June 02, 2018

1:00 PM - 4:00 PM @ 770 M ST SE (Navy Yard)

In this workshops, students will work on his/her already prepared individual short pieces and present them in order to develop them. The workshop students, will explore the different challenges that can come up when working on one’s own work. These include not only institutional challenges, but artistic challenges and physical challenges to the work: creating a piece that will be in front of a non-seated or restive audience, for example; creating work without access to studio space, in a limited time frame, etc.; winnowing longer work down; working without money; among others. Work on learning ways in which to do this while letting these things inform and enrich your work rather than stop you from creating. Students will look at strategies from a variety of disciplines and viewpoints. We won’t be focusing on obstacles as obstacles but rather as artistic factors, as opportunities to become new kinds of artists. 

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Neal Medlyn is a musician and artist whose work straddles the lines between theater, performance art, comedy, and music. His most well-known work is his seven show Pop Star Series and Champagne Jerry, the subsequent iteration of his work with popular music. He was named one of the top ten performers in New York by Time Out New York. 

He appeared in Bridget Everett: Gynecological Wonder on Comedy Central, co-stars in a web series called People Are Detectives with Carmine Covelli and the Grossmalerman sitcom by artist Guy Richards Smit, directed by Joshua White. He was the co-creator and co-host of the popular monthly show Our Hit Parade at Joe's Pub for five years. His Kanye West show was seen and praised by Mr. West himself. 

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He has lectured at NYU and the University of Michigan, been a guest artist at CalArts, guest taught at Sarah Lawrence and is an adjunct professor teaching devised theater at Playwrights Horizons Theater School / NYU since 2014. He is a board member of the academic journal Women & Performance and has served on the artist advisory council for Movement Research. 

June 03, 2018

1:00 PM - 4:00 PM @ 770 M St SE (Navy Yard)

Do you ever watch Saturday Night Live and think you could write something funnier?  Ever think to yourself that you have the funniest idea, but you just don't know how to write it?  In this course, you'll learn the basics of sketch writing and the different types of sketches.  You'll learn how to take your own observations and truths and turn them into fully written sketches.

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Nancy is the Executive Director for Laugh Index Theatre and currently serves as a team director for teams in LIT's House Team Program.  She is a co-finalist of DC Shorts International Short Film Screenwriting Competition 2017 and co-writer for ValiDation, a web series nominated for Best Web Series at the Northern Virginia International Film Festival in 2017.  She is the Headwriter/Director of LIT's Sketch Night & In The Hot Seat.  She received Laugh Index Theatre's Director of the Year award for 2015-16 & 2016-17 as determined by the Laugh Index Players.  She currently writes and performs with Hot & Sweaty. 

June 09, 2018

11:00 AM - 4:00 PM @ 770 M St SE (Navy Yard)

Television has become decidedly more cinematic, making the web series, or the independent series, a mix of filmmaking and TV making principals. With the right skills, team, and commitment, the independent series can be made on a low budget.

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Each student will come to the workshop with a character MONOLOGUE, (1-2 pages) SCENE/EPISODE, (4-8 pages) and a series BIBLE/BACKSTORY (4 pages). We will use the material in a workshop environment as we discuss and reveal how to go from concept to fully produced series.

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Rob Asaro is a comedian, actor, and writer from New York and Los Angeles. He has performed and headlined as a stand-up nationally and his stage work has been featured in festivals across the country.

In addition to several short films, Asaro has produced, starred in, and written multiple web series, including Yellow Brick Hell, recommended by splitsider.com for its ”pessimism, passion, and patience,” and Serious Business, featuring actor Jim Belushi. 

June 09, 2018

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM @ 770 M St SE (Navy Yard)

There is no wrong way to do stand-up. There are tips and tricks to help you succeed as you find your voice. In this interactive class, you will discuss the different styles of stand up (one liners, story telling, abstract...) and how to turn an idea into a structured joke. Participants will learn writing practices, industry do's and don't's and how to use crowd work from professional touring comedians. 

