Rocket Improv

Founding (2018)

Lulu French founded Rocket Improv Comedy in Maplewood, New Jersey in 2018, with a specific focus on serving young people through improv comedy education. The organization runs classes and performances for youth performers, using improvisation as a tool for personal development and creative expression in addition to stage skills.

Youth Programming

Rocket Improv's programs center on the confidence-building and collaborative dimensions of improv, working with students in the Maplewood area and broader Northern New Jersey communities. The youth-first mission distinguishes Rocket Improv from general-audience improv companies in the region.

Rocket Improv Comedy develops young performers in Maplewood, New Jersey through improv education focused on confidence, creativity, and collaboration.

Self-Destructing Fun House and Chaotic Good (ensemble shows presented in Maplewood, NJ). Montclair Improv Comedy (regular performance series in Montclair, NJ). Youth performance ensembles: Blast-Off (9th-12th grade, invitation-only), Rocketeers (6th-10th grade), and Advanced Moonwalkers (8th-10th grade). Adult and youth class curriculum spanning beginner (Joyful and Not Scary Improv) through advanced (Exploring Longform). Improv summer camps for children and teens.

Lulu French founded Rocket Improv in 2018 in Maplewood, New Jersey, with a mission focused specifically on improv education and performance for young people. The organization built a tiered youth curriculum organized by age and experience level, progressing from Firecrackers (grades 1 through 3) through Rocket Fuel, Jet Packs, Moonwalkers, and invitation-only ensembles including Rocketeers, Advanced Moonwalkers, and Blast Off for Teens. A Writer's Room track for high school students extends the program into comedic writing. Adult classes running concurrently allow parents and community members to participate alongside the youth programs.

Rocket Improv has assembled a faculty of practitioners from the broader New York and New Jersey improv community, including instructors with backgrounds at major training centers. Summer improv camp and a Dungeons and Dragons performance program broaden the organization's reach beyond conventional comedy instruction. By establishing a structured educational pipeline from early elementary through high school, Rocket Improv has created one of the most age-differentiated youth improv curricula in the region, filling a gap for families in Essex County seeking performing arts training that centers confidence-building and creative risk-taking.