Improv Resource Center - Forums
The Geek is proud to announce our April improv workshops and improv class!
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What is the Geek?
Workshops
Class
Instructor Bios
Contact Info
* * *
WHAT IS THE GEEK?
The Geek is an organization founded on the following philosophy:
Serve the Art.
Serve the Artist.
Serve the Audience.
By offering workshops, The Geek provides the artist tools needed for success. By serving the Artist, we serve the Art. By improving the quality of the Artist's work, we serve the Audience.
I have plenty of catchy slogans and pretty posters I could put up, but it all boils down to this: I love the ephemeral art of improv and I want to help you get better.
* * *
WORKSHOPS
PROTECTING YOUR OBSCENE AND SEXUAL CHARACTERS IN SCENEWORK
(Effectively Working Blue)
Instructor: Joe Bill
This workshop will focus on quickly grounding characters that happen to be sexual or obscene in a scenic and/or longform context. A number of short exercises will help to eliminate self-consciousness, access elements of character and lead to scenework containing sexual tension and vulgarity. Audiences rarely enjoy Improvisors that are sexual and/or vulgar, but they often enjoy Characters that are. You will walk out of this workshop with a clear understanding and application of this idea. "Come get nasty in a safe, supportive environment!"-Joe Bill
The Geek strongly recommends that students have completed their training at Second City, ImprovOlympic or The Annoyance before enrolling in this intensive.
Saturday, April 3rd
1 – 4 p.m.
12 students max
$35
GROOVY PANTS
Instructor: Abby Sher
Let the rhythm in your head become a part of your ensemble, a part of your character, a part of your words and the space in between your words. You do not have to have musical background to play, just a love of sound and a willingness to yodel. We'll work on creating characters and environment specifically through music, both canned and organic. A driving focus of our scenework will be playing the moment and investing in your partner.
Saturday, April 10th
12 – 3 p.m.
10 students max
$35
MONOLOGUES
Instructor: TJ Jagadowski
Take the pressure off of being alone on stage! TJ will help make your character monologues more relaxed and scenic.
Saturday, April 17th
3:30 - 6:30
10 students max
$35
MAKE SCENES WORK FOR YOU
Instructor: Peter Gwinn
A lot of scenes don’t work because we make them harder than they need to be. This class will focus on keeping it simple, listening and using patterns and emotions to make fun discoveries in every scene we do
Saturday, April 24th
12 – 2:30 p.m.
10 students max
$35
* * *
CLASS
CHARACTER SCHMARACTER
Instructor: Abby Sher
These four weeks will be all about exploring characters. You will create and explore characters based on people you know very well as well as people you see on the street—like that weird guy on public transportation or that chick who gets mad outside the Burrito House on Lincoln Ave. We'll start creating characters for each other and, in the final week, we'll put it all together in a smorgasbord of personalities and character shenanigans.
4 Weeks
7 – 10 p.m. on Tuesdays
Starts April 13th / Ends May 4th
* * *
INSTRUCTOR BIOS:
JOE BILL is a founding member of The Annoyance Theater and a 25 years veteran of improvisation. Joe has appeared in the independent films Fatty Drives the Bus, Watch, and the short film Conspiracy Theory. In his 15 years at The Annoyance, Joe has performed in over 55 shows including "Co-Ed Prison Sluts", "Hot Monkey Pi", and "The Real Live Brady Bunch". Joe has also directed dozens of acclaimed improvisational shows at The Annoyance, Improv Olympic, and The Playground. Among those are "Georgia Pacific", "It's Not Me, It's Me", and the late-night Annoyance smash "Screw Puppies". He is a member of the faculty at both The Annoyance training center and The Second City, and has taught and performed improvisation and comedy across the United States, Canada, and Europe.
PETER GWINN has been performing and teaching improv for ten years. He is a founding member of Baby Wants Candy, named "Best improv Troupe" by Chicago magazine. He wrote a book called "Group Improvisation" which you should read. I hear he likes his liquor and the odd game of chance, if you catch my drift. And he's always driving that filthy car around. His wife seems to like him, bless her heart, the saint. I wouldn't let him hold my money or my diary, but I suppose he's all right. Who wants more coffee?
TJ JAGADOWSKI has performed on both Second City’s E.T.C. and Main stages and is a regular in ImprovOlympic’s Armando Diaz Presents The Mosaic. TJ is currently member of the Harold team Carl and the Passions and is half of the critically acclaimed two-man show “TJ & Dave”. Raised in Holyoke, Massachusetts, TJ is passionate in his love for the Red Sox and staunch in his hate for the Yankees.
ABBY SHER has been performing and teaching at IO and Second CIty for a while now. She started out with the ladies of JANE and is so thankful for all of the inspiration there. She is the director of the amazingly talented group, Koko. Abby wants to thank Sammy for this Geeky time.
* * *
CONTACT INFO
If you wish to register for any of our workshops or classes, or have any questions, please contact:
Sammy Tamimi
Executive Producer
The Geek
(773) 655-7347
sammytamimi@aol.com
* * *
What is the Geek?
