Chuy Zarate

Estevan J. (Chuy) Zarate is an actor/director/coach from San Antonio TX that has been improvising for audiences for 34 years. He has lived most of his life in Improv Mecca Austin TX. Chuy was one of the driving forces of improv in the early 2000s in Austin. He helped make it the viable improv comedy scene that it is today. 

Chuy currently teaches improv at The Hideout Theatre, Coldtowne Theater & Merlin Works Comedy School.

Current and previous improv troupes include The Hideout Theatre's house troupe: The Big Bash, Luby's Bingo Hall, Merlinworks faculty troupe: The Known Wizards, An Evening With...With Tyler and Chuy feat. Tosin, duos: Pizarati w/ Ellen Pizarek, ChuTopp w/ Topping Haggerty, RD: We Go For It! w/Rachel Austin, Dorsey/Zárate w/ Neil Dorsey and The Project with his 21 year old son Antonio. Past mainstay Austin and San Antonio troupes include: The Oxymorons, Your Dad's Friends, Ray Prewitt's 4th Grade Class, ¡Zarzamora! and Monk's Night Out. 

He also directed and performed with sketch troupes The Latino Comedy Project and The Mexcentrics. He has a very eclectic tool belt to reach into that allows him to teach all styles and formats. If there is a scenario to be performed in, he has probably performed it. With specialties in improv singing, grounded/character-driven scenework and team building, Chuy has coached hundreds of kids, teens, students and adults for years to multiple successes.

Some feedback from previous trainings...

'What a delightful teacher you are. Skilled and kind and wonderful too. Looking forward to all the amazing things you will do as per usual at the maestro :) thank you!'
-Laxmi Priya, Improv Comedy Bangalore

'Hi chuy, I have attended your workshop day before yesterday. It's a life lesson for me to spend more time to really learn how interesting i am than to go for many many jams. You really taught me how to listen through heart.. because I am bringing so much of myself to the scene. You really broke down the process to me.. I'm really thankful to you' - Pranavi Pullagummi, Improv Comedy Bangalore

Hello Chuy!
...I am massively grateful to have been in 2 of your sessions. They were so insightful and realisations filled for me that by the time I returned from the experience it seemed too late to have written to you about them. The sessions spoke to my soul and I still think about the points you gave us when I do scenes. Thank you for helping me understand that being vulnerable isn't necessarily bad and is infact very important to being a better human. Thank you Chuy! - Athira Vidyadhar, Improv Comedy Bangalore

This is the bonus of what you get when Estevan J. Chuy Zarate hosts the online improv show. The second I saw that filter, I couldn’t even. I was so, SO glad my mic was muted. Because I was dying from laughing.
To my RRISD theatre teacher friends- If you ever need a guest improv teacher/director, contact Chuy!!. I guarantee you, you will have a blast. - Maggie Meador, Theater Teacher at Cedar Valley MS

Chuy, great workshop today!  Thanks for sharing your wisdom and experience. - Dave
Lindsey (San Diego CA, USA)