David Shepherd (producer)

David Shepherd (born 1924) is an American producer, director, and actor primarily noted for his work in improvisational theatre

Career

Born in 1924, in the city of New York City to an old money family, Shepherd grew up with left-leaning sensibilities. He studied English at Harvard and received an M.A. in the History of Theater at Columbia. Disenchanted with what he perceived as a European dominated theater on the East Coast, Shepherd gravitated to the Midwest.Sweet, Jeffrey Something Wonderful Right Away: An Oral History of the Second City and The Compass Players, 2004, page 2

In 1953 Shepherd was one of the co-founders of the Playwrights Theatre Club in Chicago. In 1955 he founded the Compass Players, the forerunner of The Second City. More recently he has been a co-creator of the Canadian Improv Games. In addition to leading workshops in Improvisation, David Shepherd has recently been involved in developing techniques for the creation of improvisational films with his partner, Nancy Fletcher. David has written a book entitled, That Movie in Your Head, about the process of improvised movie making. David resides near Amherst, MA.

2010 saw the completion of "David Shepherd: A Lifetime of Improvisational Theatre.” This documentary is an oral history detailing the career of David Shepherd and his contributions to Improvisational Theatre. The project is the brainchild of Willie Wyllie, CEO of the Canadian Improv Games (a national high school...
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