FUN & DUMB Workshops ‘26
Workshops taught by veteran guest improvisers like Susan Messing & John Lehr, Chris Gethard, Anthony Atamanuik & BCC instructors!
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If a class is sold out, sign-up for the wait list.
Wednesday, JULY 8th
Two Prov Tuneup
John Randall
7:00p - 9:30p
This class is for any two prov teams or any one person interested in learning how to navigate a two person improv set. The focus will be on having a dynamic show with only two performers on stage which includes playing multiple characters, editing from within, and having deep grounded scenes that keep the audience engaged.
Intro to BCC Improv
Molly Ledbetter
7:00p - 9:30p
This intro class teaches you what the BCC’s approach to improv is all about - how to say both F*CK IT and LOVE IT while performing. F*CK 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.
Set B*tch Free
Devin Bockrath
7:00p - 9:30p
“Set Bitch Free '' is a workshop and tribal event for improvisers of any experience level hosted by Devin Bockrath. With a focus on technique, character development, risk taking, and the power of support, this class aims to shake vulnerabilities loose and test personal limits. This workshop enthusiastically welcomes all non-male performers looking to explore their inner bitchness.
Thursday, JULY 9th
That Reminds Me!
Susan Messing & John Lehr
7:00p - 9:30p
Your life is fabulous and unique and let’s find a way to share that as a source for improv. This workshop starts with a deep dive into first person monologues with Susan that are followed by John’s direction into an immersive reality, where monologues can support and punctuate your scenes. All levels welcome
Specifically Selfish
Maria Randazzo
7:00p - 9:30p
This workshop will teach you how to be selfish in a way that serves your scene and scene partner! You'll learn how to trust yourself and your instincts, make strong initiations, create specific characters, and deepen the relationship with your scene partner. We'll explore how to enrich your scenes by bringing more of yourself to them -- let's get selfish and see what happens!
Intro to Clown
Tallie Medel
7:00p - 9:30p
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 Tallie Medel.
All experience levels welcome.
Friday, JULY 10th
Own Your Sh*t
James Dwyer
3:00PM - 5:00PM
The simplest scenes are often rooted in a clear POV or philosophy with characters that find a way to own their behavior rather than deflect. Learn to own being the freak, the loser, the weirdo and learn how you can support your teammate when they're popping off. In this class you will learn to own your shit.
Game But Also Easy
Chris Gethard
3:00PM-5:30PM
Chris Gethard firmly believes that UCB style game is a great starting approach for any improv scene. That being said, he also firmly believes that game should be free of pressure and that comedy should never feel like math. In this workshop we'll examine game as a tool that can make your life easier, and discuss how when improv is really cooking, it should look and feel easy despite how hard it is to pull off. Let's be honest though - most of why you are signing up for this workshop is because this guy was a great teacher twenty years ago, barely ever teaches anymore, and this is sort of like learning about World War II by sitting down with someone who served on a ship in the Pacific. (Also if you sign up for this workshop just to roll your eyes at the idea of game and are too cool for it, please just don't sign up. I really don't have anymore time left in life for people with enough disposable income to sign up for improv workshops just to raise their hand every thirty seconds to argue like that one kid from elementary school).
Intro to BCC Improv
Molly Ledbetter
5:00PM-7:00PM
This Intro class teaches you what the BCC’s approach to improv is all about - how to say both F*CK IT and LOVE IT while performing. F*CK 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.
Gimme That Queer Sh!t
5:00PM - 7:00PM
Lou Gonzalez Jr.
Time to do improv with a bunch of queers and have a dang blast. Meet new queer folks and do absolutely bonkers improv. Hang with old friends while making new ones while doing fun free and affirming scenes!
Saturday, July 11th
Start w/ Nothing, Leave w/ Something
Natasha Vaynblat
11:30AM - 2:00PM
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).
Intro to Clown
Tallie Medel
11:30AM - 2:00PM
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 Tallie Medel.
All experience levels welcome.
Breaking the Fourth Wall
Tej Khanna
11:30AM-2:00PM
This workshop will focus on the art of tastefully breaking the fourth wall and playing games with the audience while doing improv. We will focus on incorporating elements of clown and physical comedy to make the most of playing with a live audience in the room.
Prerequisite: Completion of BCC Level 1 Improv or equivalent at any major comedy theater.
Marrying Game & Deal
Amanda Breen & Philip Markle
2:15PM-4:45PM
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 longform Harold. Learn to play fearlessly from a deal while honing the game of the scene - and keeping it all loose and fun.
Prerequisite: Completion of both UCB 201 and BCC Level 2 improv (no exceptions)
Where the Hell Are We?
John Lehr
2:15PM - 4:45PM
Tired of standing on stage in the middle of nowhere? Or randomly making up a location because that’s what you are supposed to do? This workshop reinvigorates your muscles to find the “where” in a completely organic way. Afterwards, we take location into the stratosphere and discover how discovering our “where” leads to connectivity, character and relationships!
