About this year’s workshops
We are always proud to bring a great selection of workshops and masterclasses taught by the people you will see on our stage during the festival. This year we are thrilled to be offering a full slate of classes for you to take. We will be offering four workshops and two masterclasses on September 28, and on September 29 we will be offering our first retreat with Pretend Friends Improv. We do keep the costs reasonable To sign up for any of the classes being offered you can hit the link here, or you can pay cash directly to the instructor. However, class sizes may be limited and are on a first-come first-served basis.
For Rich Baker, EMOTE CONTROL: How can an improviser perform stellar shows, memorable characters, and compelling ‘yes, and’? With real, grounded, powerful emotions. As actors (improv or scripted) we are at our best when we master our ability to display powerful grounded emotions. In this workshop, you’ll access and exercise the skills to summon your emotions and use them to skyrocket your performance. And we’ll have a lot of fun!
Rich’s qualifications:
Improviser since 1999
Improv teacher since 2007
Author of the book Improv Made Easier
Teaching Experience:
ComedySportz Chicago ( 2007 – 2013)
The Comedy Shrine ( 2008 – 2013)
The Second City Chicago ( 2009 – 2013)
The Second City Hollywood ( 2014 – 2020)
Westside Comedy Theater ( 2014 – 2019)
Rich Baker Coaching ( 2020 – Current)
Learn how to create your Mini-Musicals on the spot! This intensive will introduce students to the fundamentals of improvised musical comedy and help take your songs and scenes to the next level. Learn to put your thoughts and emotions into improvised songs that sound like they’ve already been written as we explore rhythm and rhyme, common song structures with memorable hooks, and how they fit into a greater musical narrative.
Experience level: Intermediate some improv/ musical experience required.
In this workshop, we will deep dive into scenes and find the story behind the story to help push your characters and the story further!
About Ernest Mitchell
Ernest Mitchell got his start in improv back in 2002 at Palm Beach State College with the troupe called Cheese and Crackers. It was there he fell in love with the art of improv. Ernest went on to join another troupe which spawned out of some members of Cheese and Crackers which was called Mod 27, and through that, he really developed in the art of improv. After leaving that troupe to pursue other goals he made his return back to improv 3 years later with a troupe called Gated Community, which later became the Jove Comedy Experience. After that, he went on to start his own troupe called Earth, Wind, and Improv. Although they were short-lived, it gave him an opportunity to see what goes into starting and running his own troupe. After an improv hiatus and armed with a refreshed zeal for improv, the idea of the Intelligent Fools was birthed. His love for all comedy and the art of improv has spawned this love child that brought him back to the stage ready to introduce improv to a community and culture of people who haven’t been exposed to it. His goal is to make West Palm Beach a hub for improv and sketch comedy.
This crash course workshop is for improvisers who have dabbled in spontaneous musical numbers, but are looking for tools and techniques to get even better; for improvisers who have never attempted singing in a scene before, but want to try; AND for those interested in learning how to build towards fully improvised long-form musicals. Gain confidence in your singing voice (regardless of formal vocal training), get better at sharing duets and group musical numbers with others onstage, learn ways to start, structure, and end songs, and become an even more versatile improviser!
About the Instructor:
Fiona (she/they) has been improvising for eight years with a special love for long-form narratives and musical improv. She trained at Rollins College with Dr. David Charles as well as at SAK Comedy Lab (both in Orlando, FL). Fiona was fortunate enough to be able to take a 16-week intensive specifically in musical improv at Rollins as well as an advanced workshop with Laura Hall (Whose Line is it Anyway) hosted by SAK. She currently performs with Atlanta’s HOTTEST musical improv group, Measure Island. Musical Improv is arguably the most terrifying and magical thing Fiona has ever done and she hopes to help others fall in love with it too.
In this workshop, use improv techniques to center and focus your mind, recharge your body, and reclaim inner joy. You’ll learn how to use improv as a source of positivity and calm in your daily life and create healthy habits as an artist-from warm-up to performance to post-show. Appropriate for all improv skill levels.
Combined, Alison and Eileen have been performing improv for a billion years. They have been teaching it for half a billion. They have taken classes/intensives at Second City, iO, Annoyance, and the Improv Retreat. Together and separately, they have taken workshops from esteemed colleagues all over the country. Kevin McDonald called them funny once and gave them all the change in his pocket. Seriously. This particular workshop sprouted from the idea that life is hard, but choosing joy and using the tenets of improv can fuel a more positive outlook. Improv is a superpower for good.
Here is what the participants at Gatlinburg Improv Fest and DGIF had to say:
“good vibes, great energy”
“I loved today’s workshop. It helped me understand human connection and relationships and how they can be used in a scene. I felt more comfortable than I usually am when doing improv. YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!! “
“LOVED IT!!! Gave me some good ideas and exercises for a concept I have been interested in for a long time. Easy to stay out of comfort zone. “
“Fantastic workshop. This has given me things I will think about before every show/practice.”
“Thank you! I needed more zen in my improv, I already feel like a more whole improviser and person.”
“Wonderful workshop! Excellent stress on the non-performative elements of things (taking out ego and flashiness)”
“Thank ya’ll so much! Thank you for your openness and support. Self-care is so important it feels good to be empowered to bring these badass skills to this badass craft.”
“Very positive”
“Best workshop I’ve ever been to.”
“You two are amazing, thank you for your positivity. I will use the neg to positive idea in the future. Thank you.”
“Thank you, this was much needed and you both have great hair. ”
As people, we develop snap judgments all the time, and we don’t have long at all to make a first impression. If all our shows are unique, why do we start them all the same way, and how can we strengthen our approach and our initial contact with the audience? In this concentrated and physical session, you will learn to approach the top of your show with intention and focus. Craft a strong bond with your audience by adjusting what your body language and interaction subconsciously tell the audience what to expect from your show, and fine-tune your opening moments to get the audience as invested as they should be in your awesome show.
This is an all-around full-day experience starting at 1 PM on September 29, 2024. Pretend Friends Improv will hold classes with Rollin Prince, David Snow, and Taylor Wingerter. We will be hosting a meal for participants, and will also feature a community jam and a performance with Pretend Friends Improv. This is a day that you won’t forget.
About the Masterclass
Intro to Improv with Rollin Prince
Whether you are jumping in for the first or just brushing up on the basics we will explore “yes an” and the awesome art of improv.
Emotion of the Ocean by Taylor Wingerter
Engage your audience and advance your play by exploring emotions. We’ll use degrees of happiness, madness, sadness, and fear to elevate scene work, connect with their scene partners, and delight audiences. This class is for performers with 6 or more months experience in improv, however, beginners are welcome and will still have lots to learn.
World Building with David Snow
Stuck in your scene work? Re-engage your body to paint beautiful locations and activities in this segment. This is for beginners or anyone who wants to dedicate time to object work.
Rollin Prince
Oak Ridge Playhouse, Knoxville Actor, Improv coach at Bearden High School and Oak Ridge High School, and former member of Full Disclosure Improv.
David Snow
Former member of Einstein Simplified, Knoxville actor
Taylor Wingerter
Instructor at Bovine Metropolis Theater in Denver from 2010 to 2020, Rise Comedy 2021-2022, and trained at the Groundlings Theatre.