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Chucho Pérez

Comedian and actor that can be seen on Chicago Med, the feature film Soul Sessions, and Pimprov previously toured with The Second City Chicago and now teaches improv and directs for them. 

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Brad Kemp

Composer and founder of Second Bedroom Studio is currently a musical director for The Second City and other theaters in Chicago.

Eric Oren

Nationally touring stand up comedian, actor and filmmaker that has been on TruTV's Roadspill and is currently in NYU's filmschool.

June 09, 2018

2:01 PM - 5:01 PM @ 770 M St SE (Navy Yard)

Comedic Song Writing-

Music is an amazing tool a comedy. Regardless of your skill level, anyone can successfully write a comedic song by following a few basic steps. From content to song structure to styles we'll give you a crash course on what you need to get started. Participants will learn how to develop comedic premises, the basics of song structure and how to best utilize different musical genres. Students will even get the opportunity to begin writing their own song.

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Chucho Pérez

Comedian and actor that can be seen on Chicago Med, the feature film Soul Sessions, and Pimprov previously toured with The Second City Chicago and now teaches improv and directs for them. 

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Brad Kemp

Composer and founder of Second Bedroom Studio is currently a musical director for The Second City and other theaters in Chicago.

Eric Oren

Nationally touring stand up comedian, actor and filmmaker that has been on TruTV's Roadspill and is currently in NYU's filmschool.

June 10, 2018

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM @ 770 M St SE (Navy Yard)

Learn the basics of musical improv - how to take a single suggestion and turn it into a complete song. You will learn the components of songs and various simple structures that musical improvisers use., including the tagline structure and the verse/chorus structure.  By the end, everyone will be able to sing a fully improvised song.  

NO PREREQUISITE.

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Eric is an actor, writer, and pianist from New York, and is the teacher and accompanist for the musical improv classes at Upright Citizens Brigade Training Center. He has been performing at UCB Theatre as an improviser and actor since 2010, and currently performs with the musical improv team Rumpleteaser, which he both directs and musically accompanies, and he has had several musical shows run at UCB. Eric is also the Associate Musical Director of The Story Pirates, an award-winning children's theatre company that takes stories written by kids and turns them into a musical theatre and sketch shows that are then performed all over the country.

June 10, 2018

1:30 PM - 3:30 PM @ 770 M St SE (Navy Yard)

Learn the more advanced different types of songs and structures that musical improvisers use to create more sophisticated pieces and sets, including opening numbers, trios, duets, and group songs. With these tools, improvisers will be on their way to building long form musical improv sets. 

PREREQUISITE:  Intro To Musical Improv class/workshop or LIT's Permission.

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Eric is an actor, writer, and pianist from New York, and is the teacher and accompanist for the musical improv classes at Upright Citizens Brigade Training Center. He has been performing at UCB Theatre as an improviser and actor since 2010, and currently performs with the musical improv team Rumpleteaser, which he both directs and musically accompanies, and he has had several musical shows run at UCB. Eric is also the Associate Musical Director of The Story Pirates, an award-winning children's theatre company that takes stories written by kids and turns them into a musical theatre and sketch shows that are then performed all over the country.

June 10, 2018

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM @ 770 M St SE (Navy Yard)

This workshop will focus on using scenework to build comedically and emotionally interesting songs. By the end, we will be able to take a single suggestion and create a dynamic and fun musical improv show. 

PREREQUISITIE:  Intro To Musical Improv class/workshops and an improv class or LIT's Permission.  Some experience with both musical improv and improv is required.

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Eric is an actor, writer, and pianist from New York, and is the teacher and accompanist for the musical improv classes at Upright Citizens Brigade Training Center. He has been performing at UCB Theatre as an improviser and actor since 2010, and currently performs with the musical improv team Rumpleteaser, which he both directs and musically accompanies, and he has had several musical shows run at UCB. Eric is also the Associate Musical Director of The Story Pirates, an award-winning children's theatre company that takes stories written by kids and turns them into a musical theatre and sketch shows that are then performed all over the country.

