This class is limited to 16 students.

Combine multiple philosophies to become a better improviser! Giving yourself a well-rounded improv education by taking classes at different institutions is critical in growing your talent, education, and joy. But sometimes it is difficult to figure out how to combine these philosophies together into a successful scene. That is what this class is all about! 

Learn to bring the superpowers of different schools into one powerful set. We will focus on pairing the BCC’s f*ck it / love it philosophy and playing from a deal with a game-based approach to finding and playing with the unusual thing. We will cover core BCC concepts like managing surprise + believability & byways and highways with game-based methodology of “the voice of reason” and mapping beats out over a long-form show. The class will culminate in a simplified long-form Harold. Learn to play fearlessly from a deal while honing the game of the scene - and keeping it all loose and fun.

This class culminates in 1 class show in the Eris Deep Space.

Prerequisite: Completion of UCB 201 and/or BCC Level 2 improv (you must have taken at least one of these classes to enroll).

5-Week Class: Thursdays 7-10 PM, May 23 - June 20

• Note: Class may end between 9:30 - 10:00 PM depending on the number of enrollments.

Where: The BCC Doghouse, Studio #1 (137 Montrose Ave)

Class Show at Eris Deep Space (167 Graham Avenue)

• Tuesday, June 25th @ 7:00pm

Teachers: Amanda Breen and Philip Markle

Bio:

Amanda Breen is a queer improviser and writer who wears many hats, literally and figuratively. Amanda currently teaches improv at The Upright Citizen’s Brigade (NY), Brooklyn Comedy Collective, and Second City Brooklyn. You can catch them on one of their stages as well, as Amanda performs weekly on Harold Night at UCB, monthly at BCC with a team of psychopaths, Duchovny, and around the city with indie teams: soft and birdie & dusty. They also have expansive production experience from films and TV shows such as: “Little Women”, “Girls5Eva”, “Life & Beth”,“ Daddy’s Home 2”, etc. But their true specialties include knowing where the closest Starbucks is and buying too many hats.

Philip Markle is the Founder and Artistic Director of The Brooklyn Comedy Collective. Philip trained in improv in Chicago at The Annoyance, iO, and Second City before moving to NYC in 2013 to launch The Annoyance Theater NY, where he acted as its Director for four years before founding the BCC. He was named “Top 5 Queer Business Leaders” by Time Out NY in 2023 and a “Power Player in Arts in Culture” by AMNY in 2024 (amongst prominent leaders at arts organizations like Carnegie Hall and MOMA PS1). The New York Times wrote, “Philip Markle, who founded it in 2018, has done creative work building an audience around a dizzying array of shows.”

Performance highlights include musically improvising with Baby Wants Candy in Chicago and BLANK: The Musical Off-Broadway. As a storyteller, he has performed at The Moth and The Paper Machete - and is a writer on Medium.com with 400k+ reads. He executive produced, wrote, and acted in the digital shorts series "The Annoyance Presents" on IFC's Comedy Crib. Philip first performed his show SPARKLE HOUR to rave reviews in the 2013 NY International Fringe Festival and has regularly produced it since, including multiple runs at Joe's Pub and as part of the 2021-2023 NY Comedy Festivals. You can listen to his queer comedy songs on your favorite streaming music platform under the name “Philip Sparkle.”

If this class is sold out, sign-up for the wait list here.