The Geek is proud to offer workshops with Chicago’s top teachers and performers!
STRONG WOMEN ON STAGE
Instructor: Lillie Francis
This workshop will discover and celebrate the feminine and feminist voices in improvisation. Don’t be frustrated by being a woman in a predominantly male environment! Learn how to utilize your strengths and to express your unique viewpoint. This workshop will emphasize creating full characters on stage, discuss the importance of giving attention to detail, and promote interesting scenework.
Saturday, March 6th
12 – 3 p.m.
10 students max
$35
BREAKING YOUR HABITS
Instructor: Peter Grosz
Everyone has bad improvisational habits, some we are aware of and others that elude us. In this workshop, Peter will pinpoint the tendencies that hold you back and help you work through them. He asks that you bring one or two ideas to class of elements of your performance you'd like to work on and they, along with things Peter notices, will be addressed. Despite the focus on the individual, this will be a group effort as everyone will take part in ridding each other of the bad habits that get in our way.
The Geek strongly recommends that students have completed their training at Second City, ImprovOlympic or The Annoyance before enrolling in this intensive.
Saturday, March 13th
12 – 3 p.m.
10 students max
$35
SCENEWORK INTENSIVE
Instructor: Dan Bakkedahl
“This will be an intensive scenework class. You will do scenes and I will give notes. We will try to determine where scenes go bad and how we can get them back on track. There will be little talk and a lot of accountability. If you take things personally, you may want to skip this one.” -- Dan
The Geek strongly recommends that students have completed their training at Second City, ImprovOlympic or The Annoyance before enrolling in this intensive.
Saturday, March 20th
12 – 3 p.m.
10 students max
$35
HOW TO COACH AN IMPROV TEAM
Instructor: Liz Allen
This workshop covers the top 20 things Liz Allen thinks every coach should know, and shows the attendees how to create a vision for his or her team, how to structure rehearsals, what scenic and game exercises are best introduced when and why, and how to best lead a team towards to success. Specific skills such as tips on giving notes will be offered, as well as answers to the most frequently asked questions by new coaches. This workshop is designed for the coach of an improv ensemble who wants to hone his or her skills.
Saturday, March 27th
12 – 3 p.m.
12 students max
$35
INSTRUCTOR BIOS:
LIZ ALLEN has been improvising in Chicago for over a decade, and has been teaching, directing, and coaching for the past 7 years. She currently coaches the ensembles Mission Improvable and Fatty Four Eyes, and is the former Improv Olympic Theater Training Center Director and coach of the IO team Valhalla. Liz has performed with many ensembles including IO’s team Frank Booth, creating Frank Booth and the Blue Velvet Lounge, Therapy, and Harold on the Holyrood (at the 1995 Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland). A member of the IO’s touring company The Roadshow, Liz teaches workshops to actors, improvisors and corporate clients. Liz won the Del Close Award “Coach of the Year” in 1999, 2000, and 2001--now called the "Liz Allen Coach of the Year" Award. Her directorial credits include Coco Pouche Returns to the Blue Velvet Lounge, Pong, The Two Horsemen, and Devolution (at the Neofuturarium), and SmellFungus in Funbling Towards Ecstasy.
DAN BAKKEDAHL is currently performing in The Second City's Mainstage Revue entitled "Doors Open on the Right". Dan has spent the last six years improvising, acting and teaching both. Dan came to Chicago from Florida where he spent 3 1/2 years studying at Florida State University. College did nothing for him. Everything he knows, he learned on stage.
LILLIAN FRANCIS discovered improvisational theater as an undergrad at Northwestern University where she received a Bachelor of Science in Theater. She has performed, directed, and taught improvisation for the past fourteen years in Chicago and elsewhere. Favorites include the ImprovOlympic house team Frank Booth, Close Quarters and Calendar Girls (a two-woman improvised show) at the Second City e.t.c., and Neutrino Project, an improvised movie. Lillie's passion for improvisation took her all the way to Amsterdam, where she assistant directed and performed in Boom Chicago, and also to Newport, Rhode Island, where she founded, directed, and performed in Chicago Comedy Company. She directed a Second City National Touring Company and is currently a Core Teacher at the Second City Training Center. Lillie was one of the founding members of the all women’s group Jane, and has had the privilege of directing Jane as well as the all women’s improv groups Sirens, RED, and Lipschtick.
PETER GROSZ has been performing improvisation in Chicago for 8 1/2 years. He was on the Harold teams Stuhlwich and Preponderate at Improv Olympic and is a current member of the Second City ETC cast. He also performs in 4 Square, a four-man improv show with John Lutz, Dan Bakkedahl and Rob Janas, Sunday nights at 11:15PM.
