The Duality of Chaos

Picture this: you’re on stage with a small group of actors as the audience shouts prompts for a scene you’re about to spin up from thin air. There’s no direction or script. The only rule? You have to say yes, and build on whatever your stagemates have contributed. It’s thrilling and chaotic, maybe even a little bit terrifying. It’s improv—the chosen world of our next Airbnb Design—Talks guest, Julie Brister.

Julie became a part of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in 1997, and started teaching improv at UCBNY in 2001. Her credits are versatile, ranging from dramatic to comedic. She most recently starred in the Amazon series Goliath alongside Billy Bob Thornton, and has also landed roles on Parks and Rec (NBC), Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX), and Conan (TBS), to name a few.

During this session, Julie will take us through the journey that led her to a professional acting career, show us what makes or breaks a scene, and wax poetic on the good that comes from relinquishing control. This will be a high-energy, insightful talk that you won’t want to miss, so don’t think twice and join us.

We want to ensure this session is as inclusive as possible, so please email designtalks@airbnb.com with any accessibility requests and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.