Austin Improv

Hello Austin Improvisers,

I'm Tanner Kalina, and I'm moving to Austin next month. Super stoked! I will be a junior at UT, but more importantly I will be an Austin improviser!

I just wanted to say Hi and I can't wait to play with you all.

Also, I'm sure this has been discussed in a thread somewhere but I cant find it to save my life. What are the different philosophies of improv that each theater teaches in their schools? I want to get started taking classes but I'm not sure where to start.

Lez do it!

Hi Tanner. I know there's a lot of information out there but it's all over the place. Cool-- I'll go first. Copied from the current New Movement website:

TNM teaches “long-form” improv comedy, which focuses on scene work and group mind. Though our work is inspired by the founder of modern improv Del Close, we proudly teach a syllabus unique to TNM. Our improv classes train our students to make the smartest, strongest and funniest choices on stage. By focusing on the information at the beginning of scenes, our students create an improv road map within their first few moments on stage.

It's a very structured & comprehensive comedy curriculum that takes just under a year to complete. If I were to personally describe the focus , it's that we begin your approach to improv with an understanding & familiarity with finding the game in every scene. Once you and your peers have that "shared language" under your belt, you branch out to more complex skillsets and just keep going. You can view some class recitals I filmed here.

LVL 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzk4Y95ki2s

LVL 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCj2BoYmmkk

LVL 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSiDQblj0rs

LVL 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH-eNa0W90w


Best luck at UT. I definitely enjoyed my time there.

Yo, welcome. There are five places that teach improv in Austin. Of those five, I can speak to the two training programs I've gone through:

ColdTowne theater on Airport blvd teaches Chicago-style long-form improv. They teach The Harold, and the canonical "textbook" is Truth in Comedy, by Charna Halpern and Del Close. A lot of the instructors have trained at iO, UCB, and Second City.

The Hideout Theater teaches improv in the style of Keith Johnstone (and his book Impro), with an emphasis on learning a narrative improv form (how to tell a story with improv). Two of my instructors here are in an international touring troupe called P-Graph, and I believe several instructors here have a strong background in traditional theater.

However, both theaters overlap a lot in focusing on the basics of good, committed long-form. So I wouldn't want pointing out a difference in philosophy (Del vs Johnstone) to mislead you to believe that the training experience is radically different. There's significant overlap.

I had a very positive experience with both programs, and I recommend both. Good luck.

*watches thread for info to scavenge for the wiki*



--
peter rogers @ home | http://hujhax.livejournal.com

Finish each day and be done with it.  You have done what you could.  Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can.  Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.
-- Emerson

Awesome! Thanks for the responses! I realize you can't go wrong with any theater and they are pretty much teaching the same things when you get down to it. Which theater, though, teaches most like the Groundlings-a lot of character work? That's the type of improv I find to be the most fun to watch and perform.

You should go to the various theaters, watch their shows, and try a free class. That'll give you some idea.

ColdTowne and The Hideout both do significant character work throughout levels 1-4, esp. 2 and 3. Character work is foundational to long-form; you can't not do it.

Welcome! I teach at Merlin Works, which is affiliated with ZACH Theatre. We're also a Johnstonian bunch, with short-form and long-form classes.

The fifth and final school is at The Institution Theater, which follows the Annoyance Theater school of improv. I dunno how Groundlings-ish it is, but it's certainly character-driven.

Alex is right, come and take the free class at all five schools to see which one you click with the best. Plus you'll get to know people all over the community in the process. There's also open mixers all the time, and of course shows. You'll be here in time for Out of Bounds, which will overload your brain with improv. Exciting stuff.

I would also recommend watching shows at the various theaters to see which style is most appealing.

Thanks for the help guys! I am officially signed up for classes at the Institution! My bank account and schedule thought it was the wise decision, but hopefully I'll make my way around all the theaters.

You should have a grrrrrreat time. I'm sure I'll see you around.

tannerkalina wrote:Thanks for the help guys! I am officially signed up for classes at the Institution!

Cool! Thanks for including which factors led to your decision.