TO ENROLL IN A WORKSHOP, CONTACT:
SAMMY TAMIMI
(773) 655-7347
sammytamimi@aol.com
STRONG WOMEN ON STAGE
Instructor: Lillie Francis
This workshop will discover and celebrate the feminine and feminist voices in improvisation. Don’t be frustrated by being a woman in a predominantly male environment! Learn how to utilize your strengths and to express your unique viewpoint. This workshop will emphasize creating full characters on stage, discuss the importance of giving attention to detail, and promote interesting scenework.
Saturday, March 6th
12 – 3 p.m.
10 students max
$35
BREAKING YOUR HABITS
Instructor: Peter Grosz
Everyone has bad improvisational habits, some we are aware of and others that elude us. In this workshop, Peter will pinpoint the tendencies that hold you back and help you work through them. He asks that you bring one or two ideas to class of elements of your performance you'd like to work on and they, along with things Peter notices, will be addressed. Despite the focus on the individual, this will be a group effort as everyone will take part in ridding each other of the bad habits that get in our way.
The Geek strongly recommends that students have completed their training at Second City, ImprovOlympic or The Annoyance before enrolling in this intensive.
Saturday, March 13th
12 – 3 p.m.
10 students max
$35
SCENEWORK INTENSIVE
Instructor: Dan Bakkedahl
“This will be an intensive scenework class. You will do scenes and I will give notes. We will try to determine where scenes go bad and how we can get them back on track. There will be little talk and a lot of accountability. If you take things personally, you may want to skip this one.” -- Dan
The Geek strongly recommends that students have completed their training at Second City, ImprovOlympic or The Annoyance before enrolling in this intensive.
Saturday, March 20th
12 – 3 p.m.
10 students max
$35
HOW TO COACH AN IMPROV TEAM
Instructor: Liz Allen
This workshop covers the top 20 things Liz Allen thinks every coach should know, and shows the attendees how to create a vision for his or her team, how to structure rehearsals, what scenic and game exercises are best introduced when and why, and how to best lead a team towards to success. Specific skills such as tips on giving notes will be offered, as well as answers to the most frequently asked questions by new coaches. This workshop is designed for the coach of an improv ensemble who wants to hone his or her skills.
Saturday, March 27th
12 – 3 p.m.
12 students max
$35
INSTRUCTOR BIOS:
LIZ ALLEN has been improvising in Chicago for over a decade, and has been teaching, directing, and coaching for the past 7 years. She currently coaches the ensembles Mission Improvable and Fatty Four Eyes, and is the former Improv Olympic Theater Training Center Director and coach of the IO team Valhalla. Liz has performed with many ensembles including IO’s team Frank Booth, creating Frank Booth and the Blue Velvet Lounge, Therapy, and Harold on the Holyrood (at the 1995 Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland). A member of the IO’s touring company The Roadshow, Liz teaches workshops to actors, improvisors and corporate clients. Liz won the Del Close Award “Coach of the Year” in 1999, 2000, and 2001--now called the "Liz Allen Coach of the Year" Award. Her directorial credits include Coco Pouche Returns to the Blue Velvet Lounge, Pong, The Two Horsemen, and Devolution (at the Neofuturarium), and SmellFungus in Funbling Towards Ecstasy.
DAN BAKKEDAHL is currently performing in The Second City's Mainstage Revue entitled "Doors Open on the Right". Dan has spent the last six years improvising, acting and teaching both. Dan came to Chicago from Florida where he spent 3 1/2 years studying at Florida State University. College did nothing for him. Everything he knows, he learned on stage.
LILLIAN FRANCIS discovered improvisational theater as an undergrad at Northwestern University where she received a Bachelor of Science in Theater. She has performed, directed, and taught improvisation for the past fourteen years in Chicago and elsewhere. Favorites include the ImprovOlympic house team Frank Booth, Close Quarters and Calendar Girls (a two-woman improvised show) at the Second City e.t.c., and Neutrino Project, an improvised movie. Lillie's passion for improvisation took her all the way to Amsterdam, where she assistant directed and performed in Boom Chicago, and also to Newport, Rhode Island, where she founded, directed, and performed in Chicago Comedy Company. She directed a Second City National Touring Company and is currently a Core Teacher at the Second City Training Center. Lillie was one of the founding members of the all women’s group Jane, and has had the privilege of directing Jane as well as the all women’s improv groups Sirens, RED, and Lipschtick.
PETER GROSZ has been performing improvisation in Chicago for 8 1/2 years. He was on the Harold teams Stuhlwich and Preponderate at Improv Olympic and is a current member of the Second City ETC cast. He also performs in 4 Square, a four-man improv show with John Lutz, Dan Bakkedahl and Rob Janas, Sunday nights at 11:15PM.
TO ENROLL IN A WORKSHOP, CONTACT:
SAMMY TAMIMI
(773) 655-7347
sammytamimi@aol.com
