Workshop Details

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Take a look at the awesome Workshops to be held during 2017’s TIR!

IMPROV REHAB – Rance Rizzutto
Looking to get out of your head, create richer environments and stay connected to your group while improvising? Every improviser picks up a bad habit or two along their journey. Improv Rehab targets the big ones and keeps the entire group actively participating throughout.

HOST WITH THE MOST – Rance Rizzutto
Want to be a great host? In improv, you either want to host or end up the host. This will help you find out how to go with the flow, get the audience on your side, and make the show a success.

TURNING THE CORNER – Jill Bernard

This workshop is a survey of methods to turn the corner on a scene that has stalled out and is struggling to progress.

SOLO IMPROV – Jill Bernard

There are no true “schools” of improv – we are each our own school, which means your solo piece is the ultimate expression of that school. Work with Jill to practice the skills that are universal to most solo pieces – character snapping, stage pictures, and

aggressive choices.

IT’S ALREADY THERE – Tara DeFrancisco & Rance Rizzutto

Simple tactics to transform SceneWORK into ScenePLAY. Leave with tangible ways of connecting simply at top of scenes so there’s no scripting or planning, but true improvisation that leads to ideas and discovery done collaboratively. This is all about playing With, not At, your fellow playmate.

LIFTING UP & LOVING YOURSELF – Tara DeFrancisco **THIS IS NOW AN ACTIVITY, NOT A SCHEDULED WORKSHOP!**

This, simply said, is a healing circle of friends. Art isn’t therapy, but it is therapeutic, and this session will be transformative to those who need release. Want to unburden your heart and live playfully again? Want to truly connect with a room full of people that are willing to be vulnerable? Come ready to share yourself and be celebrated.

BE HERE NOW – Tara DeFrancisco

Presence is the thing, the one thing we all need the most. For seasoned improvisers, simply breathing and slowing the process allows us access to incredible connection and joy in our artform we miss when we are battling adrenaline spikes we feel onstage. Come try a few mind-bending exercises and experiments to connect with one another, read everything, listen hardest, give and receive gifts with another human by opening up your vulnerability. Application and discussion of play-state vs. director-state in a grand experiment will conclude this workshop.

Information Sharing and Scene Construction – Ryan Archibald

Arch’s workshop will put a focus on sharing verbal and non-verbal information with your partner, look/listen &capitalize on their ideas in order to construct quality scenes anytime, anywhere. These techniques benefit Shortform & Longform improvisation.

Harold Openings with Arch – Ryan Archibald

I know you hate them. You think they are artsy, lame and uninteresting. Let me change your mind, please. I’ve been teaching Harold for over 15 years, I love iO’s infamous structure and I can help you connect with why Openings are important and how to better deconstruct your Source and improve the relationship between your audience & ensemble .

Improv to Sketch – Chicago Style – Ryan Archibald

This workshop will focus on some of the techniques, ideas and exercises developed by the Compass Players and used by The Second City for over 50 years to construct quality content through improvisation. This on your feet workshop lead by former Second City Touring Company Director Ryan Archibald will teach you how to write, rewrite and edit on your feet in the old school Chicago tradition.

Red Light District – David Christopher

Come take a walk on the dark side of town and explore a side of your improv game that you didn’t know that you had in you, dramatic improvisation! This workshop will push you to the edge in committing to your choices and connecting with your scene partners, verbally, physically and emotionally. Deep, intense and not for the faint of heart, go all in and take a trip to the Red Light District!

Improvised Monologues – David Christopher

So you think you know how to do an improvised monologue? Think again! In Improvised Monologues you will create rich and real monologues that will immediately captivate and seduce audiences, and leave them (and you) wanting more. Whether you want to perform one as a standalone performance, in a longform piece, or even as part of a scene, learn how to instantly build characters, develop points of view and end monologues that you might swear were actually written!

DANCE LIKE EVERYONE’S WATCHING – Nathan Jansen

I’ve taught hundreds of workshops and this has been my favorite and most requested. This will be a full workshop devoted entirely to dancing. We’ll make it fun, we’ll make it beautiful and, most importantly, we’ll make it watchable. Wear comfortable clothes.

