understanding comedy
UCB Improv 600 “The Movie†Class Notes
Instructors: Neil Casey and Dyna MoeDate Taken: October 2009 Straight out of my first 501, I was selected to do the The Movie form, and found it is a blast to play and can help you become a better improviser regardless of what form you’re doing.  I feel like I was stuck in my head […]
Read MoreMagnet Dynamic Duos Class Notes
Instructor: Armando DiazDate Taken: August 2009 Inspired by the likes of 2-Square and TJ & Dave, I really wanted to try out 2-person improv. Â Not only is it amazingly fun and challenging to do, it also helps you become a stronger improviser for any form. The following notes are from my first class at The […]
Read MoreAcing It – Audition Workshop Notes
Instructor: Tara DeFrancisco & Rick Prouty (CSz Chicago)Date Taken: July 2009 Every year, ComedySportz has a tournament where all of the city teams get together to play, take workshops and hang out. This workshop was part of ComedySportz Tournament 2009 and covers tips on auditioning, for both shortform and longform improv. Workshop Notes Many auditions generally aren’t “warmâ€Â […]
Read MorePushing Your Team Past Bad Habits Notes
Every year, ComedySportz has a tournament where all of the city teams get together to play, take workshops and hang out. This workshop was part of ComedySportz Tournament 2009 and covers tips on coaching improvisers through bad habits, for both shortform and longform improv. These notes came from a previous workshop I talked about, Truth, Emotion and Courage, […]
Read MoreShoot From the Hip Filmmaking Intensive Notes
After working on a short-film with a friend, I decided I wanted to learn more about the filmmaking process. A number of people associated with The Magnet Theater decided to do a filmmaking intensive in the Catskills that brought improvisers and filmmakers together to shoot a feature-length film in 10 days. I learned a ton […]
Read MoreTruth, Emotion and Courage Workshop Notes
Instructor: Matt Elwell (CSz Chicago)Date Taken: July 2009 Every year, ComedySportz has a tournament where all of the city teams get together to play, take workshops and hang out. This workshop was part of ComedySportz Tournament 2009 and covers tips on adding more emotion to scenes, for both shortform and longform improv. Workshop Notes It’s important to […]
Read MoreUCB Improv 501 Class Notes
Instructor: Zach WoodsDate Taken: June 2009 I was fortunate to make it into 501 after my first 401 and immediately went into another class with Zach.  It felt like an extension of my 401 class and was nice to have the consistency of an instructor that already had a sense of how I played—logically. Find […]
Read MoreUCB Sketch 201 Class Notes
Instructor: Michael DelaneyDate Taken: May 2009 After about 9 months off from writing any sketch, I decided to take the 201 class at UCB. This class (and Delaney specifically) made me hate my workduring the class but also made me a much stronger writer after the class. Below are the notes. Find out more about UCB’s training program here. […]
Read More21 Tips for Performing
21 tips I picked up from watching a variety of performances this week: Monday – Acting Class Graduation Show 1. Commitment is key. If you don’t believe it, the audience won’t believe it. 2. Always think about stage picture, always. 3. Acting is reacting–to your scene partner, environment, and circumstance. Tuesday – Upper Level Improv […]
Read MoreUCB Improv 401 Class Notes
Instructor: Zach WoodsDate Taken: February 2009 I’m naturally a problem-solver which doesn’t necessarily bode well in improv scenes (I get caught up in solving the problem, not experiencing it as a character).  This class helped me realize there were more important things in improv scenes than fixing things.  Here are some of the improv gems […]
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