by kevhines » Thu May 26, 2016 10:03 am
The pre-reqs for all classes are "Completed or currently enrolled in Improv 201 or out-of town performer." unless stated otherwise.
Tuesday 3:30pm-6:30pm (June 21st)
As If with Will Hines
Some drills about acting truthfully. Instead of naming the game, we'll name the "as if" -- meaning "I played the waiter as if he were a drill sergeant."
Wednesday 2:30pm-5:30pm (June 22nd)
On Game with Michael Delaney
Cover game principles and dyanmics with one of the premier improv teachers.
Pre-req: Completed or currently enrolled in Improv 401 or out-of town performer.
Wednesday 3:30pm-6:30pm (June 22nd)
As If with Will Hines
Some drills about acting truthfully. Instead of naming the game, we'll name the "as if" -- meaning "I played the waiter as if he were a drill sergeant."
Drawing From Life with Erik Tanouye
We'll focus on exercises and techniques for bringing our own lives, attitudes, ideas, and experiences into our improv and Harolds.
60 Scenes!! with Kevin Hines
The best way to get better at performing improv is by doing a lot of scenes. In this class the goal will be to run 60 scenes. (note: The last time Kevin did this class he only got 45 scenes in, but he refuses to change the name.) Minimal notes, slight side coaching - but lots of reps. We'll discuss any trends I see and you'll get comfortable playing short strong scenes and work at avoiding early pitfalls.
Well-Behaved Women with Nicole Drespel
This is a workshop for women improvisers who always follow the rules, never step on any toes, and are maybe too concerned with the greater good and not screwing up. Learn to unleash your inner monster without betraying what you value. Please note: this class may not involve an analysis of the Laura Thatcher Ulrich quote that title is based on but it COULD.
Pre-req: Woman-identifying students who have either completed Improv 401 or are out-of town performer.
Make Shit Up with Patrick Noth
Truthful performing at the top of your intelligence is a must whilst making shit up.
Learn to Love A Rope with Geoff Garlock
Tragedy+time=comedy or so they say. So let's put that to the test. A class where the focus is trying to write comedy about the painful things that have happened in our lives (breakups, divorce, depression, death in the family etc). Let's try to make hilarity out of the shit mountain that is life.
Students should bring one sketch to the workshop that is based on something real/sad that they are trying to tap into
Pre-req: Completed or currently enrolled in Sketch 101 or out-of town performer.
Magical Momentum with Lydia Hensler
This class is for performers who are comfortable with The Harold. We will be focusing on looking at the Harold as a full piece and the role momentum plays in creating unforgettable Harolds.
Pre-req: Completed or currently enrolled in Improv 401 or out-of town performer.
Character Generation Bootcamp with Natasha Vaynblat
Leave with an arsenal of tools to generate characters.
Pre-req: Completed or currently enrolled in any multi-session UCB Class or out-of town performer.
Wednesday 7pm-10pm (June 22nd)
The Straightman Workshop with Achilles Stamatelaky
This workshop will teach you how to play yourself and react honestly while still keeping the scene alive with fun, top of your intelligence moves. Perfect for improvisers who get stuck in argument, players who constantly find themselves playing weird unjustified characters, and everyone in between.
THE SPOKANE with Ben Rameaka
The Spokane! This long form will allow you the pleasure of immediate gratification. Through gifting, listening and support you can see character development appear before your eyes using tag outs, cut toe, and cut backs all built around a central narrative. The Spokane (sometimes called the Delicate Flower, sometimes the Family Guy) is a long form structure that travels in real time along a single scene while cutting to (and cutting back from) various specifics about certain characters as we learn more about them through the original scene. Imagine the hub of a wheel with several spokes extending from it. The form allows us to see and do exactly what we are talking about while continually returning to a grounded scene that facilitates more and funnier behavior.
Pre-req: Completed or currently enrolled in Improv 401 or out-of town performer.
I heart third beats! with Lydia Hensler
This workshop will focus on removing the the fear and hesitation going into third beats and maintaining joy and momentum at the end of your show while playing game and looking out for connections.
Organic Scenework with Keisha Zollar
Organic mindset, building organic scenes and transitions. Bold fearless, clear choices
Sketch Heightening with Damian Chadwick
Heighten and explore your sketch game faster and further. We will watch and discuss some examples of sketches that heighten well, and talk about ways to quickly establish and explore a game. Bring a sketch of your own that you think could benefit from heightening more or in different ways. Bring enough printed copies of your scene to do a table read.
Pre-req: Completed or currently enrolled in Sketch 101 or out-of town performer.
Impression Improvement with Frank Garcia-Hejl
This workshop will focus on impression tips and exercises to help you develop stronger impressions using character philosophy and improv skills to avoid empty reference based impressions. We'll also focus on facial and vocal techniques to help you lock into impressions easier.
Thursday 3:30pm-6:30pm (June 23rd)
Shut Up and Move with Dave Theune
We hear "Show, don't tell" a lot, but are we taking it to heart? Get ready to move in this fun workshop that focuses on being patient (quiet) at the top of your scene and eventually being patient (quiet!) throughout your scene. We'll use silence and music to make simple, fun, and funny scenes. By keeping your mouth shut and your ears and eyes open, you can find things in your scene you never knew were there.
Reality Base with Billy Merritt
Keeping your scenes grounded in reality is the foundation of game play.
It keeps you from trying to invent something funny.
This workshop will focus on the who and where in you scenes, using flash memory exercises, scenes as yourself, and grounding notes focusing on using your 'truth filter'.
