Improv Revolution presents
The Coup de Comedy Festival Workshops
FREE reservations recommended as space is limited. (First Come First Served!)
If the event is not filled to capacity, we will allow “walk ups” to attend the workshops.
A reservation guarantees your space.
The Art of Clowning Workshop – SOLD OUT!
Instructor: Eli Simon
When: Festival Day 2: Friday, May 10, 1-3 pm
Where: UC Irvine, Studio 4
Instructor Bio:
Eli Simon is a professor of drama at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts and the author of The Art of Clowning: More Paths to Your Inner Clown, which illuminates a complete system of clowning that encourages the exploration, expansion, and fortification of your distinct clown persona. A natural result of these investigations will be the development of original clown routines performed alone or in partnership with other clowns. If you are interested in exploring and inhabiting your unique clown persona, the techniques described herein demystify the process, yielding swift and deep access to the clown in you.
SOLD OUT!
LIMITED WALK-UP ADMISSIONS: A small number of seats will be available for those who were unable to reserve advance tickets online. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. In addition, any unclaimed seats at 10 minutes prior to the event will be reassigned. All available seats will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis. *
Click to reserve your FREE spot in this workshop:
Tao of Comedy Stand-up Workshop – SOLD OUT!
Instructor: Bobbie Oliver
When: Festival Day 2: Friday, May 10, 3-6 pm
Where: UC Irvine, Nixon Theatre
Instructor Bio:
Bobbie Oliver is a 25-year veteran stand-up comic. She has been teaching comedy for 10 years. Over 700 comics have worked with her and her Tao of Comedy Workshops are the number one stand-up workshops in Los Angeles. Bobbie is the author of The Tao of Comedy: Embrace the Pause and just opened Tao Comedy Studio in Los Angeles.
Click to reserve your FREE spot in this workshop:
Sketch Comedy Workshop – SOLD OUT!
Instructor: Marc Warzecha
When: Festival Day 3: Saturday, May 11, 10 am – Noon
Where: UC Irvine, The Little Theatre
Instructor Bio:
Marc Warzecha lives in Los Angeles where he appeared on MAD TV and Reno 911. He has worked with The Second City as an actor, writer, and director, most recently co-writing and directing Can You Be More Pacific? at the Laguna Playhouse and directing A Christmas Carol: Twist Your Dickens at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Other recent SoCal directing credits include SCC’s An Evening with Martin Short; BarackStars at the Woolly Mammoth theatre in Washington, DC; The Art of Satire, a collaboration with The Economist Magazine; Pratfall of Civilization (The Second City ETC – Joseph Jefferson nominee: “Best Director”); War! Now in it’s 4th Smash Year! (Second City Chicago Mainstage- Joseph Jefferson nominee: Best Director, Best Revue, Best Ensemble); and Second City resident shows in Las Vegas and Michigan. Marc served as writer/director for last year’s political satire Kwame a River: The Chronicles of Detroit’s Hip Hop Mayor, a 2009 Wilde Award nominee for “Best New Script” and its follow-up show Kwame a River 2: The Wrath of Conyers. Marc’s work as a satirist has been featured on ABC’s Nightline, Newsweek, and in the Washington Post. He has also been a guest on CNN’s Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and NPR’s All Things Considered.
SOLD OUT!
LIMITED WALK-UP ADMISSIONS: A small number of seats will be available for those who were unable to reserve advance tickets online. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. In addition, any unclaimed seats at 10 minutes prior to the event will be reassigned. All available seats will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis. *
Click to reserve your FREE spot in this workshop:
Musical Improv Workshop – SOLD OUT!
Instructor: Allen Simpson
When: Festival Day 3: Saturday, May 11, 10 am – Noon
Where: UC Irvine, Studio Five (PSTU 1100)
Instructor Bio:
Allen Simpson‘s Musical Improv Workshop makes improv singing fun and exciting. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a beginner or an experienced singer, Allen’s workshop has something for everyone. Taught in an encouraging and supportive atmosphere, Allen provides participants with many tools for improvising songs, including song structure, rhyming techniques, how to end a song, different music styles and more. One of the best aspects of the workshop is the confidence that players will take with them not only into their musical improv but also into all areas of their performing.
Allen Simpson is an L.A.-based composer and songwriter and recently wrote the song “High to be Loathed” for FOX’s The Simpsons, sung by Harry Shearer as Mr. Burns (in the episode “Gorgeous Grandpa”). He was also composer and co-lyricist for the Saturn Award winning musical Fellowship!, a musical parody of The Fellowship of the Ring. He’s written songs for writer/director David Zucker (Airplane!, Police Squad!) and has has created music for the The Sarah Silverman Program, VH-1’s Acceptable TV and the DVD for Jack Black’s Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny. He’s collaborated with directors/producers Dan Harmon (Community, Monster House) and Rob Schrab (The Sarah Silverman Program, Children’s Hospital) numerous times, and he’s had music on ABC, VH-1, Comedy Central, FX, PAX-TV, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, The Wayne Brady Show and many other shows and films. He also plays live keyboards and guitar for many comedy groups around L.A., including The Groundlings, ComedySportz, Theatresports, Impro Theatre, Second City and I.O. West.
SOLD OUT!
LIMITED WALK-UP ADMISSIONS: A small number of seats will be available for those who were unable to reserve advance tickets online. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. In addition, any unclaimed seats at 10 minutes prior to the event will be reassigned. All available seats will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis. *
Click to reserve your FREE spot in this workshop:
Creating Characters for Improv Workshop – SOLD OUT!
