Each class is limited to 14 students.

Craft a mime piece from scratch! Designed as a Level 2 to the intro class "Physical Storytelling" with Broken Box Mime, this next-level class will continue the exploration of contemporary mime as a storytelling form. What stories can the body tell, when words, props, costume pieces, and sets are stripped away? What can the limitlessness of the audience's imagination teach us about communication? Students will develop a brief comedic mime piece over the course of the class, integrating multiple rounds of brainstorming, writing, and feedback, all in embodied practice.

Prerequisite: Physical Storytelling course at BCC, prior workshop with Broken Box Mime, or prior experience in mime.

5-Week Class: Tuesdays, 6:00 PM -9:00 PM, September 8th - October 13th, 2026

• This class skips Tuesday, September 22nd.

• This class may end between 8:30 PM and 9:00 PM depending on enrollment.

You will receive a welcome email with your room assignment. Our classes meet at BCC Pig Pen or BCC DogHouse in East Williamsburg.

• Class Show: 8:30p. Friday, October 16th. Eris MainStage (167 Graham Ave).

Teacher: Becky Baumwoll

Bio:

This course will be taught by a member of BKBX. Broken Box Mime Theater (BKBX) is a collaborative theater company that performs original work entirely through movement. Our mission is to activate the imaginations of our audiences, contemporize the art of mime, and remind us all of the power of simple storytelling. Based in Brooklyn and founded in 2011, our version of “mime, redefined” blends techniques of French pantomime, cinema, performance art, and contemporary theater. The artists who call BKBX their artistic home believe in making innovative, provocative theater that erases the spoken language barrier and champions the power of simplicity in performance. 

Photo by Bjorn Bolinder

Student Testimonials:

Becky made everyone feel welcome and empowered to improve.

Becky was absolutely fantastic in every way!

Becky taught us so many tools and tricks to story telling through physical movement, while also being so fun and supportive!

Becky is such an incredible teacher! Too many strengths to pick one, but a couple that stand out are her unbridled enthusiasm for mime and her capacity to share that with others. She taught us that mime is grounded in trust between the audience and performer, and she brought that same ethos to class. She's the rare teacher who realizes that how you teach has a bigger impact than what you teach, and it's refreshing to be in an education space that starts from a foundation of embracing that we all learn in different ways, and that's great! There's a curiosity to Becky's teaching that's really encouraging - asking students what we want from the class, and adapting her style and lessons to suit us. Class felt like a team effort to learn and discover together. Despite her obvious deep knowledge of the subject, Becky's was still very clearly also interested in our experience and ideas - it made for a fantastic environment for creating and sharing work. Her obvious joy when something clicked for us was infectious. It's a welcome change from traditional education models where an 'expert' relays knowledge to students. Everything about her teaching style makes it clear she's as eager to keep learning and exploring as we are - no gatekeeping in site. Honestly, I think more teachers should take Becky's class to inform their own pedagogy!

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

Each class is limited to 14 students.

Broken Box Mime Theater (BKBX) invites artists of all backgrounds to join in exploring the audience's imagination as medium. From the perspective of BKBX's unique brand of mime based in American narrative style, participants will look at body language, basic mime technique, staging metaphor, efficiency in storytelling, and devised process. How can precision, efficiency, and specificity in physical storytelling help to craft our comedy? Over the course of the series, students will craft mime pieces that will be shared in a final showing.

5-Week Class: Saturday, 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM, September 12th - October 17th, 2026

• This class skips Saturday, September 26th.

• This class may end between 2:30 PM and 3 PM depending on enrollment.

You will receive a welcome email with your room assignment. Our classes meet at BCC Pig Pen or BCC DogHouse in East Williamsburg.

Class Show:  7:00pm. Sunday, October 18th. Eris Deep Space (167 Graham Ave).

Teacher: Ismael Castillo

Bio:

This course will be taught by a member of BKBX. Broken Box Mime Theater (BKBX) is a collaborative theater company that performs original work entirely through movement. Our mission is to activate the imaginations of our audiences, contemporize the art of mime, and remind us all of the power of simple storytelling. Based in Brooklyn and founded in 2011, our version of “mime, redefined” blends techniques of French pantomime, cinema, performance art, and contemporary theater. The artists who call BKBX their artistic home believe in making innovative, provocative theater that erases the spoken language barrier and champions the power of simplicity in performance. 

Photo by Bjorn Bolinder

Student Testimonials:

Becky made everyone feel welcome and empowered to improve.

Becky was absolutely fantastic in every way!

Becky taught us so many tools and tricks to story telling through physical movement, while also being so fun and supportive!

Becky is such an incredible teacher! Too many strengths to pick one, but a couple that stand out are her unbridled enthusiasm for mime and her capacity to share that with others. She taught us that mime is grounded in trust between the audience and performer, and she brought that same ethos to class. She's the rare teacher who realizes that how you teach has a bigger impact than what you teach, and it's refreshing to be in an education space that starts from a foundation of embracing that we all learn in different ways, and that's great! There's a curiosity to Becky's teaching that's really encouraging - asking students what we want from the class, and adapting her style and lessons to suit us. Class felt like a team effort to learn and discover together. Despite her obvious deep knowledge of the subject, Becky's was still very clearly also interested in our experience and ideas - it made for a fantastic environment for creating and sharing work. Her obvious joy when something clicked for us was infectious. It's a welcome change from traditional education models where an 'expert' relays knowledge to students. Everything about her teaching style makes it clear she's as eager to keep learning and exploring as we are - no gatekeeping in site. Honestly, I think more teachers should take Becky's class to inform their own pedagogy!

