Advanced Improv Intensive: Playing Faster Scenes in Short Form Improv

Scenes that matter are the center of all improvisation–in short form, improvisers have less time to establish the scene and need to do so as quickly and efficiently as possible while still playing the mechanisms of the game. In the first half of this one day intensive, students will learn how to make and commit to big choices up top while building off of those of their scene partners to quickly establish a world and characters that both engage and entertain an audience. In the afternoon, students will practice applying these skills to short form games, balancing strong scene work with each game’s specific mechanics. This intensive will culminate in a Saturday evening showcase of short form games. The prerequisite of this class is Level Three Improv at Stomping Ground Comedy Theater. Previous experience with short form improvisation is recommended but not required.

Topics in the course include:

• Leading with big emotional and character choices at the top of the scene
• Using your environment and physicality to inspire choices at the top of and throughout  your scene
• Working together to quickly establish the who/what/where
• Creating scenes that matter and characters with strong points of view
• Raising the stakes of the scene and using the game mechanics to do so
• Holding onto what matters most to the characters and the audience

This is an in-person, one day intensive class on Saturday, July 19 from 9am-5pm with a one hour lunch break. The instructor is John Gerhardt. All sales are final. Listed price of class does not include Eventbrite's service fee (3.7% + $1.79) and payment processing fee (2.9%) which will be added to the total price at checkout. Classes are non-refundable but enrollment may be deferred to a future class with TCD approval. All students must adhere to policies in the Stomping Ground Student Handbook. Must be 18 years or older.

About the Instructor:  

John Gerhardt caught the acting bug in 2008 just before he finished high school and it wasn’t long after that he joined Take One, an improv comedy troupe, spending the last 12 years touring with them across the midwest performing at comic, anime, and other pop-culture conventions. In John’s pursuit of performance, he has trained with OKC Improv, ComedySportz Dallas, and with coaches from The Second City, iO Theater, and most recently, Stomping Ground. He teaches and performs regularly at Stomping Ground in Spaghetti Confetti, Broadway(ish), VERSUS! and co-hosts Thunderdome, the monthly short-form competition show!

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