IMPROV: Jump-start Your Scene

Stop wasting the audience’s time. Stop wasting your time. Start getting impatient with your improv.

The first five to 10 seconds of a scene are the most important. Learn to jump-start your scenes with lightning fast speed and a deep understanding of the initiation and what it means.

The three stages of the improv scene are: the antecedent stage, what was happening right before the scene started that defines the primary context of the scene; the organic stage, the "yes and..." portion of the scene; and the game stage, wherein lies the comedy of the scene.

This workshop will look at mining the initiation in depth and detail to gain rapid understanding of the characters and relationships at the top of the scene so that we can minimize the organic stage and get to the comedy of the game stage faster.

We'll start by looking at initiations, in depth and detail, by understanding and giving meaning to every syllable. Then we'll move on to an examination of the context and logic of the scene, how the context is always changing and why the logic must be grounded in reality. You'll learn to keep your scenes simple and find the game quickly, even directly off the initiation.

NOTE: WORKSHOP AVAILABLE TO ALL WRITERS AND PERFORMERS, "STUDENT FEE" ONLY AVAILABLE FOR REGISTERED NC COMEDY ARTS FESTIVAL PERFORMERS (WHO HAVE ELECTED TO REGISTER FOR THE WORKSHOP PACKAGE).

Thursday 2/16, 11am - 4pm; Students can expect one (1) 15-minute break for coffee and one (1) 30-minute break for food.

Class Dates and Times*

* All classes are 3 hours long unless otherwise noted above.

Instructor: Kevin Patrick Robbins

Kevin is the founder and artistic director of the Impatient Theatre Co. and the developer of the ITC Training Centre's core curriculum. He has been a featured instructor at the Chicago Improv Festival and is a lead instructor at the annual North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival.

His highly effective teaching style comes from his incredibly diverse training. He has studied with masters of the craft from all across North America: Toronto, Chicago and Los Angeles including such luminaries as Alan Arkin and Micheal Gellman (Second City), Mick Napier and Joe Bill (Annoyance Theatre), Bob Dassie, Craig Cackowski and Noah Gregoropolis (i.O. Theatre) and Todd Stashwick (Burn Manhattan, Hothouse STC). He puts this style to use onstage, in class and as a director/coach.

Amalgamating his various training experiences and lessons into a style that is rooted in character, relationship, truthfulness and authenticity, Kevin has developed a training program that encourages the empowerment of improvisers within the context of group improvisation.

Kevin has taught, coached and directed many of Toronto's top improvisers and comedians. He was the first coach for ITC's first house team Big In Japan and the all-female extravaganza WDWMKR. He has coached and directed performers on Mantown, PROJECTproject, The Sketchersons, the Second City Touring Company, the Second City main stage, and was as a private improv coach for the winner of the CTV show Second City's Next Comedy Legend.