Use Your Life with Alex Berg
When we improvise, we should be remembering and discovering- not inventing. In this three hour workshop from Alex Berg (UCB LA), learn techniques to make using details from your own life on stage easier and more effective.
As If with Will Hines
Some drills about acting truthfully. Instead of naming the game, we'll name the "as if" -- meaning "I played the waiter as if he were a drill sergeant."
Connecting with a Partner with Zack Willis
This workshop is for those who find themselves missing things their partners do and say or talking about someone who isn't in the scene or looking in any direction but their partners' when the scene isn't going well. We will focus on tuning into each other so that our games always involve the way these people interact.
Character Lens for Improv with Frank Garcia Hejl
This class will focus on developing strong POV and Justification for characters in improv scenes and exploring "If This Is True What Else Is True?" scenarios to define and explore stronger character games.
The Characters in Your Life with Chrissy Shackelford
Most people in your life are ridiculous and stupid - they think Vin Diesel is the greatest actor in the world or they're the type of person who is only happy when attending a music festival. This workshop will focus on taking inspiration from the real people in your life and turning them into original character pieces/monologues. The workshop will use improv and writing exercises to boil down the "game" and point of view of someone you know and find exciting specifics to bring them to life.
Pre-req: Completed or currently enrolled in any multi-session UCB Class or out-of town performer.
The Spokane with Ben Rameaka
The Spokane! This long form will allow you the pleasure of immediate gratification. Through gifting, listening and support you can see character development appear before your eyes using tag outs, cut toe, and cut backs all built around a central narrative. The Spokane (sometimes called the Delicate Flower, sometimes the Family Guy) is a long form structure that travels in real time along a single scene while cutting to (and cutting back from) various specifics about certain characters as we learn more about them through the original scene. Imagine the hub of a wheel with several spokes extending from it. The form allows us to see and do exactly what we are talking about while continually returning to a grounded scene that facilitates more and funnier behavior
Pre-req: Completed or currently enrolled in Improv 401 or out-of town performer
Historical Monoscene with Nicole Drespel
A monoscene workshop that will focus on setting the scene in a time and place that looks nothing like our present world. Learn how to fudge the details collectively and still build a world that feels cohesive, interesting, and vaguely plausible.
Pre-req: Completed or currently enrolled in Improv 401 or out-of town performer
Do You Think This Is Funny? with Geoff Garlock
Focusing on writing sketches we actually think are funny and unique vs just writing a sketch that is serviceable
Please bring a sketch to class with enough copies for a table read
Pre-req: Completed or currently enrolled in Sketch 101 or out-of town performer.*
Thursday 6:45pm-9:45pm (June 23rd)
Introduction to UCB-Style Sketch Writing with Beth Appel
Learn the basics of Upright Citizens Brigade-style sketch comedy writing (including core concepts, vocabulary, and simple formatting), with a focus on using "game" to turn your funny ideas into sketch ideas. Every student will leave with (at least) the first page of a brand new sketch. No preparation or previous writing/comedy experience necessary!
Thursday 7pm-10pm (June 23rd)
Pirate, Robot, Ninja with Billy Merritt
Find out what you're good at and what you need to work on using the Pirate, Robot, Ninja formula.
Are you more analytical, or impulsive?
Doing multiple exercises, we will create the process of finding out what kind of Improviser you are. Allowing you to strengthen your strengths, and then , safely, work on what you perceive to be your weaknesses
Component Game Theory with Alex Berg
The Game of the scene is what's funny about the scene- but how does it work? Break Game down into it's component parts in order to gain a better mastery of this fundamental concept, and you'll find the amount of moves available to you opens up considerably.
Harold Foundation with Johnny Meeks
In this workshop we'll focus on two foundational concepts of the Harold: 2 person scene work (the first beat) and initiating with bulletproof ideas from your opening. We'll aim to get rid of trying to find footing in the second beat instead of playing game. Work less, play more.
Pre-req: Completed or currently enrolled in Improv 301 or out-of town performer.
YOU Decide What This Workshop Is with Drew Difonzo Marks(12max)
Come in with your weakspot, the note you or your team keep getting, and we'll work on it. You name it, we do it. You get your own focused time, then the next person up. Absolutely everybody (hopefully) will choose what technique they wanna work on and then we do it all.
Efficient Improv with Marcy Jarreau
This workshop will focus on how to get the most from your ideas by initiating them efficiently. We will focus on pulling the premise that got the laugh and initiating succinctly. We will also work on tagging in with purpose and how to start your 2nd beats with game out of the gate.
More Characters with Chelsea Clarke
Using physicality, observations, and imagination we will spend this workshop working on getting memorable characters into our improvised scenes. An opportunity to get outside of your comfort zone by committing hard to a wide variety of characters.
Pre-req: Completed or currently enrolled in Improv 101 or out-of town performer.
Let's Get Boring! with Zack Willis
This workshop will get us comfortable with embracing the boring, mundane, vanilla, bland parts of our scenes. Base reality in real life is pretty dull, so for us to build it believably, we shouldn't be afraid from committing to boring old real life. And in the end, the more grounded a reality is, the easier it is to spot an unusual thing.
Keep It Simple, Stupid with Brandon Bassham
A workshop focused on eliminating unnecessary bullshit from your sketch and getting to the funny stuff. Please bring a sketch to class with enough copies for a table read
Pre-req: Completed or currently enrolled in Sketch 101 or out-of town performer
Last edited by
kevhines on Fri Jun 03, 2016 4:34 pm, edited 4 times in total.