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

Each class is limited to 18 students.

This Intro class teaches you what the BCC’s approach to improv is all about - how to say both FUCK IT and LOVE IT while performing. FUCK IT means you don’t worry about the outcome or result of your efforts. You are not judging whether you perform things correctly or whether you make mistakes. You are simply committed to doing what you are doing without worrying whether it is good or not. LOVE IT means you celebrate the whimsy, joy, and delight inherent in making shit up onstage. You remember why you fell in love with improv, one of the most wonderful feelings in the world. Learn to hold both of these ideas in your head at the same time and create fearless, fun, and dumb improv.

If you are new to improv, this workshop will set you up for a fearless way to begin learning. If you are an experienced improviser, this workshop will introduce you to a new philosophy of improv that is different than other improv schools in NYC. Either way you will be challenged and motivated!

This class is designed for students new to BCC’s approach to improv.

Drop-in Classes: Saturday, September 12th, 3:00PM - 5:30PM

Where: Pig Pen, Studio B (130 Graham Ave, Brooklyn)

Teacher: Andy Junk

Testimonials:

Andy is fully committed to helping you learn. His enthusiasm and focus during class helps you raise your own intensity and level of commitment so you come out of each class feeling like you grew as an improviser, teammate, and performer.

The level of enthusiasm and focus Andy brought was infectious. He also gave very detailed notes on scenes and could feel the effort he put in was above and beyond to help you learn.

Andy was really thoughtful in explaining all the different forms. As someone who isn't on a team, I always enjoyed class but struggled with shows, as I don't have as much practice editing and tagging in. He was really supportive in explaining everything I wasn't as familiar with, and allowed us to play around/go with the flow/not be too worried about sticking so stringently to the forms. Great at giving notes!

If a class is sold out, register for the wait list here.

Workshop limited to 14 students.

Do you love standup but have a hard time sitting down and putting pen to paper? This workshop is for you! Do you have a stand up set but are having a hard time extending it? This workshop is for you! Through a series of exercises students will learn how to generate standup material through improvisation. This class is a hybrid of writing and performing-- we will jump back and forth from being up on our feet to sitting down in front of the page. Beginners welcome! 

Prep: Come with jokes or come with nothing, just bring yourself and a willingness to get messy (metaphorically speaking). 

Workshop: Saturday, September 26th, 2:00pm-5:00pm

Where: BCC Pig Pen, Studio A (130 Graham Ave)

Teacher: Natasha Vaynblat

Bio:

Natasha Vaynblat is an NYC based writer/performer/director with frequent flyer miles seen on The Tonight Show, A Little Late with Lilly Singh, and Comedy Central. 

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

Each class is limited to 14 students.

Do you want to try out one single clown class? Have you been wondering what this joyful world is all about? Come to the drop-in class! In each class students will practice exercises from some of the greats (Lecoq, Conway, Johnstone) while working on taming their ego and bringing out their true inner clown. Come to just one class, come to all of them, do what your heart desires. This is the perfect place to get your feet wet and learn from the incomparable Hannah Mitchell.

All experience levels welcome.

Drop-in Class: Saturday, September 19th, 3:00 PM - 5:30 PM.

Where: BCC Pig Pen, Studio B (130 Graham Ave, Brooklyn)

Teacher: Hannah Mitchell

Bio:

Hannah Mitchell is a performer, theater-maker, and educator whose process is guided by the improvisational arts, especially clown, bouffon & being a human with a body. She regularly collaborates with various ensembles to make new works, including with her clown company, WüfPak, and the experimental theater collective, CHILD. She’s performed at venues around NYC including The Public Theater, The Brick, The Collapsable Hole, Lincoln Center, LifeWorld, The New Ohio, Theater Mitu, HERE Arts, Target Margin, and The Brooklyn Comedy Collective, among others. And regionally/internationally she’s performed at The Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Bard SummerScape, Princeton Seuls en Scène, & The Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

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

Each class is limited to 14 students.

Slapstick: Physical Comedy in Clowning

We’ll explore the craft of slapstick comedy with a focus on precision, timing, and physical clarity. We’ll work on how character fuels comedy, character matching, character dissonance - The “Straight Man” and The “Fool”.

We’ll also cover tried-and-true slapstick classics like the double take, convincing trips, the invisible chair fall, chases, and well-timed collisions.

All experience levels welcome.

Drop-in Class: Saturday, September 26th, 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM.

Where: BCC Pig Pen (144 Boerum Street, Brooklyn)

Teacher: Anya Opshinsky

Bio:

Anya Opshinsky is a German American mime, actor, director, improvisor, physical theater creator and teacher. Originally from NYC Anya moved to Paris to study physical theater at École Jacques Lecoq 8 years ago and has been creating, teaching and performing there ever since. Anya is the co-founder of Shift Shape Theater through which she creates and tours original shows the most recent of which is entitled "ROVERS: Two Mimes on the Run" which is currently touring around France. Anya has taught mime, mask-making, clown, physical theater and improv with HUGE Improv, MN, Vis à Vis Théâtre, Rise Comedy, Denver and Théâtre de Verre, Paris. She is the creator and producer of The Ultimate Set-Up that performs in Denver, Paris and NYC and works as a solo artist performing original drag, mask, burlesque and clown pieces in the Parisian cabaret circuit

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