Fix It or Make it Worse
Susan Messing
2:15p - 4:45pm
It is time to finally get answers to those questions and problems with improvisation that you have thought about forever and just can’t crack the code. This class is pretty self explanatory. Part lecture, part get up and go, no question too stupid. Let’s break improv wide open, take rules out of the picture, and celebrate comedy again. If you’re in your head, this’ll rip it out. Perfect for people who have studied too much and learned to little. All levels.
Make Shortform Improv Easy
Taylor Gonzalez
5:00PM - 7:30PM
Improvisers who don't respect shortform are hack! This workshop will dive into some of the more advanced games, exploring skills and strategies specific to the shortform improv genre that are also very helpful for upping the quality of your longform. Shortform is back, baby!
Intro to the Improvised Play
Nicole Asava
5:00pm-7:30pm
Improvise: to make, invent, or arrange offhand.
Play: The stage representation of an action or story.
In long form improvisation we often have only a couple minutes to get to know and share our characters with an audience, leaving no time for subtlety or nuance. In plays they have tons of time, some might say too much time. In this Introduction to The Improvised Play workshop, inspired by the class first developed by Brandon Gardner at UCB NY, we’ll combine the two, exploring the pivotal first scene that lays the groundwork for the rest of the improvised play. Whether you’re a trained actor who wants to explore slower improvisation, or an experienced improviser who wants to develop your acting skills, or both! Welcome to The Improvised Play!
SUNDAY, JULY 12th
Improv to Sketch
Devin Bockrath
12:00PM - 2:30PM
In this Improv-to-Sketch/Character workshop, students will be given a crash-course in the fundamentals of developing a sketch or solo character through the process of improvisation. From ideating a premise to improvising that premise to honing and editing that premise based on feedback and instinct, students can expect to leave with a firm understanding of the joys of developing an idea through the lens of improvisation.
Accepting the Moment: Using Improv in Clown
Julian Hernandez
12:00PM - 2:30PM
*This is a workshop for folks who’ve taken at least 1 clown class AND 1 improv class.*
Why does clown feel so hard? When you’re improvising, you’re flying free. You’re working with your scene partner to make your team laugh and have no trouble discovering games. But now you’re preparing a clown bit, and for some reason, it’s not hitting like it was when you dreamt it up in your bedroom.
In this workshop we’ll implement improv techniques to play directly with the audience and react to every moment in real time. We’ll uncover how to treat the audience like your scene partner so you can effortlessly make them laugh and ditch the rigid plan. Once we slow down, we can start soaring all over again.
Intro to Musical Improv
Ali Reed
12:00pm - 2:30pm
Do you sing in the shower? Do you irritate your pets and loved ones with silly lil songs? If you said yes, then this is the workshop for you! During this 2.5 hour crash course, musical improv veteran Ali Reed (Baby Wants Candy) will teach you to nail song structure, choreograph effective stage pictures, and apply improv fundamentals like yes-anding, game recognition and pattern building to MUSIC. Students will leave with the ability to improvise fully realized musical numbers and take center stage with unhinged New York CONFIDENCE, baby! Class is delivered in a high-energy, zero-pressure environment where all levels are welcome and no musical experience is required.
What Are You Trying to Say: Setting Intentions in Improv
Anthony Atamanuik
3:00PM - 5:30PM
In this workshop with veteran improviser, Anthony Atamanuik, you’ll slow scene work down and discuss how to set intentions with each line. How do you feel about your scene partner? How do you feel about the scene? Everything your character says should clarify these questions, adding nuance and meaning to the scene. Expect side coaching in order to “stress test” the scene.
Prerequisite: Completion of Level 1 Improv at any Major Comedy Theater
Make Yourself Laugh
Ladies Who Ranch
3:00PM - 5:30PM
Believe it or not, laughter is medicine, perhaps even the best. A surefire way to make your audience laugh (and in doing so heal their wounds) is to make yourself and your teammates laugh! Improv should be fun, and in this workshop we’ll explore pushing fun to its fullest potential. You will learn how to invest in your own sense of humor, hone in on specifics and idiosyncrasies, and how to approach improv as a form of play. Be ready to go silly mode, and cure the common cold.
Performing Narrative Improv
Help Me I’m Drowning
3:00PM - 5:30PM
In this workshop, we’ll explore the craft of longform narrative improv, with a focus on using genre-based tropes and simple story structure as a foundation for developing strong characters and scenework, building dynamic relationships, and spinning a plot that is easy to understand yet hilariously engaging for the audience.
Improvisers will leave this workshop with the tools they need to confidently tell an interesting, coherent, and – above all – funny story over the course of an hour-long improv show.