A smiling man with a beard and bald head, wearing a camouflage-patterned shirt, indoors with a brick and wooden wall background.

Why I Teach Improv

I’m Sol Aziz, the founder of SolPlay Improv.

I teach improv to help people grow — to connect with others, express themselves more fully, and play more boldly in life. Over the years, I’ve developed a teaching style focused on clarity, practical tools, and meeting students where they are. 

Whether it’s comedy, storytelling, or confidence, I aim to help each person bring more of themselves to the stage — and into their everyday lives.

That’s the heart of SolPlay Improv: a space for connection, creativity, and personal growth — for you, me, and everybody.

We’re here to explore, support each other, and find joy through the magic of play.

My Improv Journey

I started my improv journey in 2018 at the DC Improv, where I completed their full curriculum. From there, I went through Washington Improv Theater’s program, finishing in 2019.

During that time, I performed on indie teams (not affiliated with any theaters) and dove into workshops whenever I could — driven by a deep curiosity about performance, human connection, and how improv could impact real life.

After a break during 2020–2021, I returned to improv and began practicing regularly with an indie team, bringing in different coaches to focus on specific skills.

Through that process, I learned how various teachers approach improv — and began noticing what helped me and my teammates grow.

Discovering Teaching

In 2022, I began teaching workshops for a nonprofit — and something clicked.

I realized I loved teaching. It wasn’t just fun — it was deeply rewarding and meaningful. I could help people grow, connect, and express themselves in surprising ways.

In 2023, I auditioned and joined Washington Improv Theater’s Harold program, performing regularly with a team and continuing to grow as a player.

At the same time, I began training as a teaching assistant — a pathway to teaching full classes at Washington Improv Theater.

During this time, I continued leading my own workshops on emotional dynamics, relationships, communication, status, and other topics — blending Keith Johnstone’s philosophy of improv as self-discovery with coaching-based methods that help students find their own inner improviser.

Creating SolPlay Improv

By 2024, I was teaching full classes at WIT. In early 2025, I joined Reflex Improv and helped launch their Summer of Improv program in Savage, Maryland.

That experience was the spark that led me to create SolPlay Improv — a school built on connection, creativity, and personal growth through play.

How I Teach

My teaching style is grounded in clarity, empowering students, and sharing tools that actually work — while creating a space where people feel safe to take risks, comfortable to fail, and free to have fun.

Whether you're here to be funnier, more playful, to feel more at ease with yourself — or just try something new — we’ll do it together.

Let’s play!

Six people standing on a stage with a red curtain, posing with playful gestures, under colorful stage lighting.
A group of ten diverse people posing playfully outside Glenwood Branch Library, with some crouching and others standing, making funny faces and gestures.
Group of people posing enthusiastically indoors, showcasing a variety of facial expressions and gestures.
Group of diverse people posing excitedly and happily in a room, some with their arms raised or making gestures, celebrating or having fun.
Group of 14 diverse people in an office, making funny, surprised, or playful expressions, some kneeling, some standing, some with hands near their face, in front of a plain gray background.