The Hideout is offering ongoing electives on essential topics for the general improv community. Each week is a different subject with a different Hideout instructor/improviser. The class costs is $10 for two hours of top notch instruction.
Upcoming topics:
Wednesday, October 30, 7:00-9:00pm
Inspiring Scenes Through Stage Picture with Sarah Marie Curry
Learn how to develop depth & tension by moving with precision and becoming more aware of the stage picture you are creating. Sarah Marie Curry (Institution instructor) will show you how, through the basic use of theatrical stage direction and the influential Viewpoints work of Ann Bogart, you can develop a powerful new way to jump into the middle of a scene.
Wednesday, November 6, 7:00-9:00pm
Working From the Script in Your Head with Jeremy Sweetlamb
In this class with Jeremy Sweetlamb (Hideout director, Founder of Out of Bounds) you’ll use scripted scenes from plays to help get you in a “theatrical” mindset. Then, you’ll attack scenework with tons of personalized feedback on the way to discovering a few tricks to making you look like brilliant actors, and thereby brilliant improvisers who everyone wants to play with.
Wednesday, November 13, 7:00-9:00pm
Yes! Say No! with Ruby Willmann
We’re told over and over again to “Yes And” during our improv scenes, but what happens when the scene really just needs a big fat “No Way?” Ruby Willmann (Hideout instructor) will walk the razor’s edge between a Yes that does nothing for your scene and a No that is the best Yes you could possibly want. Confused? Then this is the workshop for you! Come explore the relationship between denying, accepting and adding with a workshop that will be heavy on scene work and relationship exploration.
Wednesday, November 20, 7:00-9:00pm
Side Support Like a Boss with Kevin Miller
The bench is one of the most powerful places to be in an improv show. With the right entrance, line, or even sound effect, you can help the scene turn into something awesome. If you passively watch, meanwhile, you can leave your fellow improvisers hung out to dry. Kevin Miller (Merlin Works instructor) will teach you how to hone your instinct for an offer from the sidelines—know when to join the scene, when to stay off, and how to seamlessly become part of the show.
Wednesday, December 4, 7:00-9:00pm
Non-Narrative Longform with John Ratliff
How do you make a show without a story? In this elective, John Ratliff (ColdTowne and Institution instructor) lays down the basic principles of the non-narrative improv performed by groups as different as Upright Citizens Brigade, The Reckoning, Mayfly, and TJ & Dave. We’ll see how using a specific approach to a show can affect individual scenes and vice versa by running scenes in a number of different ways.
Wednesday, December 11, 7:00-9:00pm
Naive Games with Quinn Buckner
When is the last time you saw a good naive game played? Probably not lately because they’re among the more difficult of games that require extra practice, so they don’t usually get thrown into shows. Quinn Buckner of Rhinodino (short form ninjas) will give you a breakdown of popular naive games (Party Quirks, Three Things, Blind Date, etc.). You’ll get some tips and tricks on skills like spacework, gibberish, listening/observing and learning to be calm in situations where you may not be able to directly talk to your partners.
Wednesday, December 18, 7:00-9:00pm
Magical Realism For Improvisers with Jeff Amos
Magical Realism is one of the most commonly misunderstood literary genres. More than fantasy taken seriously, this genre has inspired debate and fascinated readers for nearly a century. In this class with Jeff Amos (LA Improviser) students will be exposed to selections from classic magical realism texts (Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Juan Rulfo, Toni Morrison, and others) and through exercise will learn to use techniques of the genre as a spice in narrative improv and scene work.