You don’t have to want to be a performer to take an improv class. In fact, taking a beginning improv class has less to do with performing in front of an audience and far more to do with rediscovering the joy of play.
I’m excited to be offering my eight week Beginning Improv classes in Atlanta in the new year. Classes start January 12 and run on Sundays from noon to 2:30. These classes are for adults with no previous acting or improv experience. There is no final performance, so students can enjoy the process and the play, knowing there won’t be an audience.
I’ve been performing improvised theatre for over twenty-five years and teaching improv classes for more than twenty years (including as a faculty member of The Second City in Chicago). The concepts and philosophies of improvisation have had a very positive impact on my life; I love teaching improv, especially to folks who don’t necessarily feel like it’s is for them. Although I teach lots of performers in my intermediate and advanced classes, my beginning classes are filled with non-performers.
Learning how to improvise is far less intimidating than it sounds. The best part is that students will learn improvisation through fun games and group exercises that focus on the skills of listening, collaboration, communication, and trusting others as well as oneself.
Some of my students have signed up for improv classes to feel more comfortable in social situations, some to find a creative outlet, some because they have to do public speaking for work, and some have signed up simply to make new friends and have fun.
To register, or for more information (including student testimonials), please click here. I hope to see you soon!
“I took my first improv class with Amanda, and I’m so glad I started with her. I walked into that class terrified – I had no acting experience and was rarely funny. She created an environment where I felt encouraged and safe to be vulnerable (a rarity for me at that time)….I can also honestly say that her classes have changed my life outside of improv – I’m more open, more comfortable with failure and less stressed in social situations.”
—Sylvester Russell