whom he also GMs a special needs Buddy Baseball little league. He regularly casts neurodiverse actors in his productions—work that has earned awards for both its inclusivity and craft, from the Hollywood Fringe Festival to Princeton University.
Hanney and his team plan to bring THEE Improvised Musical to new audiences, with a debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in sight, as well as tours to festivals, universities, and beyond.
Hanney’s work on THEE Improvised Musical weaves together the full breadth of his creative experience. As the show’s founder, director, and producer (alongside Rob Zaleski), he draws on years of screenwriting, playwriting, and songwriting to shape spontaneous performances that resonate with story, laughs, and emotionality. With over 200 shows over 10 years, he’s built a growing audience for a novel format that thrives on unpredictability and live connection. His ongoing commitment to inclusivity—especially through his work with neurodiverse performers—adds further depth to the production’s impact. As the company prepares for its debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and bigger stages ahead, Hanney continues to lead with clarity, collaboration, and a genuine love for musical storytelling.
About Conor Hanney:
Conor Hanney writes and composes for the screen and stage, as a member of the WGA and BMI, represented by IAG, Circle M+P, UIA, and Feldshow Law PLLC. He worked as a creative executive at DreamWorks Animation, an adjunct professor for the University of Notre Dame, and has written scripts and songs for Disney, Netflix, and Paramount. Hanney also writes and ghostwrites novels, with the subrights to his first manuscript acquired by Disney. He is currently developing new series for major studios, as well as new musicals and books, and his work has already earned multiple awards for its unique brand of neuroinclusivity that never sacrifices entertainment.
Contact Info:
Name: Conor Hanney
Email: Send Email
Organization: THEE Improvised Musical / Birthday Ham, Inc.
Address: Los Angeles, California
Website: https://theeimprovisedmusical.com/
Release ID: 89160334
If you detect any issues, problems, or errors in this press release content, kindly contact error@releasecontact.com to notify us (it is important to note that this email is the authorized channel for such matters, sending multiple emails to multiple addresses does not necessarily help expedite your request). We will respond and rectify the situation in the next 8 hours.