Workshops
Class
Instructor Bios
Contact Info
* * *
WHAT IS THE GEEK?
The Geek is an organization founded on the following philosophy:
Serve the Art.
Serve the Artist.
Serve the Audience.
By offering workshops, The Geek provides the artist tools needed for success. By serving the Artist, we serve the Art. By improving the quality of the Artist's work, we serve the Audience.
I have plenty of catchy slogans and pretty posters I could put up, but it all boils down to this: I love the ephemeral art of improv and I want to help you get better.
* * *
WORKSHOPS
PROTECTING YOUR OBSCENE AND SEXUAL CHARACTERS IN SCENEWORK
(Effectively Working Blue)
Instructor: Joe Bill
This workshop will focus on quickly grounding characters that happen to be sexual or obscene in a scenic and/or longform context. A number of short exercises will help to eliminate self-consciousness, access elements of character and lead to scenework containing sexual tension and vulgarity. Audiences rarely enjoy Improvisors that are sexual and/or vulgar, but they often enjoy Characters that are. You will walk out of this workshop with a clear understanding and application of this idea. "Come get nasty in a safe, supportive environment!"-Joe Bill
The Geek strongly recommends that students have completed their training at Second City, ImprovOlympic or The Annoyance before enrolling in this intensive.
Saturday, April 3rd
1 – 4 p.m.
12 students max
$35
GROOVY PANTS
Instructor: Abby Sher
Let the rhythm in your head become a part of your ensemble, a part of your character, a part of your words and the space in between your words. You do not have to have musical background to play, just a love of sound and a willingness to yodel. We'll work on creating characters and environment specifically through music, both canned and organic. A driving focus of our scenework will be playing the moment and investing in your partner.
Saturday, April 10th
12 – 3 p.m.
10 students max
$35
MONOLOGUES
Instructor: TJ Jagadowski
Take the pressure off of being alone on stage! TJ will help make your character monologues more relaxed and scenic.
Saturday, April 17th
3:30 - 6:30
10 students max
$35
MAKE SCENES WORK FOR YOU
Instructor: Peter Gwinn
A lot of scenes don’t work because we make them harder than they need to be. This class will focus on keeping it simple, listening and using patterns and emotions to make fun discoveries in every scene we do
Saturday, April 24th
12 – 2:30 p.m.
10 students max
$35
* * *
CLASS
CHARACTER SCHMARACTER
Instructor: Abby Sher
These four weeks will be all about exploring characters. You will create and explore characters based on people you know very well as well as people you see on the street—like that weird guy on public transportation or that chick who gets mad outside the Burrito House on Lincoln Ave. We'll start creating characters for each other and, in the final week, we'll put it all together in a smorgasbord of personalities and character shenanigans.
4 Weeks
7 – 10 p.m. on Tuesdays
Starts April 13th / Ends May 4th
* * *
INSTRUCTOR BIOS:
JOE BILL is a founding member of The Annoyance Theater and a 25 years veteran of improvisation. Joe has appeared in the independent films Fatty Drives the Bus, Watch, and the short film Conspiracy Theory. In his 15 years at The Annoyance, Joe has performed in over 55 shows including "Co-Ed Prison Sluts", "Hot Monkey Pi", and "The Real Live Brady Bunch". Joe has also directed dozens of acclaimed improvisational shows at The Annoyance, Improv Olympic, and The Playground. Among those are "Georgia Pacific", "It's Not Me, It's Me", and the late-night Annoyance smash "Screw Puppies". He is a member of the faculty at both The Annoyance training center and The Second City, and has taught and performed improvisation and comedy across the United States, Canada, and Europe.
PETER GWINN has been performing and teaching improv for ten years. He is a founding member of Baby Wants Candy, named "Best improv Troupe" by Chicago magazine. He wrote a book called "Group Improvisation" which you should read. I hear he likes his liquor and the odd game of chance, if you catch my drift. And he's always driving that filthy car around. His wife seems to like him, bless her heart, the saint. I wouldn't let him hold my money or my diary, but I suppose he's all right. Who wants more coffee?
TJ JAGADOWSKI has performed on both Second City’s E.T.C. and Main stages and is a regular in ImprovOlympic’s Armando Diaz Presents The Mosaic. TJ is currently member of the Harold team Carl and the Passions and is half of the critically acclaimed two-man show “TJ & Dave”. Raised in Holyoke, Massachusetts, TJ is passionate in his love for the Red Sox and staunch in his hate for the Yankees.
ABBY SHER has been performing and teaching at IO and Second CIty for a while now. She started out with the ladies of JANE and is so thankful for all of the inspiration there. She is the director of the amazingly talented group, Koko. Abby wants to thank Sammy for this Geeky time.
* * *
CONTACT INFO
If you wish to register for any of our workshops or classes, or have any questions, please contact:
Sammy Tamimi
Executive Producer
The Geek
(773) 655-7347
sammytamimi@aol.com