Spaces still available in Jessica Arjet's elective this week!
Wednesday, May 16, 7-9pm Movement from the Inside Out with Jessica Arjet So much emotion is stored in the body that when you tap into that well of stored knowledge suddenly your characters develop a richness, a fullness and a realness that you just didn’t have access to before. Jessica Arjet (Hideout owner and instructor) shows you how to get in touch with your body and listen. You will also learn exercises that you can do at home by yourself or with your troupe to continue growing your body/performance awareness. It’s not just a movement workshop, but learning to move from the inside out.
Troy is teaching an elective on the various techniques that we've been using in our two-man shows (Two to Beam Up, Secret Agent Men and Elementary, Dear Holmes). This workshop is going to be epic.
Wednesday, May 23, 7-9pm Step Up Your Game with Troy Miller Your improv is here. How about taking it up to HERE? Troy A. Miller (Hideout instructor and one half of Elementry, Dear Holmes) will give you a taste of how to play multiple characters, employ on-stage combat, use third person narration, replicate cinema-like story telling, and essentially dance on the edge of oblivion by keeping your improv as risky as possible at all times. Think you can handle it? Well, you can’t — but sign up anyway.
Wednesday, May 30, 7-9pm Tender Underbelly with Cody Dearing Audiences want to believe you, but sometimes when you’re trying to do what is “right” or “good” in a scene, you make it hard for them. This workshop with Cody Dearing (Coldtowne instructor) will focus on helping students not try so hard. Learn how to bring more of yourself to your characters and achieve an effortless, engaging honesty. Witness how audiences are naturally drawn in when they feel that improvisers are exposing their tender underbellies and allowing the audience a peak at their true selves.
Wednesday, June 6, 7-9pm Acting for Improvisers with Dave Buckman Build the muscles of creating believable characters, realistic object work, honest reactions and being completely in the moment while never losing sight of where the scene is going. This workshop with Dave Buckman (Coldtown instructor and member of The Frank Mills) will turn improv comedians into improvisational actors. Getting more confident with your emotional register is the key to making the audience to feel something
Wednesday, June 13, 7-9pm Stage Combat for Improv with Jason Oliver Are you having issues effectively communicating your emotions and needs to your scene partner? What if those emotions and needs just happen to be devastating uppercuts? Jason Oliver (Hideout performer) will help you learn how to safely and theatrically integrate unarmed and single sword stage combat techniques into your improv scenes. Please wear clothes that you are comfortable moving in, and shoes that are appropriate to athletic movement.
There's still space available in Cody's workshop tonight. Just spending two hours with Cody would be worth it, but he'll actually teach you some improv as well!
Wednesday, June 6, 7-9pm
Acting for Improvisers with Dave Buckman
Build the muscles of creating believable characters, realistic object work, honest reactions and being completely in the moment while never losing sight of where the scene is going. This workshop with Dave Buckman (Coldtown instructor and member of The Frank Mills) will turn improv comedians into improvisational actors. Getting more confident with your emotional register is the key to making the audience to feel something
DAVE BUCKMAN, director for Amesterdam’s Boom Chicago (1999-2002), The Second City (2002-2004) and ColdTowne Theater (2006-present). Dave has directed, taught and performed at some of the world’s leading improvisational comedy institutions. While there, Dave has written and directed live sketch shows with many people who are either performing or writing for network and web-based comedy today (SNL, MAdtv, 30 Rock, FOD and much much more). In 2002, he culminated his run in Europe with directing “Boom Chicago: RockStars” only the second stage-swap with The Second City’s Main Stage in its 50+ year history. Since 2005, Dave has been living in Austin, TX with wife and creative partner Rachel Madorsky, teaching and performing with their award-winning troupe The Frank Mills. Dave also performs with You’re Not My Real Dad and Rachel and Dave. He is also produces The Out Of Bounds Comedy Festival, Ladies are Funny Festival and Austin SketchFest.
If you disrespect your character, or play it just for laughs, it will sell some gags, but it's all technique.
It's like watching a juggler-- you'll be impressed by it, but it's not going to touch you in anyway. "
-Steve Coogan
Wednesday, June 13, 7-9pm Stage Combat for Improv with Jason Oliver Are you having issues effectively communicating your emotions and needs to your scene partner? What if those emotions and needs just happen to be devastating uppercuts? Jason Oliver (Hideout performer) will help you learn how to safely and theatrically integrate unarmed and single sword stage combat techniques into your improv scenes. Please wear clothes that you are comfortable moving in, and shoes that are appropriate to athletic movement.
Wednesday, June 20, 7-9pm The Rhythm of the Scene with Asaf Ronen HOW we are with each other defines WHO we are to each other, which in turn can define the scene. This workshop with Asaf Ronen (Institution Owner and Instructor) will use clowning and organic improv techniques to abandon all sense of narrative in favor of listening to the heartbeat of the scene, the rhythm of the routine that is being established. The end results will be in many cases odd and/or delightful and populated with huge amounts of subtext and unique character depth.
