Learn. Grow. Do Improv.
VIIF is proud to present workshops in improvisation from some of the best instructors that the improv world has to offer. The two workshop packages will take place on the weekends of October 27th-28th and November 3rd-4th. Both weekend workshop packages will take place at the Instant Shop (except for Craig Cackowski which will be held at Performance Works) and are available as a single package or mega-pack only. There is a 15 student maximum to the workshops, and they do sell out, so don’t delay!
A weekend workshop package of four workshop is only $129 for one weekend or $200 for both weekends!
The workshops are now sold out!
Saturday October 27th
COMMITMENT! with Ken Lawson
Commitment. It can be scary on and off the stage. It’s the fear of commitment that keeps us from wholeheartedly and fully jumping into our scenes and our lives. When embraced, commitment can take us to places we never imagined possible. This workshop will focus on committing to your character, your scene partners and the circumstances of the world you create in every scene
Ken Lawson has been improvising since 2001. A staple in the Vancouver scene, he has been a cast member with The Vancouver TheatreSports League since 2004, performed at festivals all over North America and toured the Caribbean trapped on a ship with The Second City. He is passionate about living the concepts of improv and teaching those to others as the Director of Corporate Training for VTSL. Film and TV credits include Disney’s Super Buddies, Fringe, Supernatural, Psych and playing a homeless ukelele player on APTN’s Health Nutz. You should watch his webseries The Movers.
Workshop will be held from 11:00am to 1:30 @ Instant Shop (650 East Broadway)
Find Your Flow with Rod Ben Zeev
Finding flow in scenes is difficult. When you have it, it’s the most powerful feeling in the world, everything you say and do works. It’s the one thing we aspire to in any show I do. But it’s not easy to reach. How many times have you had non scene related thoughts while playing the scene from “Hey, I think that’s my neighbor’s girlfriend in the second row” to “I’m gonna avoid doing a scene with that guy cause we don’t click”? While it is possible to multi task, your body language might be telling a different story and your actions are no longer believable and congruent to what is spoken. Aside from that, you are probably enjoying the performance a lot less, questioning your instincts and working much harder to catch up.In this workshop we learn how to connect the body language with the spoken text in scenes using meditation. The meditational exercises are inspired by NBA coach Phil Jackson’s meditational techniques which he uses before basketball games. This workshop is open to anyone who has experienced those “out of scene” thoughts and is looking for ways to improve their on stage believability. No meditational experience necessary, just an open mind.
Instructor’s Bio
Rod Ben Zeev has been performing, directing and teaching impro for over ten years on four continents in three languages to audiences aged 5 to 95. In 2002 he began a program at Hyatt Classic Residence in Chicago teaching and performing with senior citizens. The final show was performed at the Chicago Improv Festival in 2003 and the program keeps on running nationally in the US. In 2005 he traveled Europe with Boom Chicago. He has performed in the International Impro Festival in Amsterdam, Out of Bounds in Austin, the San Francisco Improv Festival, the Boston Improv Festival, the first impro festival in Tampere Finland and Slapdash in London. He is a regular guest performer with Three Falling and Four Square in Tel Aviv.
Workshop will be held from 2:30pm to 4:30 @ Instant Shop (650 East Broadway)
Sunday October 28th:
Newton’s Laws in Improv with Kory Mathewson
By understanding the fundamentals of reactions: force, inertia, and momentum, we will break down improvisational using the laws of motion and see how reacting accordingly leads to discovering a scene together. Through exploration work with another improvisor, we will build confidence together, and develop trust that they have everything you need in the scene, and you have everything they need. It is your choice of following the laws, or breaking them, that can develop your symbiotic or parasitic relationship.
Instructor’s Bio
Kory Mathewson is an improvisor. He has been with Rapid Fire Theatre since 2005, when he fell head over heels with the company on Valentines Day. Kory is a performer at Edmonton’s Rapid Fire Theatre and performs weekly at Theatresports and CHiMPROV shows.
Kory is also a performer with the world renowned Die Nasty, the Long Form Improvised Soap opera, where he has worked along side Dana Anderson, Joe Flahrety and Julian Arnold. He has also preformed in several 53-hour improvisational marathons in Edmonton, and London, England.
Workshop will be held from 11:00am to 1:30 @ Instant Shop (650 East Broadway)
Heighten and Destroy with Matt Folliott
This workshop will focus on 2 and three person scenes with a special focus on heightening and exploring relationships, character and games using practical skills and concepts you can bring into your own improv. Through a series of exercises this workshop will push you to discover new heights of hilarity and will challenge you to go bigger in your scene work.
Instructor’s Bio
Matt Folliott is an improviser/comedian/actor born and raised in Toronto and currently performs improv with the Impatient Theatre Co , Cool Chicken, S & P and Pride Cops. Matt has traveled all over North America to perform in comedy festivals including The Del Close marathon in New York, the Chicago Improv Festival, The Ottawa Improv Festival, The Vancouver International Improv Festival, Mprov in Montreal, Edmonton’s Improvaganza & The Out of Bounds Comedy festival in Austin Texas.
