Meet Our Team
Allow us to introduce you to some of the best teachers and support staff working to provide Portland Improv Classes with joy and community… Our instructors bring backgrounds in professional theater, applied improvisation, and corporate facilitation — with clients ranging from individual students to Fortune 500 companies…
David, in his happy place: the Change Through Play studio
David Koff (He/Him)
FOUNDER, Improv facilitator Teacher
David's been improvising professionally for over 30 years, and he still loves playing on stage and exploring spontaneous comedy. He joined the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) in 1993 and continues to act on TV, film, and in commercials.
He's directed some of his own comedy and acting heroes — and then stepped onstage to perform alongside them in the very shows he was directing. This includes Emmy Award-winning comedians John Larroquette and Ray Romano; Saturday Night Live alumni Jon Lovitz and Laraine Newman; Mark McKinney, Kevin McDonald, and Dave Foley of The Kids in the Hall; Mindy Sterling from the Austin Powers films; 4-time Emmy nominated comedy actor Fred Willard; Emmy-nominated actor George Wendt; The Firesign Theatre's Phil Proctor; and many more.
What matters more than the names is that nearly every guest star David's directed has come back to work with him again.
It also makes Change Through Play the only applied or performance improv studio in Portland led by a working professional actor with more than three decades in the industry. When David teaches you how to hold a room, he's not describing something he read in a book — it's something he did last month, on stage, with some of the most recognizable names in comedy.
As a facilitator and trainer, David brings that same instinct for reading a room to staff and leadership teams at Nike, Intel, Tektronix, Joyful, PwC, Comcast, and many other Fortune 500 companies — blending tools from acting, improvisation, physical movement, and psychology into something that actually sticks.
He began studying improv at The Groundlings in 1992, then trained under Stan Wells at The Empty Stage Theater for over a decade. He went on to work with Bill Steinkellner in his master class, and still drops in whenever he's back in Los Angeles. David's produced fully and partially improvised shows since 1995, including the long-running "Fake Radio" and "The Wonderful Woman of Oz."
Before opening Change Through Play, David taught and performed in the main company at Curious Comedy, then at The Brody Theater under Tom Johnson. He also taught at CSz.
In 2017, David received a RACC grant for his applied improvisation work at St. Andrew Nativity school. That work became a documentary you can watch here and, in 2018, a keynote about his students at the AIN conference in Paris. You can watch his presentation or visit David at his own website.
Lisa Merlo (she/her)
Improv & Theater Teacher
Lisa first got started in theater in the California Bay Area with the Children's Theater Workshop. She’s been a lifelong student of theater and performance, playing on local stages throughout PDX with the Impro Players and with Change Through Play's house teams. Lisa began teaching at Canby HS in 2016. She currently directs the Sellwood Middle School improv troupe with Rogue Pack Collective and continues training with David Koff in Change Through Play’s advanced performance classes. She lives at home with her dog Sofi, cat Oxanjo, and three children: Aspen, Mariano and Nico.
Brittney Van Eck (she/her)
studio admin & Client Development
Brittney has been part of the Change Through Play crew since 2022, helping shape how we share our work and connect with our community. With a background in social media and communications, she’s played a big role in getting the word out about what we do — and why it matters. Brittney was also our very first remote team member. She’s based in sunny Cape Town, South Africa, where she lives with her busy (and adorable) young son, husband and pets.
These days, she serves as our go-to client liaison, supporting both our Portland students and the businesses that reach out for corporate training. If you’ve emailed us, chances are you’ve already experienced her warmth and organization firsthand.
Natasha Von Salza (she/her)
Improv & Theater Teacher
Natasha graduated from CSU Chico State in 2013 with a degree in Political Science and Outdoor Education. She studied abroad in 2012 in Sweden, where she lived until 2021. After a corporate career as a manager for Starbucks for over 5 years, she returned to her artistic roots and now teaches outdoor education to children ages 5-12. She uses improv, structured curriculums and experiential learning to facilitate children's learning and play. Natasha studied improv under Mary Pat McCoy at Change Through Play, before going on to study under its Founder, David Koff. She remains in the studio’s Advanced Lab series, where she continues to study, develop, and refine her long-form improvisation practice and knowledge.
