First Idea Lounge of 2025! Laura Wachtel and Maggie Parr discuss Art, Business, and Purpose

Wednesday, January 22, 7-8 PM (Doors open at 6:30)

$15/members; $20 non-members

What is the Idea Lounge?

The Idea Lounge pairs two speakers who may have never met. One speaker is from the arts and the other is not. For twenty minutes each, the speakers present an aspect of their lives which may include how they chose their professions, how people or circumstances inspired them, or decisions they made that changed their lives. The audience has equal time to uncover the commonalities between two seemingly disparate topics and career paths.

Laura Wachtel (left) and Maggie Parr

Laura Wachtel: The Art and Business of Improv

Laura began her improv journey as a shy and deeply self-conscious person seeking tools to be more comfortable in the world. She would never have imagined that she would become a company member at the very place that trained her (BATS Improv in San Francisco) much less starting her own business.  Laura started ZipLine Improv, and nearly 20 years later, she continues to hold a variety of classes including corporate team building. She continues to bring transformative tools and gifts of improv to the North Bay and to demystify what it takes to be an improviser. She is constantly surprised and grateful that she is paid to do so.

Maggie Parr: Finding Purpose as an Artist

Maggie started at Walt Disney Imagineering as a show designer creating theme park attractions. Over the years, Maggie has built a versatile career as an artist, designer, and writer. She expanded into book illustration, murals, portraits, comics; and writing novels, screenplays, and a self-help book. Maggie also studied classical techniques with master painters and earned an MFA in Illustration, developing a unique style that bridges realism and expressionism. Today, Maggie teaches artists classical techniques and mentors creatives in pursuit of authenticity and personal growth.