Wednesday, June 27, 7-9pm Straight/Absurd Scenework with John Ratliff The so-called “straight/absurd” dynamic is an essential skill for every improviser, no matter what your playing style. John Ratliff (ColdTowne instructor) will use techniques originated by Miles Stroth and developed by Upright Citizens Brigade to explore how two differing points of view can lead to an infinite variety of scenes, from gritty realism to unhinged anarchy. This workshop is open to improvisers who are comfortable playing grounded, emotionally realistic characters not unlike themselves.
July electives are up! We're skipping this week for the 4th of July, but next week we're back on with the one and only Jeremy Lamb,
Wednesday, July 11, 7-9pm Audience Psychology with Jeremy Sweetlamb Audiences are weird. Each one has its own unique, size, shape, avg. age, desires, pet peeves, political leanings. Jeremy Lamb has performed in well over a thousand shows across the US in his 15-year career and has produced around the same amount through Out of Bounds and other festivals. He’ll talk about what gets an audience energized, engaged and, most importantly, laughing. Why did they come to this show? What are their expectations? WHAT DO THEY WANT FROM ME? It’s time to talk theory for a bit and see if we can climb into the heads of John and Mary Q. Public.
Wednesday, July 18, 7-9pm Supporting Maestro with Chris "Ceej" Allen The minute you run into the theater for Maestro, you are in the show. In this workshop Ceej Allen (Maestro veteran) invites you to support every moment of every show to the fullest (whether you’re standing on the sides, interacting with the director or scoring yourself on the board). You’ll run exercises and games that emphasize playfulness, side-support and callbacks. Chris’s philosophy: if you prepare yourself to be support for every scene and invest in the show, it reflects in the improv you do in your own scenes.
Wednesday, July 25, 7-9pm Scenework Bootcamp with Michael Jastroch How many scenes have begun with two people standing on stage, cheated out 3/4 of the way, talking to each other waiting for something funny to drop? Sure, there are characters, a relationship, and perhaps we even know where they are. But nothing is happening! In this workshop with Michael Jastroch (ColdTowne owner and instructor) you’ll get all your passive habits drilled out of you and work on making immediate, powerful and active choices from the very start of the scene. The axiom “show don’t tell” applies to comedy as much as it does to drama.
Get your ass kicked by Michael Jastroch tonight at the Hideout!
Wednesday, July 25, 7-9pm Scenework Bootcamp with Michael Jastroch How many scenes have begun with two people standing on stage, cheated out 3/4 of the way, talking to each other waiting for something funny to drop? Sure, there are characters, a relationship, and perhaps we even know where they are. But nothing is happening! In this workshop with Michael Jastroch (ColdTowne owner and instructor) you’ll get all your passive habits drilled out of you and work on making immediate, powerful and active choices from the very start of the scene. The axiom “show don’t tell” applies to comedy as much as it does to drama.
These electives are superior!! I would love to take Jastroch's and many of these. I need to carve out some fifteen dollars here and there and remember this stuff is being offered!
September Electives are online! Free for currently enrolled Hideout students, and only $15 for everyone else!
Wednesday, September 5, 7-9pm The Emotional Body with Jessica Arjet If you trust your body, listen to it and follow its impulses, it will lead you to powerfully funny and emotional scene work. In this workshop with Jessica Arjet (Hideout owner, director of Flying Theater Machine) you’ll approach bodily expression from the inside out and the outside in. Wear comfortable clothes and be prepared to work those emotions. Get ready to use your entire body to express your inner soul!
Wednesday, September 12, 7-9pm Finding a Format with Jon Bolden So you want to start a troupe but you don’t really know what you want to do. Whether you want to just have fun or stand out from the crowd, you’re going to have to make some choices. In this workshop with Jon Bolden (Hideout Instructor, Manhattan Stories director) you’ll talk about your goals, the different ways to approach a format and explore some offbeat ways to discover what is fun for your group. We’ll talk about the role of a coach and what’s next for your troupe. Note: You don’t have to be in a troupe or starting one to attend.
Wednesday, September 19, 7-9pm Viewpoints for Improv with Michael Joplin Originally created as a way of making movement improvisation for dance, Viewpoints is a great technique and vocabulary for creating staging for actors. Do you find that your scenes are lacking in organic or spontaneous movement? Michael Joplin (Knuckleball Now, Merlin-Works Instructor) will show you the tools of spatial relationships, reaction, and gesture. Viewpoints training will free your body and your instincts.
Wednesday, September 26, 7-9pm Breaking Your Game with Valerie Ward Tired of the same old warmups? Valerie Ward (Pgraph member and Hideout instructor) shows you how to break down the games you know, change them in the moment and be inspired by the structures you know. Take it, turn it, break it, reshape it, undo it, turn it inside out. You'll learn not just variations on what you know, but the tools to transform the way you see games, warmups and exercises.
Hey, Andy. I went to register for the September electives, but this week's class with Jessica Arjet isn't listed. Is it sold out or did it just not get put on the registration page due to OOB madness?
