IMPROV INTENSIVES

Catch a space in this Improv Intensive with fantastic teachers Michelle Gilliam and Vanessa Anton. This will be a once in a lifetime experience.

MICHELLE GILLIAM is a phenom in improv today. She recently started her own improv company, Improv MKE and has held some of the best online improv jams in the world. Wildly talented, Michelle creates spaces that bring the best out in people.

VANESSA ANTON works on vulnerability and having every person in the ensemble be their best selves. By getting people to trust themselves, she has helped teams to Level Up. A beloved improv teacher in San Diego, we are lucky to have her.

There will be two 2.5 hour classes on Saturday followed by an evening of improv performances. Then two 2.5 hour classes on Sunday. Each Instructor will teach two classes. That means you are paying £16 an hour for some intense improv training with master teachers flown in from the United States! (if you pay for the weekend)

There will be one round of intensives in Chester and one round in Nottingham - for die-hard improv performers, we offer a discount for both weekends! The weekends will be similar in teaching, but with different classes in different locations, you are sure to pull something new from it.

The staff and instructors of the Improv Intensives will conduct themselves with the following ideals as goals.

BOUNDARIES - we will do our best to understand the boundaries of the students and each other. This includes all the attending students and performers also respecting the boundaries of the staff and instructors. Through these boundaries, we can respect the mental, physical and artistic needs of the individuals contributing to the intensive. Boundaries are more like membranes than a wall (Conquergood, 2002). They are organic and may change. They also may be different from person to person. We may also fail at times - but please believe the best in people and understand we are doing our best with our own limitations.

EMPOWERMENT - our goal for this intensive is not for profit. Our goal is to bring you high-quality instruction and place you in your position to do your best. This also includes something we believe is a crucial benefit: networking - or finding people you want to work with again! Our effort comes from the heart, not from the pocket.

BELONGING - We want you to recognize that your journey belongs to you. You are an amalgamation of all your teachers, shows and experiences. We believe that your culture and voice that you bring to improv is the most valuable thing. We don't want you to assimilate, but we want you to try new things and work in harmony with your differences. As Dr. Maya Angelou said:

"You are only free when you realize you belong no place - you belong every place -
no place at all. The price is high. The reward great."

The success of this Improv Intensive comes from the contribution of the community. A safe environment is something you help create with your efforts and skills. It's not something you interface as a passive experience. Improv is ensemble, on stage and in the community.

We're set out to have some fun!

NOTE: the location is for the Chester Intensives. We'll post more info on the Nottingham location later!