June 16, 2018

11:00 AM - 1:30 Pm @ 770 M St SE (Nanvy Yard)

Is your worst nightmare as a writer staring at a blank page? If so, learn how to create content through improvisation. So often we judge our work before it's time to do so -- how many people do you know who've said they want to write a book, and how many actually have done it? In this workshop, we will withhold judgement during the ideating process, get out of our heads and on our feet, and improvise as much content as possible. Then, we'll see what we created in bulk and write down the ideas we want to develop. This class is open to those who consider themselves writers or improvisers or both of all experience levels. These tools will help you to create everything from personal narratives to sketch comedy and ensemble plays, and you will walk out of this workshop with actionable steps to get to work and create!

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Philip has taught improv and acting internationally for over 16 years, from Berlin to Bali. Philip graduated from Northwestern University and trained in Chicago at The Annoyance, iO, and Second City. He moved to NYC in 2013 to launch the theatre and training center of The Annoyance Theater NY, where he acted as its Executive Director until Fall 2016. He is now the Founder and Artistic Director of The Brooklyn Comedy Collective, where he currently teaches and performs. Philip is also a faculty member at Tom Todoroff's acting studio and independantly teaches business improvisation classes to large clients (such as AMEX, E&Y) and small start-ups alike. He has performed and produced hundreds of shows worldwide. Highlights include musically improvising with Baby Wants Candy in Chicago and BLANK: The Musical Off-Broadway in NY and his national-touring musical improv show Happy Karaoke Fun Time. As a storyteller, he has performed at The Moth and The Paper Machete. He is a proud member of the children’s education theatre companies The Story Pirates and Barrel of Monkeys. He executive produced, wrote, and acted in the digital shorts series "The Annoyance Presents" on IFC's Comedy Crib. Philip has written a one-man show, Sparkle Hour, which was featured to rave reviews in the 2013 NY International Fringe Festival. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @philipsparkle. He is represented commercially in NY by Stewart Talent.

June 16, 2018

11:01 AM - 1:31 Pm @ 770 M St SE (Nanvy Yard)

Ali Reed and Kiki Mikkelsen, long-time members of Happy Karaoke Fun Time, teach the basics of the form. Learn how to improvise new lyrics to existing songs! Students will receive a list of 5 songs that will be used in class with which to familiarize themselves.

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Kiki Mikkelsen is an improvisor, actress, musician, and all-around goofball living in Brooklyn. She has been studying and performing improv in New York City since 2012. Kiki holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Oklahoma City University. She performs with Baby Wants Candy (Edinburgh Fringe Fest, Adelaide Fringe Fest), Blank! The Musical (Broadway Comedy Club), Vern (The PIT), and Premiere (Magnet). She also performs regularly with Happy Karaoke Fun Time! and her indie team Tall Boys. Find out more at kikimikkelsen.com.

Ali Reed is a New York based actor, improviser, singer, and teacher originally from Louisville, KY.  Off-Broadway: Once Upon A Mattress with Jackie Hoffman and John "Lypsinka" Epperson, Blank! The Musical. Ali was most recently seen in Just Between The All of Us a choose your own adventure, interactive dating musical as part of the Pittsburgh CLO Spark Festival. Regional credits include: Ragtime (Evelyn Nesbit), Reefer Madness (Sally), They're Playing Our Song (Sonia Walsk).  Ali has been seen at 54 Below, Pittsburgh CLO Cabaret, Florida Studio Theatre, and The Pittsburgh City Theater as well.  Musical Improvisation: UCB, The Magnet Theater, The People's Improv Theater, The Annoyance, and FST Improv: When X Meets Y.  Podcast:Crimetown: Buddy Cianci... The Musical, We Love Bedtime Stories.   

June 16, 2018

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM @ 770 M St SE (Navy Yard)

Whether you’re doing an improv show or standing in the middle of a crime scene holding the murder weapon… you’re going to have to think fast. In this workshop you will learn about infusing scenes with the stakes and suspense of genre films. Exercises based around the work of David Fincher, Agatha Christie, and Alfred Hitchcock will help participants get in the habit of gifting details, responding honestly to twists, and finding the motivations behind motives.

