Rising Stars: Meet Gina Dugan of Old Town Tustin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gina Dugan.

Hi Gina, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Back when I was dating (am now married to) Devin Dugan, I would watch a good amount of his stand up comedy shows. I was quite shy sitting in the audience just being a supportive girlfriend at the time. After a while, Devin went back to doing improv Comedy in San Diego which I would go and watch as well. I had never seen live comedy like that before and was very impressed with it all. I was never the type to wanted to be in the spotlight or perform/speak/be in front of a crowd.

One day, Devin wanted to gather a few comedy friends together and do some fun improv exercises and act out some scenes in a rented garage. Of course I tagged along to watch but somehow got swept up in it to join along. It was fun.

The following week, we gathered again and I decided to join again with the intention that, I only jumped in when an extra person was needed for a scene or improv game.

After several months of the same group of friends gathering, he decided to put on a showcase. The showcase was meant for us to invite friends and family who wanted too some comedy. He needed a certain amount of people to put on this showcase and he was one person short. I agreed to do this show for this one time only. We did the show for the handful of our friends and family and it was a hit! At this point I wanted to do more.

We continued doing these small friends and family shows once a month. After a while it became twice a month. More people started showing up, people we didn’t know. Soon we were doing shows every week.

After a few years of performing improv locally in Tustin and Irvine, I decided to take some classes at The Second City Training Center in Hollywood, where we studied both improv and Sketch comedy. Once I finished the conservatory there, I went on to take classes at Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles to learn Long form improv.

I began teaching improv at the surrounding high schools in Orange County as well as adults within my theater. I usually like to tell my story to potential students looking to develop their personal or professional mindset, as learning the tools of improv will change your life as it did mine in such a positive way.

Together with my husband Devin, we started ImprovCity, a small theater company in Old Town Tustin.

It has now been 17 years since my first improv experience in that rented garage and I’ve been performing and producing shows every week since.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t always been smooth, we were renting a small space above a bowling alley, when they closed due to Covid, we closed. We began doing zoom shows, which was a challenge in itself. Around that time I lost my dad. It was a hard time for me. I didn’t partake in any of the zoom shows while I grieved for my dad as well as the state of the world with Covid. Once things started opening back up, I felt so out of practice I wondered if I would ever get back into it. Luckily being so involved as I was, I was back in no time.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I get to teach what I love. Especially to the many introverted people who are hesitant to take that first step. I tell my story and show people how they can also find a way to shine, in a fun, supportive environment.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I believe live comedy is here to stay. The beauty of improv comedy is that it’s different every time you see it. This is something that can’t be replaced by AI or any other automated experience. It’s so unique to person experiences, it just can’t be replaced by anything else.