Improv & Comedy Classes

Spontaneous Storytelling - Series
Tap into play, listening, trust, and story structures in this two week, 6 hour class. Learn to trust yourself and your partners so you can create in the moment together. This class will emphasize autobiography as a resource for improvisation, looking at your own stories as a goldmine for comedy!
- Thursdays, Apr 2-9. Tickets & Info Here.

Stand Up Comedy - Series
Try your hand at writing and performing original jokes, stories and shticks! Local comedy legend Renee Groux leads this 5 week series, capped off with a student showcase!
- Saturday afternoons, Apr 4-25. Tickets & Info Here.

LET’S GET PHYSICAL - Single Session
Dive into the wide world of physicality in this five hour improv workshop intensive. A playful, collaborative exploration of how to connect to your body and supercharge your physical choices in improv. Over the course of the session we'll look physical approaches to character, storytelling, group-mind,and mime/object work. Techniques from clown, physical theatre, and movement/dance will be adapted for use in improv comedy.
- Saturday Apr 11, 11am-4pm. Tickets & Info Here.

GET THE DOUBT OUT w/ Braeden Etienne - Single Session Creativity Workshop
With Spring in the air, it's time to melt those dirty icy doubts and bloom into a budding creative powerhouse. Whether you're a self-described non-creative (spoiler: these don't really exist), or a bonafide artist feeling stuck lacking, this three-hour workshop is designed to get you out of your head and into making new things. Instructor Braeden Etienne will serve up a charcuterie of their favourite improv, poetry, and creative exercises in an afternoon designed to bust down the doubts getting in the way of your creativity.  
- Sunday Apr 12, 12am-3pm. Tickets & Info Here.

Pinch Jam
No workshop, just an opportunity to play! Come improvise with a creative group of hilarious people.
All skill levels welcome. A double-feature with the Pinch Student Showcase.
- Thursday Apr 23, 7:30-9:30pm. Tickets & Info Here.
- Saturday May 2,7:30-9:30pm. Tickets & Info Here.

Improv Fundamentals - Series
Dive headfirst into the world of Yes And in this four session workshop series! Over 10 hours this class will explore listening, storytelling, character, humour, cooperation, and presence. No experience necessary: perfect for beginners!
- Tuesdays or Mondays, Apr 28 - May 19. Tickets & Info Here.

PWYC Improv Workshop & Jam - Single Session
Improv builds confidence, teaches storytelling, improves listening and collaboration, and allows you to be present in the moment. Taking an improv class is like supercharging your creative brain! A 90 minute workshop portion will be followed by a 30 minute improv jam, exploring improv games for a fun and immersive approach to collaborative comedy.
All skill levels welcome! Pay What You Can!
- Thursday Apr 30, 7-9pm
- Thursday May 21, 7-9pm
- Thursday June 4, 7-9pm
- Thursday July 9, 7-9pm
- Thursday Aug 6, 7-9pm
- Tickets & Info for All Dates Here.

Improv Games - Series
Explore the hilarious world of improv games in this 4 week series. Over the course of 10 hours these workshops will cover a whole whack of short-form games, as seen on TV’s Whose Line: Party Quirks, Half-Life, Genre Coaster, Speak in One Voice, Should'a'Said, Switch-Change, Word at a Time Story and much more! If you've got a favourite you'd like to play, let's make it happen!
- Tuesdays, June 2-23. Tickets & Info Here.

Advance Improv Lab: New Format Ensemble - Series
A brand new class, where you’ll spend eight weeks inventing a new improv format! A total of 20 hours of workshops dedicated to building ensemble, trust, and comedic chemistry through the crafting a never-before-seen longform improv structure. The series culminates on the ninth week with a student showcase to unveil your new creation in front of a live audience of friends and family! Enrolment is capped at 8 participants for maximum stage time and ensemble cohesion!
- Tuesdays, June 30 - Aug 18. Tickets & Info Here.

——— PAST CLASSES———

Musical Improv - Single Session
Time to sing!Join instructors Rob Lewin & Karen Derrah for a 3 hour workshop on musical improv. Learn the basics of song structure, phrasing and musicality, and then apply it to your shortform improv. By the end of this class, you'll be ready to take your shower voice to the stage!
No musical experience necessary. Some improv experience recommended.
- Dates TBD. Email if interested.