C.J Tuor studied Theater Education at Illinois State University. He is an award-winning playwright and stand-up comedian. He graduated from the Second City Conservatory. He currently performs with the Second City House Company teams. He has performed with The Stuntmen (Action Improv), The Verse & WhoProv (Sci-Fi Improv), and Slasher (Horror Improv). He is a founding member of the Comedy Sportz Kidz Crew Adventures and Stage 773's Nerd Comedy Festival.

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Bruce Phillips is an actor and improviser in Chicago. He is an ensemble member of ComedySportz Chicago and has performed at the Annoyance Theater in The Boy Scout Musical and My So Called After-Life. He also directs and performs with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines in the Tony Award-winning musical Hairspray aboard the largest cruise ship in the world – The Oasis of the Seas. Bruce is a Jeff Award winner for Artistic Specialization for his work designing the robots in Heddatron at the Steppenwolf Garage in 2011. He works as the marketing manager for both ComedySportz and Sideshow Theatre Company. For more information check out: www.brucetheactor.com.

June 16, 2018

2:01 PM - 5:01 PM @ 770 M St SE (Navy Yard)

This women-centered workshop focuses on finding and honing your comedic voice in an often male-dominated room. Here is a chance to experiment with your style and define what you enjoy most onstage and off, in both a scene partner and teammate. This supportive workshop will celebrate what makes you laugh, push you to gain confidence in your own characters, and challenge you to find strength in vulnerability while demanding the same of your teammates.​

Madelyn Murphy moved to Chicago after graduating with a degree in Nutrition from the University of Illinois in 2013.  She then decided to not use that degree (sorry, Dad!) Since then, she has trained at Black Box, Stella Adler NYC, and iO. She is thrilled to perform with Hitch*Cocktails and Clued-In, and can also be seen in various scripted shows (Annoyance, Second City, Pride Arts Center) and several online series. When not drinking onstage in a petticoat, Madelyn writes and produces original plays and episodes. www.madelyn-murphy.com

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BRI FITZPATRICK
Bri Fitzpatrick originally hails from Seattle, WA, and holds a BA in Drama and Theatre studies from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. She is a graduate of The Second City Training Center’s Conservatory and Music Improv Conservatory program, as well as a current member of The Second City Training Center’s Musical House Ensemble. She can be seen performing regularly in Chicago with ComedySportz, Baby Wants Candy: The Improvised Musical, Anarchy: An Improvised Rock Opera, Thirsty, Storytown, and The Greatest Story Never Told. She has also worked as a teacher of improv, acting, and musical theater to young people of all ages for over six years and is thrilled to pass on her enthusiasm for the stage!

June 17, 2018

11:00 AM - 2:00 PM @ 770 M St SE (Navy Yard)

Get beyond the gimmick of the game, and learn that strong initiations are just as important in shortform as it is in long. Learn to identify the key to playing a variety of shortform games with confidence and ability and develop your skills to get the point of a scene quickly and organically without sacrificing quality.  This workshop is recommended for shortform improvisers, and even those that hate shortform.

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Bruce Philips is an actor and improviser in Chicago. He is an ensemble member of ComedySportz Chicago and has performed at the Annoyance Theater in The Boy Scout Musical and My So Called After-Life. He also directs and performs with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines in the Tony Award-winning musical Hairspray aboard the largest cruise ship in the world - The Oasis of the Seas. Bruce is a Jeff Award winner for Artistic Specialization for his work designing the robots in Heddatron at the Steppenwolf Garage in 2011. He works as the marketing manager for both ComedySportz and Sideshow Theatre Company. For more information check out: www.brucetheactor.com.

