Second City alumna Tara DeFrancisco — who also has performed with ComedySportz, iO, and Annoyance Theatres in Chicago, not to mention being named the funniest person in Chicago — is offering a workshop open to anyone 16 or older interested in the opportunity to learn Chicago-style improv here on the Vineyard.

A guest of Troubled Shores, the Island’s improv company, Ms. DeFrancisco also will work with IMP Camp kids enrolled in session four and the company’s professional troupes.

She has performed more than 1,700 improv and sketch shows across the nation, has taught hundreds of students, and coaches several teams in the Chicago area. Recently, she was awarded Funniest Person in Chicago by the Free Press for her ventures in stand-up, sketch and improv. She was added in 2008 as One to Watch in Time Out Chicago, and just this month she won Top 25 Funniest Women in Curve Magazine. In the fall of 2008, she was scouted for Saturday Night Live, and was one of six women from across the nation flown to the studio to audition.

This year, she has been scouted by other production companies, and has landed work in print ads, voiceovers, and industrials. She teaches improv courses and workshops to people of all ages and backgrounds.

Her workshop is set for Tuesday, August 4, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Edgartown School. The cost is $35. For details and to register, see online taradefrancisco.com or e-mail Donna Swift at info@troubledshores.com.