Classes

New Improv Classes start March 5th

At the Olympia Center
222 Columbia St. NW
Olympia, WA 98501

Call Olympia, Parks, Arts, and Recreation to Register @ 360.753.8380

Four fabulous weeks of fun for very few dinero! ($29 bucks for the full meal deal!)

A brief intro to the content of each class is listed below:

YesAnd > Class #1

The foundation of improv. Just say yes, instead of no. And after you’ve said yes, add something to it. To get us started, we’ll play exercises and games that teach us to agree with each other. Agreement is so rare in our real life that it turns out to be funny......................and it allows us to build a story out of thin air!

It's all about your partner > Class #2

Class 2 is all about your partner and making them look good. These exercises and games teach us how to listen deeply to our partners and use the information we hear to make them look good. In turn, they will be listening to you. Get a bunch of improvisers actually listening to each other and interesting things begin to happen!

Learn to Make Mistakes - Please > Class #3

Kids play differently than adults. Kids want lots of turns. As many turns as they can get. We adults don't want any turns unless we think we might be good at it, and then we only want one perfect turn. Tonight we encourage you to to take lots of turns and make mistakes. It is the only way we learn. Attempt the impossible. Fail. Laugh. Repeat.

What happens next? > Class #4

It is not about what you say. It's about making things happen. Tonight we take Yes, And, Listening, Mistake Making and put them all together with Story Making. Exercises that teach story. Opportunities to return to your favorite games...........................and discover what comes next for you!

Lessons people learn at OlyImprov Classes

At the end of last winter's beginning OlyImprov class, we had people play the game "Thirty-Five Things" to sum up the lessons that they took away from the class. Here's what they wrote.......

I Learned......

Karen and Jackson play status cards
  • Always make your Partner look good!
  • I learned if I get out of my way, really cool things come through (especially if I'm not afraid of doing something "wrong"
  • Playing games is the best way to learn.
  • Everything can become a game.
  • The best way to "win" a game is to make your partner look good.
  • Fun-loving spontaneity is healing.
  • It is OK to make mistakes and look.......RI-DIC-YOU-LOUS.
  • When doing a sketch, really listen to your partner so you can support them, use their ideas, respond to their offers.
  • Observation is second only to listening when communicating with others. And to agree is better than to deny.
  • To make the others look good.
  • Stop thinking. Listen and react - improv isn't always funny but when you commit chances are it will be interesting and likely funny.
  • Make your partner look good
  • I'm learning how to say yes without planning.
  • Speak before you think.
  • Accept all offers.

We also asked people to record what they were going to do with the improv skills they had acquired. Here's what they had to say.......

What I'll do with my new improv skills....

  • Always make your Partner look good!
  • In making others look good, act in the way to loose the inhibition of exposing my own self.
  • Positive consideration of others interactions with me as "offers" - - my take being to accept and build on - - and to make them look good, especially when I might normally do a "yes, but" response.
  • I want to use my improv learnings to be open more to how God, mystery, spirit is moving in me
  • I would like to perform improv and use the skills I learned to not only improv my acting skills but to improve my skills as a therapist as well.
  • I'll be using the warm-ups as simple team building, looking for ways to bring more fun to work.
  • I's like to live with more grace, ease and spontaneity - - improving life and laughing.
  • In my work in professional development I will make the participants look good. There are no wrong answers or poor behaviors.
  • Embrace the spirit of spontaneity
  • Storytelling
  • Improv performance group, stand up, improving my way out of a mugging, and living in the Andes.
  • I want to be a STAR!
  • Mentor kids in nature skills
  • Apply observational skills to life in general. Learn to listen better.

Or olyimprov can schedule a class to meet your needs!

We're always open to structuring improv classes around your interests, or workshops to apply improv to the workplace, your friends or your community setting. Send an email to Daniel Knutson-Bradac with your idea or question.