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Madelyn Murphy moved to Chicago after graduating with a degree in Nutrition from the University of Illinois in 2013. She then decided to not use that degree (sorry, Dad!) Since then, she has trained at Black Box, Stella Adler NYC, and iO. She is thrilled to perform with Hitch*Cocktails and Clued-In, and can also be seen in various scripted shows (Annoyance, Second City, Pride Arts Center) and several online series. When not drinking onstage in a petticoat, Madelyn writes and produces original plays and episodes. www.madelyn-murphy.com

June 17, 2018

11:01 AM - 2:01 PM @ 770 M St SE

Two person scene work is the basic tenant of all great improv.  With this workshop, we use exercises to reiterate the importance of appreciating your partner with strong initiating gifts, finding love in the partnership and establishing a scene that can last two minutes or two hours.  When the scenes hit a lull, this workshops gives the performers tools in the tool kit to reinvest and revive the relationship. And lastly, this workshop helps the performers establish a powerfully connected relationship so as to balance the plates of the game of the scene and environment while continuing to cultivate the dynamic between improvisers. Recommended for improvisers of all skill sets but especially those new to improv.

Caleb George lives in Chicago by way of Arlington, Texas. He attended the University of Houston where he studied Theatre and Film. He was a member of the ComedySportz Houston ensemble for four years until moving to Chicago in 2010. Caleb is apart of several wonderful teams in Chi-town including , Thirsty: The Premier Improv Drinking Party at the Apollo Theatre, his two-man troupe George Lusk, iO’s Harold team Artemis and is proud to be a founding member of Chicago Reader’s Best Improv Troupe of 2016, HitchCocktails . Caleb travels across the country performing short form with Mission IMPROVable’s red team company and you can follow his exploits @CalebGeorgeous on Twitter.

June 17, 2018

11:02 AM - 2:02 PM @ 770 M St SE (Navy Yard)

This workshop will help you perform in focused, funny two-person scenes that are based in reality, building out believable characters, believable settings, and a believable world. You will use your own intelligence and details from your life to infuse your characters with more specific, and more surprising, reactions and moves.

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Bill DiPiero is a performer and writer living in New York City. Bill is thrilled to perform with the UCB Harold team Sleuth, but, honestly, his parents would be proud of him no matter what. You can also see Bill improvise with his indie teams Jimmy Fedora and Smokehouse and PIT house team The Duke. He is a former member of UCB Harold team Slamball and UCB Lloyd team This Old House.

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Bill has studied improv at UCB since July 2011 with excellent teachers including Nicole Drespel, Tim Martin, Achilles Stamatelaky, Gavin Speiller, Jordan Klepper, Dan Hodapp, Erik Tanouye, Abra Tabak, and Anthony Atamanuik.

He is an original member of Laugh Index Theatre's Hot & Sweaty formed in 2010. 

June 17, 2018

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM @ 770 M St SE (Navy Yard)

In this workshop, Curtis Retherford (one-third of The Megaplex, which performs The Movie at UCB NY) will teach you the basics of how to perform a half-hour fully improvised movie, from start to finish. Starting with getting on the same page with a specific, clear genre based only on the suggestion of a song lyric, you will learn the opening and how to use the opening to propel the piece towards a satisfying, fun conclusion. We will also cover warmups for the movie form, how to perform different camera and editing tricks, and how to use them within a scene to focus the action and further explore the genre. 

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Curtis is a writer and improvisor who lives in New York City and has studied at UCB since 2006. He performs at Harold night with his team Sleuth, and was formerly on Coworkers and Greg and on Lloyd night with Big Revival and Hotspur (Hotspur!), and contributes to McSweeney's and other such websites and magazines.

He is also the co-creator, co-star, and co-writer of the web series Quest for an Unknown Planet and the web series Magic Phone. He plays guitar and banjo, draws, and writes biographies in the third person.

June 17, 2018

2:01 PM - 5:01 PM @ 770 M St SE (Navy Yard)

Work on The Harold, as performed by Fluffty on Harold Night at UCBT NY. This workshop will focus on group ownership of second beats and establishing fun premises from a Deconstruction-style opening to initiate scenes actively and clearly.

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Nick is a writer/performer living in New York City but, the fact is, he is from Louisiana. Nick is a proud member of the UCB Harold Team, Sleuth, and The Incredible Game Show Showcase.