Length Doesn’t Matter (or Make Short Form Great Again)

“Short form sucks.” We’ve all heard it. Some of us believe it. I think badly done improv is bad and well done improv is well… I mean good. Use a long-form mindset and a few simple strategies to vastly improve the quality of your game, no matter the length.

Audition Prep – Nathan Jansen

Get tips and practice reps for improv auditions (with a little advice for commercial auditions thrown in). As the 4.5 year director of a professional improv theater I can tell you what the people on the other side of the room are looking for, what pet peeves they might have and what you can do to set yourself up for success. Q&A included.

Intuitive Treasure Hunter – Janna Sobel

Intuitive Treasure Hunter is a life-sized game that fosters self-trust, creative freedom, group support, and big joy. Played around Lake Beulah in groups of three—on foot or by car— ITH invites participants to relate to the life around them and inside them with heightened awareness. Played at TIR since its inception, the game starts with a promise, and ends with a treasure.

The Inside Story – Janna Sobel

Storytelling is a powerful tool that is used to sell cars, start wars, explain the movement of the stars, and pass on the wisdom of generations. In this workshop, we will explore the power of story and apply it to the truths that matter most to you. Sometimes the things that matter most to us feel ineffable. This workshop will help you to put words to what matters.

Hey Hey Hambone – Andel Sudik

What’s your Hidden Knowledge? No matter how ‘real’ (Quantum Physics) or how ‘dumb’ (the cadence of characters in Joss Whedon shows), we use that to create content or use them improvisationally.

Warm Up to Warm Up – Andel Sudik

Sharing our favorite warm ups and creating NEW ones to take with us. Warming up should always be the most fun: Let’s make it so!

No Humans Workshop – Craig Uhlir

Through the use of creative non human choices we will explore group relationships and group game dynamics that will apply to all improv human or non human.

Musical Backdrop – Craig Uhlir

We will do a bunch of scenes that are silent, non verbal, but will have music playing during it. We will explore the communication and connections in scenes besides the words.

Make and Bake A Move – Nnamdi Ngwe

Hesitancy from you or your ensemble kills momentum or an entire piece. We’ll explore how we can make moves that support others and make moves others would love to support.

Improv your Swag – Nnamdi Ngwe

Lacking confidence in your day to day life and/or improv? Let’s work it out together. Come here, open up, and leave confident af.

Music Improv 1 – John Sturk

Learn the fundamentals of improvising with singing! We’ll work on some rhyming exercises, rhythm, timing, and a few short-form games to get your on your path to singprov! No previous experience in musical improv is necessary.

Music Improv 2 – John Sturk

Create a long-form narrative musical, Broadway-style! We’ll focus on ensemble work, finding a form, and storytelling through song. Previous experience is helpful, but not completely necessary.

Musical Games Compendium – John Sturk

We’ll go through a whirlwind of short and medium-length musical improv games. There might be some old favorites you recognize, and a few you may not. Warm up your vocals – this one will be a workout!

MOVE YOUR DANG BODY – Stacey Smith

We only have one body, let’s move it! Half Zumba / half improvised dance, we’re going to break a sweat and wiggle our bodies in new and exciting ways!

Vision Boards – Stacey Smith

Let’s love one another via improv and crafts! In this workshop, we will make vision boards and focus on all the things that we do well!

SHOW BUSINESS! – Jill Valentine

We can produce on stage but now need to put on our producer hat and learn a bit about the back end of the business. Talk about things like budgeting, booking a venue, reading contracts, marketing and publicity, getting butts in seats, press releases, and getting talent agents and reviewers to the show!

IMPROV for TV – Jill Valentine

Learn the step by step process of how to get represented. Improvisers are always called into auditions because you have a skill that not all actors have. You can write copy on the spot. Learn the different types of scenarios you can be thrown into!