Longform Performance Ensemble - Series
Eight weeks of improv workshops with an ensemble of hilarious, creative folks, directed by Ben Gorodetsky. Develop your trust, listening, storytelling, comedic timing and group mind through a total of 21 hours of workshops. The series culminates on the ninth week with a student showcase to celebrate off your fresh improv skills in front of a real live audience! Enrolment capped at 8 participants for a more focused ensemble experience!
- Dates TBD. Email if interested.

STYLE & GENRE - Single Session
Explore the wide and wonderful world of improvised style & genre! In this one-off, 3 hour workshop we'll look at physical, verbal and narrative strategies to emulate specific styles through improvisation on stage. This class will help you connect the genres of film, television, and books you know and love, to the improv comedy we create in the moment.
- Dates TBD. Email if interested.

CHARACTERS - Single Session
Explore the bold world of character-forward improv! In this 3-hour workshop we will look at psychological, emotional, physical, and vocal approaches to playing complex, interesting characters on stage. This class will help you extend your range and open up new choices in spontaneity that rely less on doing and more on being.
- Dates TBD. Email if interested.

MAKING IT MATTER - Single Session
Believe in the moment, no matter how absurd! This one-off course teaches a holistic approach to improvised scene work, focusing on: organic exploration, emotional stakes, heightening, commitment and connection. Enrich your improv, hone your communication skills, and learn how to find that fun anywhere. With instructor Cas Knihnisky.
- Dates TBD. Email if interested.

TRUTH IN FICTION - Single Session
You have a unique POV and a lifetime of real life stories! This workshop one-off, 3 hour workshop will help you tap into the people, places and experiences that have shaped you, and turn them into a resource for hilarious and specific improv choices on stage. Your autobiography is your superpower, so let's use truth as inspiration for our collaborative fictions!
- Dates TBD. Email if interested.

Performance Class: Scared Scriptless!
Scared Scriptless is Guelph's monthly, semi-scripted improv-theatre collaboration. Actors learn real scenes from real plays and perform them live with improvisers who have never seen the script! Join the show's co-creators Rob Lewin & Emma Currie for a five-week class covering the basics of the format, including initiating with a strong choice, supporting your own moves, and finding room for mischief. The class concludes with a student showcase where the class will perform the format they've been working on!
- Dates TBD. Email if interested.

Physical Comedy
Spontaneity meets physicality in this four week class. Connect to your body, expand your character range, hone your group-mind, and improve non-verbal communication.
- Dates TBD. Email if interested.

Sketch Comedy Writing
This 4-week course with Rob Lewin will provide you with the fundamentals of generating comedic premises and fleshing them out into full sketches. Each week you'll write sketches at home, read them in class, and receive notes on the structure and content. By the end of the series you'll be the proud author of your very own polished, original, sketch comedy script!
- Dates TBD. Email if interested.

Improv Games - Single Session
Explore the hilarious world of improv games in this one-off workshop with Hayley Kellett. Over the course of 2.5 hours this class will cover a whole whack of short-form games, as seen on TV’s Whose Line: Half-Life, Genre Coaster, Speak in One Voice, Should'a'Said, Switch-Change, Word at a Time Story and much more! If you've got a favourite you'd like to play, let's make it happen!
- Dates TBD. Email if interested.

Puppet-Prov
Explore the art of puppetry and improv with instructor Kez Vicario-Robinson in this three week series! Learn puppetry techniques and skills, and develop your unique puppet's movement and voice through improv exercises. Then grow your puppet's storytelling power, through playful collaboration with other improvisers and their puppets!
All experience levels welcome, puppets will be provided (or bring your own!)
- Dates TBD. Email if interested.

STATUS
Come pull apart and reassemble the techniques of improvisational status! In this one-off, 3 hour workshop we'll look at the shifting dynamics of power on stage, and how it can be used for story, comedy, and mischief! This class will help you break habitual choices, sensitize your listening to shifts in status, and change the way you look at story and character in improv.
- Dates TBD. Email if interested.

Spontaneous Storytelling
Tap into play, listening, trust, and story structures in this four week class. Learn to trust yourself and your partners so you can create in the moment together. This class will emphasize autobiography as a resource for improvisation, looking at your own stories as a goldmine for comedy!
- Dates TBD. Email if interested.

Custom Group Classes
Classes designed for your group needs are available. Check out corporate & business offerings here.
For community or arts groups, please email if interested.

Photo #1 by Billy Wong
Photo #2 by Mat Simpson