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Dana Powell
Workshop Title: The improvisor's Tool Belt - Tips & Tricks Workshop Time: Friday, 11:00am - 1:30pm Get creative and make your scenes come alive! In this workshop you will walk away with practical tools you can use to make that happen. Giving gifts that are actually playable, using our location to heighten or focus our game and more. Anyone can use these tools to effortlessly create a world of fun for players and audiences alike. We often get so caught up in forms and rules we forget the 'easy stuff' - the tools we all possess and the joy that comes with improvising. Unlock your creative potential and breathe new life into your scenes at any point- no more talking heads or feeling stuck! Known best for her role as Cam’s sister, Pameron Tucker, on ABC’s Modern Family, Powell (she/her) found her voice and began comedy improv training in Los Angeles at iO West, UCB, and The Groundlings. You may have seen her in other things such as Bridesmaids, Veep, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Good Place and more. Most recently you can hear her as Mater’s sister, Mato, in Disney’s Pixar ‘Cars’ universe. |
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Ti Malik Coleman Workshop Title: Framing the Funny Workshop Time: Saturday, 11:00am - 1:30pm This advanced improv workshop will focus on framing the funny idea in monologues, openings and first beats. We will practice how to communicate the frame through initiations, character choices and point of view. This workshop does require some experience, intermediate level and above. |
Ti Malik Coleman (he/him) fell into the cult of improv over ten years ago and has not been seen in the regular world since. He is a Black trans performer with heavy experience of making space for himself and others on stage. As a performer with Baltimore Improv Group, he was in several house troupes before co-founding Casually Dope. Casually Dope (first Minority Re’port) has performed and featured in many cities, including Chicago, New York, Toronto and Calgary; and has been a very loud voice for the underheard and underrepresented on stage.
Ti Malik is also a sought after teacher and performer. He has taught core and advanced classes with Baltimore Improv Group and Maryland Improv Group. He is a frequent guest instructor for Bad Dog Theater (Toronto), winning Favorite Guest Instructor in 2020. He has taught classes and workshops to a number of theaters around the country, and in Canada and London. He also teaches applied improv to corporations and foundations. His deepest love is working with young people, he has taught improv in many schools and works with organizations to bring improv to youth of all access levels.
Ti Malik also has a special affinity for short form. His first house troupe for BIG was Plan B improv, a storied short form group in Baltimore. There, he developed his love of game and speed and still applies it to his current long form performance. As a part of The Fam, he won Toronto’s 2021 Globehead competition and in 2019 was a 13 time Deathmatch champ with Three The Hard Way.
The joy is in the journey, he looks forward to meeting you on the way!
Ti Malik is also a sought after teacher and performer. He has taught core and advanced classes with Baltimore Improv Group and Maryland Improv Group. He is a frequent guest instructor for Bad Dog Theater (Toronto), winning Favorite Guest Instructor in 2020. He has taught classes and workshops to a number of theaters around the country, and in Canada and London. He also teaches applied improv to corporations and foundations. His deepest love is working with young people, he has taught improv in many schools and works with organizations to bring improv to youth of all access levels.
Ti Malik also has a special affinity for short form. His first house troupe for BIG was Plan B improv, a storied short form group in Baltimore. There, he developed his love of game and speed and still applies it to his current long form performance. As a part of The Fam, he won Toronto’s 2021 Globehead competition and in 2019 was a 13 time Deathmatch champ with Three The Hard Way.
The joy is in the journey, he looks forward to meeting you on the way!
