Comedy Beasts Group Animation

ONLINE CLASSES

I actually love teaching online! These workshop series celebrate the medium of onscreen performance, so classes are active, experimental, playful and offer skills that can be used both onscreen and onstage. Plus, you can be anywhere, so long as you have internet and some room to move! Be in touch about current offerings.

 

CHARACTER COMEDY INTENSIVE

Having a fully-realized character that you love, that brings you joy and brings joy to others, is a lovely tool in uncertain times. And as we move out of the pandemic and toward live performing again, it’s a great time to have a fresh new character ready to get out there and show off.

CHARACTER COMEDY INTENSIVE is an elite (but not too elite) and rigorous (but not too rigorous) bootcamp for your character development work.

This 6-week program is designed to help you create material for your character (for online and live content) and strengthen your character’s ability to improvise and play fiercely in an ever-shifting performative landscape.

The format of the class goes like this: This 6-week workshop consists of 6 participants. I screen all applicants and make sure the group feels like a good fit before we start. Each week, I give a prompt for your character to develop material around. You will work twice weekly, totaling 150 minutes a week. One 60-minute session is with me and one other performer—here you will develop your character’s assignment for the week, and get to witness and participate in the other performer’s process as well. Then there’s the 90-minute group session, in which all 6 participants come together to improvise, connect and give/receive feedback on their assignments.  You will be expected to do some creation work on your own during the workshop, but you set your own pace and goals.

 

MELODRAMA ZOOM-A-RAMA

A weekly 2-hour workout for keeping your play skills finely tuned, your performance chops up to snuff, and your on-camera fabulousness even more fabulous.

In this 6-week workshop, we will delve into onscreen play, solo and with partners, exploring high camp forms of melodrama, horror, joke-erotica, interpretive dance and deep performance art.

You will hone cinematic and DIY “moviemaking” techniques so that you can be your own ridiculous cinematographer, exploitation director, and horrible actor, all in one!

This workshop is ideal for performers in quarantine who still need to W-E-R-K, and for all who are ready to get wild for the camera to fill others with delight.

In this workshop, expect the following:

    • Physical, full-body improvisation
    • explorations of DIY cinematography and effects
    • a deeper sense of play in your onscreen improv work
    • skills and concepts that translate easily to the stage (whenever that happens)

Each workshop will have max 8 participants, so you will enjoy the intimacy and relationship-building of a small and geographically-diverse group.