emotional connection course
Get into trouble and fall in love!
The most important thing on an improv stage is your scene partner.
So logically as the only other real, living, breathing thing in the scene, your relationship to them is of the utmost importance. You can transform your improv by learning to forge an emotional connection with them.
Feel something, anything, about them – deeply, irrationally, completely and see how your scenes blossom in delightful and unfathomable ways.
This course will teach you performance grade techniques that you can use immediately to get out of your head and improvise from your heart. Whether you know your fellow improviser well or are playing with them for the first time, harness the life-changing power of caring about your scene partner.
A course inspired by the shows of TJ & Dave, Dummy and Dasiriski.
Improv that focuses on truthful emotional connection, relationships and interaction between human beings, leading to both hilarious and touching scenes.
Improv from the heart.
online version
Dates:
Every Thursday for 8 weeks from Thursday 14th January 2021. SOLD OUT
Time: 7pm – 9pm (UK time, GMT).
Price: £195.
Teacher: Chris Mead.
Venue: Online using zoom. All details for login for zoom will be emailed to participants on the day of the first workshop.
This course is designed for people with previous long-form improv experience and isn’t suitable for people new to improv.
The above course is online:
1. Book your place on this page.
2. On the day of the first workshop we will email you log-in for the zoom chat.
3. You then click on the link in the email to join the zoom chat and enter password.
4. You will just need a laptop with camera and internet connection, everything else will be in the link. Laptops work better than ipads and phones for improv over Zoom.
5. Don’t worry if you haven’t used Zoom before, we start the first session with an overview of how to use it.
teacher Chris Mead
Chris has studied improv internationally at iO Chicago, The Annoyance Theatre in Chicago and The Hideout in Austin, Texas, as well as almost every improv school in London.
He studied theatre at Royal Holloway College and University of London.
He has performed at various improv festivals internationally including Austin Texas, Norway, Barcelona and Dublin.
Chris improvises with the award winning Maydays, sci-fi group Project2 and has recently co-founded Sonder, a company dedicated to improv as a theatrical art form.
Chris co-produces Geekeasy, one of the most popular regular nights at Hoopla’s Improv Theatre.
He is one of the Artistic Directors of The Nursery Theatre.
He also hosts YesBot, a podcast dedicated to the theory and craft of improv (but with added exploding robots).
topics
We’ll be covering a variety of topics and themes over the course, and also responding to the needs of the group.
- Emotional connection.
- Playing the relationship of the scene.
- Intimacy.
- Authenticity.
- Ensemble.
- Playing the truth of the scene.
- Making beautiful scenes.
- Finding moments of play.
- Bringing yourself to the stage.
- Comedy coming from being truthful, honest and real.
- Stage pictures and stage craft.
- Great acting for improvisers.
- Discovering rather than inventing.
- Truth in comedy.
faqs
Who is this suitable for?
People with previous improv or acting experience who want to go into deeper emotional connection and relationships on stage.
How much improv or acting should I have done before doing this course?
You should have done our Level 3 Improv Course and Level 4 Improv Course or a similar amount of improv or acting somewhere else. This course is not suitable for people new to improv or acting.
What comes after this course?
We have a variety of other advanced improv courses that would be suitable.
What if I’m running late?
We’ll be starting each session at 7pm. This is an advanced course and we’re trying to form a team, so please don’t book this course if you are likely to be late on a regular basis.
Does this course replace the Improvised Theatre course?
Yes. We found in the Improvised Theatre course that we wanted to focus on emotional connection above everything else, so we are doubling down on that. The narrative side of improvised theatre we will instead be covering in our narrative long-form course.
What if I can't make every session?
Please don’t book the course if you’re likely to miss more than one session.
What’s the class size?
Our class sizes are usually a maximum of 14-16 but while social distancing is in place they have decreased to 10-12 depending on room size to make sure we can keep 2m distance during scenes.
Is there a show at the end?
No. We want to focus on the core skill of emotional connection without getting distracted by a show.
What do I need to take part in the online version?
Laptop with camera and an internet connection. Laptops work better than phones or ipads, but phones and ipads also work.
Do I need to sign up to Zoom in advance for the online version?
No. On the day of the workshop we email you with all you need for zoom.
When do you email the Zoom link to take part in the online version?
On the day of the first workshop.