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Dawn Rosenbaum
Workshop Title: Seriously Funny: A Distinct Approach to Comedy in Improv Workshop Time: Friday, 2:30pm - 5:00pm In this workshop, we will explore utilizing grounding techniques to build comedic realities with each other. We will dive into how to take a "yes, and" approach to finding the fun in a scene, and how to exploit it in a way that brings about laughter and joy. Dawn Rosenbaum (They/Them) has been doing improv since 2004 with a specialty in interactive theatre. They have done improv in places spanning from Pennsylvania to New England, and are so proud to be the Director of Community Enrichment for Happy Valley Improv. An original HVI company member, Dawn is known for being quirky, loud, and the perfect person for a heart to heart conversation. When not on the stage, Dawn spends time enjoying all food related tasks, and outdoor activities with their partner and dogs. |
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Marcely Jean-Pierre
Workshop Title: Creating Authentic Characters Workshop Time: Saturday, 2:30pm - 5:00pm You don't have to be a master impressionist or an incredible actor in order to create a memorable character on stage. Often times we get stuck trying to create characters because we assume they must be complex, but authentic characters can be birthed from the simplest ideas. This workshop will help improvisers create grounded characters by using a variety of techniques inspired by some fun and simple ideas. Marcely Jean-Pierre is a Philly-based comedian, improviser, writer, and sketch performer from Willingboro, New Jersey. His silly takes on serious issues and serious takes on the silly make Marcely's comedic style a unique blend of intellect and playfulness. Marcely was a longtime contributer for satire website Flexx Magazine and his comedy sketches have been featured at Toronto Sketchfest, Philly Sketchfest, and Funny or Die, Philadelphia Public Access TV station PhillyCam. Marcely Jean-Pierre has been teaching Improv Comedy classes and workshops with Runnin' Late, Philly Improv Theater, Crossroads Comedy Theater, and Comedy Sportz Philly for about 6 years. He most recently taught nearly 100 improvisers as a lead instructor at Improv Utopia East, an international retreat for improv comedy. Marcely has been performing improv and sketch comedy for over 8 years and has coached and directed house and indie improv teams around the greater Philly area since 2017. Marcely values the art of comedy and specifically aims to make it more accessible to people of color and other minorities who may not have had the exposure to stand-up, improv, and sketch comedy. |
Early-Bird Workshop
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Kelly Buttermore & Justin Peters
Workshop Title: BCommit to the Choice: How to get the Most out of Every Moment You Play Workshop Time: Thursday, 4pm - 5:30pm There’s a world of possibility inherent in every single choice we make on stage. So why do we sometimes abandon our initial choices — or, worse, play them half-heartedly? In this positive, high-energy workshop, Justin Peters and Kelly Buttermore will help you stop judging yourself on stage and start trusting your instincts. You’ll learn how to maximize your scenework by recognizing and affirming the choices that you’ve already made, and wringing every bit of value out of those choices before moving on. "If innovation and adaptability are the soul of improv, there are possibly no better personifications of it than Kelly Buttermore and Justin Peters." - The Improv Network Kelly Buttermore and Justin Peters are two of America’s top independent improvisers. Veterans of the New York improv scene, for the past decade they have spent most of their time on tour, performing and teaching as their duo From Justin to Kelly at theaters and festivals across the country and around the world. Their signature form is the Walter, a minimalistic monoscene that emphasizes silence, eye contact, and total commitment to the moment. Off stage, they promote a DIY ethos that encourages improvisers to find their own voices and own their own work. Based in New York City, they also spend a lot of time in Florida, where they produce the annual Countdown Improv Festival and are partners in The Commodore, a new comedy theater in Tampa. They probably have shirts for sale in the lobby. |
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New This Year: A Youth Improv Workshop
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Samuel Jaye Tanner
Workshop Title: Building Something Together Workshop Time: Saturday, 9:00am - 10:30am Learning to listen to and affirm others without evaluation is challenging work. This youth workshop invites participants to practice a collaborative view of improv theatre though exercises and scene work rooted in the improvisational principle of working in service to a group. Participants will both do and think about improv and its relationship with learning how to build something together through affirmations of difference. There will be thinking, laughter, and improv. Samuel Jaye Tanner, PhD has been doing, directing, and teaching improv for twenty years. He was a founding member of Happy Valley Improv. Sam is an Associate Professor of English Education at The University of Iowa and his scholarship concerns the relationship between improvisation and teaching and learning with particular interest in how improvisation connects with anti-racist pedagogies. Sam was a high school English and Drama teacher for nearly 15 years in the Twin Cities. Sam is also a writer. See: www.samjtanner.com |
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