Levels 2 & 3: Free Your Mind & Advanced Scenes

This intensive is limited to 16 students.

Let’s love the hell out of what’s happening onstage and we’re bound to create fun and fearless improvisation. In the first half of this intensive, we’re cutting the naysaying voices in your head and slapping you out of whatever may be holding you back. We will look at how we sometimes bail on our choices out of a fear of making the “right or wrong choice" and to instead approach improv with a "fuck it / love it" mentality (because improv is one of the most wonderful things in the world if you don't treat it too seriously). We encourage your artistic freedom with methods to initiate scenes with an emotional point of view, to be specific and surprising in your choices, to support your scene partner, and to confidently navigate the vocabulary and concepts of long-form improv.

For the second half of this intensive we’ll be layering more complicated improv techniques onto fearless play. Techniques like authentically grounding your characters so they feel believable or using curve balls to keep scenes surprising. We’ll explore the dynamics that make up three-person and group scenes, and learn to stay out of our heads while balancing it all. Students will learn how to be versatile ensemble players who can build long-form pieces organically while keeping the show and audience's experience in mind. This intensive isn’t just about learning technical skills, it will also teach you to own what makes you unique as a performer by exploring the areas you shy away from through personal notes and challenges.

It all culminates in a performance for the public.

Prerequisite: Completion of BCC Level 1 Improv OR students who have taken at least one full-length course at a major comedy theater (UCB, PIT, Magnet, Squirrel, Second City, iO, Annoyance, etc.) or have similar prior training can begin at this level. Please write your prior experience in the form when registering.

1-Week Intensive: Monday, June 23rd-Saturday, June 28th

• Monday - Thurs, 6:00 - 10:00 PM

• Friday - See shows at the Theater!

• Saturday, 12:00 - 6:00 PM (with break for lunch)

Where: The BCC DogHouse, Studio #1 (137 Montrose Ave, Brooklyn)

Class Show: Saturday, June 28 @ 8:30 PM @ BCC Pig Pen (144 Boerum Street)

Teachers: Devin Bockrath, Julian Hernandez & Philip Markle!

Bios:

Devin Bockrath is a New York based improviser, actor, writer and sketch comedian. As a Chicago native, she trained with the Annoyance and iO Theaters. During her time in Chicago she was lucky to perform with some amazing Harold and independent groups including The Other Other Guys, Superhuman, DMNK, The Holy Fuck Comedy Hour, Invisible World, an original sketch show directed by Mick Napier; and NBC Universal’s Sketch Showcase, directed by Mick Napier and produced by Lou Wallach (The Chappelle Show). Upon moving to New York, she continued her training as an actor with The Atlantic Theater School’s Professional Conservatory and began teaching sketch and improv for the Annoyance Theater’s NY location, where she developed a uniquely female driven improv workshop, Set Bitch Free, inspired by the powerful women of her girl group Superhuman. She currently teaches for the Brooklyn Comedy Collective and continues to perform as an actor and comedian in New York. Devin has appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Netflix’s Orange is the New Black, and has been featured in comedic shorts on IFC and Comedy Central. Most recently she was cast in a short film, To The Moon, alongside John Reynolds (Netflix’s Stranger Things, TBS Search Party, Hulu’s Four Weddings and a Funeral). And co-starred in a comedic drama, Amazing Bagel, playing opposite Tim Baltz (NBC’s Shrink, Comedy Central’s The Opposition with Jordan Klepper, HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones).

Philip Markle is the Founder and Artistic Director of The Brooklyn Comedy Collective. Philip graduated from Northwestern University and trained in improv in Chicago at The Annoyance, iO, and Second City before moving to NYC in 2013 to launch The Annoyance Theater NY, where he acted as its Director for four years.. As a storyteller, he has performed at The Moth and The Paper Machete - and is a writer on Medium.com with 500k+ reads. He executive produced, wrote, and acted in the digital shorts series "The Annoyance Presents" on IFC's Comedy Crib. Philip first performed his show SPARKLE HOUR to rave reviews in the 2013 NY International Fringe Festival and has regularly produced it since, including at Joe's Pub and twice in the NY Comedy Festival. You can listen to his album of queer comedy songs “AT THE GAY BATHHOUSE” on the streaming music platform that brings you the most joy. Follow him on socials @philipsparkle.

Read student testimonials here.

If this class is sold out, sign-up for the wait list here.