Shaun Landry and Hans Summers set Oakland return at Pan Theater

Improv veterans Shaun Landry and Hans Summers will perform two nights at Oakland’s Pan Theater on Sept. 18 and 19, 2026, with Landry also leading a workshop the next day. The booking brings back longtime Bay Area improv figures whose careers span The Second City, iO, and early Chicago improv history.

Why it matters: - Shaun Landry and Hans Summers are longtime improv figures with deep Bay Area ties, so their Oakland return gives local audiences a rare chance to see two pioneers in one venue. - The run also includes Landry’s workshop, extending the event beyond performances into training for improvisers. - Pan Theater is using the booking to spotlight improv history, long-form technique, and the legacy of Black and African American sketch and improv ensembles.

What happened: - Pan Theater will host Shaun Landry and Hans Summers for two performances on Friday, Sept. 18, and Saturday, Sept. 19, at 8 p.m. in Oakland. - Landry will lead her workshop, The Art of the Improvised Monologue, on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. - The performances follow the duo’s run at the Dramatic Improv Festival. - The shows are set for Pan Theater, 120 Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland. - General admission tickets are $20, with seating described as extremely limited.

The details: - Landry and Summers have performed together since 1986. - The pair founded Oui Be Negroes, described as America’s first almost all Black improv troupe. - Both trained during Chicago’s early improv renaissance under Del Close and other pioneers. - Both have taught and performed at iO, iO West, The Second City, and other major improv institutions. - Their work appears in Amy E. Seham’s improv history, Whose Improv Is It Anyway?: Beyond Second City. - David Alger, Pan Theater founder, said the duo’s work shows “what improvisational theater can be” and its power “to make audiences think, to transform people.” - Alger said he first encountered long-form improv through Landry and Summers in the Mission in 2003 and called their return “a remarkable experience.”

Between the lines: - The booking pairs performance and instruction, which suggests Pan Theater is targeting both general audiences and improv practitioners. - Landry and Summers’ history connects Chicago improv, Black theater history, and Bay Area improv culture in a single event. - Pan Theater is the oldest improv theater in Oakland, founded in 2002, and the event fits its focus on Meisner Technique and Viola Spolin’s improv games.

What's next: - Interest will likely center on the two-night run and the limited seating at Pan Theater. - The workshop may draw performers looking for hands-on training from a veteran improviser. - More information and workshop tickets are available through Pan Theater’s workshop page.

The bottom line: - Landry and Summers are bringing decades of improv history back to Oakland for a small, two-night engagement with an added masterclass for local performers.