In The Moment
Mark Piebenga
Saturday, August 21 - 1:00pm
Do your scenes ever end up with you as the captain of a moon-bound monkey pirate ship, feeling totally unconnected to your fellow player? Improvisation is a fertile ground for comedy.... and sometimes for doing scenes that are lamentably unbelievable. This workshop will focus on creating grounded characters and playing real moments that will allow your ideas ro develop into good scenes that are still fun and funny. (Class size is limited to 16.)
Mark Piebenga is a Chicago-based improviser and actor, and a faculty member at the Second City and iO Theater Training centers. He has taught workshops for all ages from Kalamazoo, MI, to Chicago, to Billings, MT, and even once to a group from Portugal. Currently a member of the Second City National Touring Company, he also performs regularly at the iO and Annoyance Theaters.
Mark performs Sunday with Business Company.
Mark's Website
Do your scenes ever end up with you as the captain of a moon-bound monkey pirate ship, feeling totally unconnected to your fellow player? Improvisation is a fertile ground for comedy.... and sometimes for doing scenes that are lamentably unbelievable. This workshop will focus on creating grounded characters and playing real moments that will allow your ideas ro develop into good scenes that are still fun and funny. (Class size is limited to 16.)
Mark Piebenga is a Chicago-based improviser and actor, and a faculty member at the Second City and iO Theater Training centers. He has taught workshops for all ages from Kalamazoo, MI, to Chicago, to Billings, MT, and even once to a group from Portugal. Currently a member of the Second City National Touring Company, he also performs regularly at the iO and Annoyance Theaters.
Mark performs Sunday with Business Company.
Mark's Website
Focus On Relationships
Dan Grimm & Tina Jackson
Saturday, August 21 - 3:00pm
Your best work onstage happens when you know exactly what's going on and you have the freedom to operate within the confines of your created reality. Knowing who you and your partner are to each other is the key ingredient to allowing this to happen. This workshop will help you deepen your relationships with your scene partners in a real way without ham-fisting or monologuing exposition at the top of your scene. This workshop will be especially helpful for those involved in 2-person shows. (Class size is limited to 20.)
Dan Grimm has been performing in both Texas and Chicago for nearly 17 years. He is a graduate of iO Chicago, 1st Year Conservatory Training at Second City Chicago, and has workshopped and coached numerous improv and student groups. Currently, Dan performs and teaches at The New Movement in Austin and works with the Latino Comedy Project.
Tina Jackson has been performing for the past 10 years - in Chicago, New York, L.A., Austin, Toronto, Raleigh and all over the Midwest. While living in Grand Rapids, she was a 3-year member and eventual co-leader of the Calvin College IMPROV team and the co-founder of the sketch group Laughterhouse Five. Since moving to Chicago, she performs regularly, writes, and travels with any one of her 8 performance groups.
Dan & Tina perform Friday as Never Pickles.
Tina also performs Friday with BoomerangTango and Saturday with Calvin IMPROV Reunion.
Dan's Website - Tina's Website
Your best work onstage happens when you know exactly what's going on and you have the freedom to operate within the confines of your created reality. Knowing who you and your partner are to each other is the key ingredient to allowing this to happen. This workshop will help you deepen your relationships with your scene partners in a real way without ham-fisting or monologuing exposition at the top of your scene. This workshop will be especially helpful for those involved in 2-person shows. (Class size is limited to 20.)
Dan Grimm has been performing in both Texas and Chicago for nearly 17 years. He is a graduate of iO Chicago, 1st Year Conservatory Training at Second City Chicago, and has workshopped and coached numerous improv and student groups. Currently, Dan performs and teaches at The New Movement in Austin and works with the Latino Comedy Project.
Tina Jackson has been performing for the past 10 years - in Chicago, New York, L.A., Austin, Toronto, Raleigh and all over the Midwest. While living in Grand Rapids, she was a 3-year member and eventual co-leader of the Calvin College IMPROV team and the co-founder of the sketch group Laughterhouse Five. Since moving to Chicago, she performs regularly, writes, and travels with any one of her 8 performance groups.
Dan & Tina perform Friday as Never Pickles.
Tina also performs Friday with BoomerangTango and Saturday with Calvin IMPROV Reunion.
Dan's Website - Tina's Website
Musical Improv For Non-Musical Improvisers
(or How To Do Musical Improv Without Really Trying)
Matt Griffo
Sunday, August 22 - 3:00pm
Learn how to improvise songs on stage with ease. If you fear musical improvisation, then you MUST take this workshop to break that fear. During these 2 hours, you'll run through improvised rhyming, solo improvised songs, group songs, and even an improvised modern dance piece.
(Class size is limited to 25.)
Matt Griffo has taught musical improvisation at Columbia College, The Second City Chicago, LOL Theater, and at the Black Box Comedy Festival of Atlanta, Georgia. He’s performed with Baby Wants Candy, The Deltones at iO Chicago, Second City’s Musical Improv House Ensemble, Comedy Sportz Theater, and pH’s pHamily The Musical.
Matt performs Sunday with Matt Griffo.
Matt's Website
Learn how to improvise songs on stage with ease. If you fear musical improvisation, then you MUST take this workshop to break that fear. During these 2 hours, you'll run through improvised rhyming, solo improvised songs, group songs, and even an improvised modern dance piece.
(Class size is limited to 25.)
Matt Griffo has taught musical improvisation at Columbia College, The Second City Chicago, LOL Theater, and at the Black Box Comedy Festival of Atlanta, Georgia. He’s performed with Baby Wants Candy, The Deltones at iO Chicago, Second City’s Musical Improv House Ensemble, Comedy Sportz Theater, and pH’s pHamily The Musical.
Matt performs Sunday with Matt Griffo.
Matt's Website
Do Something!
Ryan Williams
Sunday, August 22 - 5:00pm
All too often, we see improvisers in "talking head" scenes. Sure, it's a funny scene with witty dialogue, but where are you and why are you just standing there? In the world of physical improvisation, when the mind leads, the physicality often gets lost. In our quest to come up with a brilliant narrative, the body goes limp. This workshop will inject the physical back into your scenework. (Class size is limited to 15.)
Ryan Williams has been performing without a script for the better part of 10 years. He is a graduate of The Players Workshop West for long-form improvisation and The Second City's Conservatory program. Ryan has performed in comedy festivals all around the country and in Chicago, he is an ensemble member with ComedySportz Chicago, as well as playing with 5 independent groups. Go Whitecaps?
Ryan performs Saturday with KUMATE!
Ryan's Website
All too often, we see improvisers in "talking head" scenes. Sure, it's a funny scene with witty dialogue, but where are you and why are you just standing there? In the world of physical improvisation, when the mind leads, the physicality often gets lost. In our quest to come up with a brilliant narrative, the body goes limp. This workshop will inject the physical back into your scenework. (Class size is limited to 15.)
Ryan Williams has been performing without a script for the better part of 10 years. He is a graduate of The Players Workshop West for long-form improvisation and The Second City's Conservatory program. Ryan has performed in comedy festivals all around the country and in Chicago, he is an ensemble member with ComedySportz Chicago, as well as playing with 5 independent groups. Go Whitecaps?
Ryan performs Saturday with KUMATE!
Ryan's Website
