Katy McEwen grew up in Dayton, Ohio and graduated with honors and a Bachelors of Fine Arts in acting from Wright State University. Unlike most of us, she actually used her degree and joined the Brave New Workshop in 1997. Since then, Katy McEwen has become one of the most prominent female comedians and motivational speakers in the Twin Cities. She has written, produced and performed in dozens of productions for the Brave New Workshop’s mainstage and, through her work with the BNW Student Union, she’s empowered hundreds of students to embrace improvisation in their everyday lives. In addition, she’s an instructor in the student conservatory at the Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis and part of the nationally acclaimed Neighborhood Bridges program, which develops children’s skills to write, speak and think critically through storytelling and drama. She has also taught as visiting faculty at the University of Minnesota and been a guest instructor at local theatres. It’s enough to make a normal person collapse from exhaustion. But she keeps going. Thanks, caffeine.

In addition to that ridiculously long list of other work, Katy is also a female keynote speaker and leads women’s workshops for the Brave New Workshop. She teaches women how to use the concepts behind improvisation to build their confidence and use their strengths and skills in order to accomplish their personal and professional goals. Her messages have resonated with corporate and business audiences including, Best Buy, Cargill, Disney Cruise Lines, General Mills, Microsoft, Target, Land O’Lakes, Yahoo! and many more.