Tara DeFrancisco
Tara DeFrancisco was awarded “Funniest Person in Chicago” by the Free Press, “30 Under 30” in the Windy City Times, and “25 Funniest Females 2009” in Curve Magazine for her ventures in stand up, sketch, and improv. She teaches improv courses and workshops to people of all ages and backgrounds across this nation, and that’s about the most rewarding thing ever – traveling to elementary and high schools, colleges, and offices all over the country as both an introductory instructor and a professional Comedy Consultant.
Rance Rizzutto
Rance Rizzutto has performed, coached, and taught improv for years. Long-form with iO Chicago and other various independent groups. Short-form with ComedySportz and Second City Theatricals (aboard NCL ships). Musical and hip-hop/rap with Here: The Improvised Musical, The Deltones, Baby Wants Candy, and The Beatbox. More random shows like silent improv and Storybox. He’s done improv all over the world (13 countries!). He is also known for his photography, hypnotism, and hosting.
Nnamdi Ngwe
You may have seen Nnamdi in print advertising or commercials for some of your favorite retailers, but what you may not know is this charming man is one of the most humble people in the community. If Nnamdi is not performing in one of his many shows throughout the week, he might just stop into iO or The Playground or wherever just to see who else is performing and offer his support. He is one of the hardest working and talented individuals in this community.
John Sturk
John studied improv at Second City and iO before focusing on the piano since 2009. He's most often seen at the keyboards of Comedysportz and iO, but appears almost everywhere from time to time. John is also an award-winning comedy magician, and a lifetime member of the Society of American Magicians.
Jill Bernard
Jill Bernard has been performing with ComedySportz-Twin Cities since 1993, and is a founding member of HUGE Theater in Uptown Minneapolis. Her one-woman improv piece, Drum Machine, has been featured in over forty improv festivals. She has taught and performed improv in Norway, Australia, Canada, Argentina and over thirty-five of the United States; and also on an episode of MTV “Made.”
Nathan Jansen
Nathan Jansen has been improvising for 12 years. He performs at iO Chicago, The CSz Theater, and does The Improvised Musical with Baby Wants Candy. He teaches all across the nation and writes scripts for businesses that enjoy comedy. He is also a veteran stand up comic, but his heart belongs to pretend.
Ryan Archibald
Ryan Archibald grew up in Barrington, IL and attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where he played football for the Fighting Illini. Ryan has performed with The Second City all over the world, including a stay with their resident company in Las Vegas and aboard Norwegian Epic among others.
Andel Sudik
Andel Sudik moved to Chicago right after high school. She has performed all over the US with the Second City touring co. and all over Europe with Boom Chicago. She lived in Amsterdam for two years and Arizona for two months among other random places. She has been performing and teaching sketch comedy and improvisation for the last 10 years.
Craig Uhlir
After performing with the Second City Touring Company for over two years , including tours in Alaska, Hawaii, Austria, and even Iraq and Kuwait, Craig did more. He went on to perform in Las Vegas for Second City at the Flamingo for another few years. Craig has been teaching and coaching improv for over ten years and performing since 1995. Yes.
Janna Sobel
Janna has an eclectic and diverse background in improv, stage, and storytelling. She brings her talents and a mystic sense of adventure to The Improv Retreat.
Jill Valentine
Jill Valentine is a South Side Chicago native that has worked as an actor, writer, improviser, director and sketch comedian all over town. You may have seen Jill with The Cupid Players, The Deltones, Feminine Gentlemen, or Off Off Broadzway. Jill is the Executive Director of Sketchfest and the Executive Producer of the Chicago Women's Funny Festival. Jill is also a founder of Stage773 in Lakeview and works as the Director of Operations.
David Christopher
David Christopher, with over 20 years of improv and sketch comedy experience, is a founding member and is a co-owner for Miami's home for improv and sketch comedy and 5-time Best of Miami winner, Just The Funny. David is responsible for creating the improvisation and sketch writing curriculum and program at Just The Funny, where he teaches and coaches all five levels of improv acting classes, along with both the Harold workshop and sketch writing classes. He is also the co-creator of The South Florida Improv Jam, and is the executive producer of the Miami Improv Festival.
Stacey Smith
Stacey is a writer, performer, actress and teacher. She can be seen at iO Chicago in The Musical Armando and The Deltones or at ComedySportz Chicago and she just finished a successful run of #DateMe: An OkCupid Experiment at Second City. In addition to performing, she works as an Assistant Producer for the Chicago Improv Festival and the Teen Comedy Festival. Stacey also teaches in both the Youth Program and the A-E program at the Second City.