Instructor: Tracy Burns
When: Festival Day 3: Saturday, May 11, 10 am – Noon
Where: UC Irvine, Nixon Theatre
Instructor Bio:
In this fun and exciting character intensive, participants will have the opportunity to create many diverse characters — from huge and exaggerated to small and subtle. Students will learn how to use gestures, rhythms, ticks, quirks, postures and other physical attributes to quickly develop a variety of fully realized and distinct characters. While physicality is obviously emphasized, Tracy also teaches how to stay emotionally invested even while playing big and wacky characters. Whether participants consider themselves to be highly cerebral and analytical or more physical and movement-oriented, Creating Characters For Improv has something for everyone.
Tracy Burns is an actor/improviser and has been teaching and performing internationally for more years than she’s willing to tell you. With credits in film, television and theater, Tracy has done everything from acting and directing to voiceover and casting. Back Stage L.A. recently named her one of the top improv instructors in Los Angeles. She teaches acting and improv at Pepperdine University and acting (to animation students) at Chapman University. She also teaches improv to animators and other other artists at Pixar and DreamWorks. Tracy teaches and performs with many groups such as Second City, ACME Comedy Theatre, ComedySportz, BATS improv and the award-winning Impro Theatre. She has performed regularly with Fred Willard, Wayne Brady, Micheal McShane and has also played to enthusiastic Klingons and Romulans at Star Trek conventions with The Earnest Borg-9, starring Wil Wheaton.
SOLD OUT!
LIMITED WALK-UP ADMISSIONS: A small number of seats will be available for those who were unable to reserve advance tickets online. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. In addition, any unclaimed seats at 10 minutes prior to the event will be reassigned. All available seats will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis. *
Click to reserve your FREE spot in this workshop:
The Stand-up Workshop
Instructor: Cary Odes
When: Festival Day 3: Saturday, May 11, 1-3 pm
Where: UC Irvine, The Little Theatre
Instructor Bio:
Cary Odes started his comedy career in Chicago, where he studied at Second City with improv legend Del Close. He moved to Los Angeles and toured the country doing stand-up for over a decade, wrote jokes for shows on NBC, had a pilot developed about his time teaching stand up to gang kids in prison. In 2004, Cary began teaching for Judy Carter’s Comedy Workshops, which he continued until 2011, when he created The Stand-up Workshop, where he has a large following of loyal students, both in classes and his private coaching.
Click to reserve your FREE spot in this workshop:
Scenic Improv Workshop – SOLD OUT!
Instructor: Frank Caeti
When: Festival Day 3: Saturday, May 11, 4-6 pm
Where: UC Irvine, Studio Four
Workshop Info:
The foundation of great improvisation is scene work. Whether it be short form games or long form structures, both rely on quality scenes. Want to learn how to do it? Or get better at it? Do you like having fun? In this workshop we will focus on improvising solid two-person scenes. The ultimate goal of scenic improvisation is the discovery and manifestation of relationship.
Instructor Bio:
Frank Caeti is currently a teacher at the Second City Hollywood and has taught improvisation all over the world. He is a Second City Chicago touring and resident company alum. He was a series regular on the fox show MADtv and has been seen on Key and Peele, Reno 911, NCIS, and over 40 commercials. He regularly performs in Los Angeles at Second City, Upright Citizens Brigade, and iO West.
SOLD OUT!
LIMITED WALK-UP ADMISSIONS: A small number of seats will be available for those who were unable to reserve advance tickets online. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. In addition, any unclaimed seats at 10 minutes prior to the event will be reassigned. All available seats will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis. *
Click to reserve your FREE spot in this workshop:
Brute Squad Sketch Writing Workshop
Instructor: Keith Saltojanes & Brute Squad
When: Festival Day 3: Saturday, May 11, 4-6 pm
Where: UC Irvine, The Little Theatre
Instructor Bio:
Brute Squad won the 2012 Los Angeles Improv Comedy Festival’s Sketch Competition with their fast-paced, high-energy sketch comedy. As well as their original videos being featured on sites like FunnyorDie and The Huffington Post and being selected to perform at this year’s SF Sketchfest, they can also be seen presenting a brand new show each month as a Mainstage House Sketch Team at iO West and regulars at UCB Theatre in Hollywood.
Click to reserve your FREE spot in this workshop:
“Yes and… More!” Improv Workshop – SOLD OUT!
Instructors: Nathan Clark & Brady Bunch
When: Festival Day 4: Sunday, May 12, 1-3 pm
Where: UC Irvine, Studio 4
Instructors Bios:
Nathan Clark is a graduate of The Second City Hollywood and a former student of Upright Citizens Brigade LA. He worked for The Second City performing on the NCL Cruise Ship, The Jewel. Along with performing in various improv groups over the years, Nathan also teaches improv workshops. Currently, you can catch him performing in NATE & ALLIE at iO West, The Second City Hollywood, and Neon Venus Art Theatre.
Brady Bunch (yes it’s his real name) is a graduate of The Second City Hollywood, studied at Upright Citizens Brigade LA. Cast member of The Second City onboard the NCL Cruise Ship, The Star. Has opened for Jessica Simpson and even once worked as Goofy. Currently Brady can be seen preforming his one man act as ” Stay At Home Dad”. Brady as been performing improv and sketch shows in and around LA and the OC, didn’t you his posting on facebook? Also Coaches Improv workshops like this one.
SOLD OUT!
LIMITED WALK-UP ADMISSIONS: A small number of seats will be available for those who were unable to reserve advance tickets online. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. In addition, any unclaimed seats at 10 minutes prior to the event will be reassigned. All available seats will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis. *
Click to reserve your FREE spot in this workshop:
Hope to see you at one or more of our exciting workshops!
Improv Revolution 