Matt has trained with Toronto’s Second City, Impatient Theatre co (Toronto), Annoyance theatre (Chicago) and IO theatre (Chicago) and has had the pleasure to study with improv super stars like Mick Napier, Susan Messing, Jet Eveleth and Joe Bill. Matt coaches and teaches improv at Impatient Theatre co and Second City as well as other improv hot spots around Toronto and when he’s not improvising is making that paper as a voice actor, filling your ears with subliminal thoughts and desires to consume.
Workshop will be held from 2:30pm to 5:00 @ Instant Shop (650 East Broadway)
Saturday November 3rd:
Masterclass with… Craig Cackowski
Join us for a wonderful introduction to the improvisational world of Craig Cackowski.
Instructor’s Bio
Craig Cackowski has been improvising for over twenty years. Based out of Los Angeles, Craig teaches and performs at the IO West, UCB and Second City theaters. He’s part of the triumvirate behind the long-running and critically acclaimed show Dasariski, and may also be seen in L.A. in such shows as Quartet, The Armando Show, ASSSSCAT, and The Thrilling Adventure Hour (check out the podcast on Nerdist.com!). He has also taught at many improv festivals, including the Phoenix Improv Festival, Denver Improv Festival, the Del Close Marathon at UCB NY and the Out Of Bounds Festival in Austin, TX. Back in his Chicago days, Craig performed with Second City on their two resident stages and with their National Touring Company, as well as with such teams/shows as Baby Wants Candy, Carl and the Passions, Mr. Blonde, Armando and the original cast of Close Quarters. He was also the director of the now-legendary JTS Brown, and has also directed for The Second City (touring cast and Norwegian Cruise Lines cast). Film and television appearances include Community, Trust Us With Your Life, 21 And Over, Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, How I Met Your Mother, Workaholics and Year of The Dog.
Workshop will be held from 11am-1:30 at PERFORMANCE WORKS (Granville Isl.)
Lets get Physical! with Marc Rowland and Brent Skagford
Let your imagination run wild and create worlds that you never thought were possible! Learn to listen to more than just words by experimenting with mime and non-verbal communication. When you return to the world of words, you’ll bring so much back with you.
Instructor’s Bio
Brent Skagford & Marc Rowland are improvisers, actors and writers who perform, teach and coach at Montreal Improv. Marc Rowland is a director of both the Montreal Improv Theatre and the Montreal Improv Festival. Brent Skagford is the co-creater and co-star of The Bitter End web series which was hailed as “the funniest Canadian sitcom of the year” by the Montreal Gazette and “comedy series of the year” by EYE weekly. Now entering their 7th year of collaboration, they have performed Easy Action for the past year in Montreal and have travelled to perform the show in London, UK and Toronto, Ont. They’re psyched to perform in improv festivals in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver all within one month!
Workshop will be held from 2:30pm-5:00pm @ Instant Shop (650 East Broadway)
Sunday November 4th:
Making Scenes POP! with Sean Tabares
It is true that in an improv scene, anything can happen. Let’s put that to the test! This workshop will focus on taking ordinary scenes you’ve probably done dozens of times, and making them extraordinary, but still believable. We’ll focus on finding out how you like to push the boundaries of reality, and making sure that you can do so while still being connected to reality. To achieve this, we’ll be working with genre, character and organic scenework. A healthy dose of scenic mischief is mandatory.
Instructor’s Bio
Sean Tabares has been performing for over twelve years, and has been teaching or coaching for over half that, in Toronto as well as at the Del Close Marathon. Everything from youths who have never before thought of improv, all the way to experienced harold teams looking to focus their game. With PROJECTproject, he’s enjoyed creating and performing in many original formats, and has earned several Canadian Comedy Award nominations, including a win for Best Male Improvisor. Teaching improv allows him to share some of the joy of improv with others. Let’s make the entire world improvisors!
Workshop will be held from 11am-2:00pm @ Instant Shop (650 East Broadway)
Hello my name is Harold with Annie and Levin O’Connor
Oh? Have you met Harold? He’s unique and engaging. He’s full of life and character. He’s funny and sincere. He’s pure magic.
The Harold and long-form improvisation go hand in hand. It is our symphony. A unique blending of individual elements, that together form a greater whole than the sum of their parts. Whether you’re just beginning in improv or a seasoned player, the gifts that the Harold can give are endless. For many it seems like a complicated and frustrating form, but if you embrace the it, Harold can open up your play and make you into the versatile and flexible performer that you want to be.
In this 3 hour workshop we’ll help you not only understand how the form can work for you, but also how to make it your own. With our combined 18 years of experience with Harold we just know that the two of you are going to hit it off! We can’t wait for you to meet him!!
Instructor’s Bio
Annie & Levin O’Connor met in the fall of 2005 (they had different last names back then) as cast members of the iO West Harold team The Jungle. They immediately recognized in each other a deep passion for the art of improvisation and have been teaching, performing and touring together ever since. They have embraced an ensemble approach to the artwork with a focus on the group over the individual.
These days, when they aren’t touring with their show, Now? with Annie and Levin, they perform with the Del Close Award winning team USS Rock N Roll and are both currently members of the faculty at AMDA, MI’s Westside Comedy Theater and iO West.
Workshop will be held from 3:00pm-6:00pm @ Instant Shop (650 East Broadway)
Want to purchase a Workshop package?
