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Workshop Details

Workshop Date: Saturday, November 9, 2024 @ 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM MT
Location: RISE Comedy, 1260 22nd St, Denver, CO 80205
Instructor(s): Brian James O'Connell
Price: $80 per Workshop + $275 for All 4 Weeks
Special Notes:
  • Students will receive an email with class details and links 12-24 hours before the class. If you do not see this email, please check your spam folder as well!
  • Minimum class size is 8 students.

SCENE/STORY/SHOW/SELF by Brian James O’Connell

Brian James O’Connell’s multi-course workshop intensive aims to help you not just on stage, but with any artistic endeavor you do.  Through his decades of award-winning stagecraft, filmmaking, and producing, he has created the curriculum ALL IMPROV—a specific way of looking at everything you create and unlocking its maximum potential.

You may sign up for one, multiple, or all of these workshops! On each day of the workshop, the course will focus on a different aspect of performance.


DAY ONE: SCENE (November 2nd)
“BOC” begins by teaching you the concepts behind Position Play. Created by Miles Stroth, Position Play enables one to understand and execute the scene dynamics one needs to find their “position” in the scene and then play it to the hilt which is invaluable to any improviser at any level of experience.
Once the participants commonly share this basic comedic language, they’ll be prepared for unique and exhilarating advanced scene work study such as The Six Ways of Second Beats, F.O.I.L, The Ladder and much, much more!

This workshop is dedicated to giving participants “practical applications of improv” and providing replicable good habits and on stage behavior.


DAY TWO: STORY (November 9th)
There is no such thing as a “bad idea” for a story. Every initiation has value. Most problems occur when the right idea is in the wrong venue.
Participants will learn The Deconstruction to realize what story they’re building *before* they pick up the right tool for the task at hand. The Deconstruction is the single most important long form ever created as it contains every single possible permutation of scene approach and thematic development.
An understanding of The Deconstruction is essential for the artistic, intellectual and technical development of any improviser, stage actor, playwright, sketch comedian, screenwriter & filmmaker.

After absorbing “Decon”, players will be exposed to The Hub, The Rolling Harold and several other exciting storytelling tools to make their narrative piece look more polished, confident, and land with the audience!


DAY THREE: SHOW (November 16th)

Presenting a theatrical experience for an audience is less about inventing your own “form” and more about creating a unique voice as a group. Knowing where things belong on stage and why allows the troupe to bestow these effects on the audience to their best ability.
In this workshop, BOC uses his 30 years of comedic filmmaking experience to punch up, polish and program your understanding of scripted, unscripted & genre structure. A firm grasp of narrative composition is paramount to learning how improvisation plays in front of an audience; Format, Stage Picture, Theatrical History. ALL of it matters.
Do you know when to go into the audience for a scene? Do you know why that technique exists and how to utilize it? Do you understand the creative effect that has on an audience and how to build on it collectively?”
There are lots of historical “moves” in improv that people either don’t know exist, have seen but don’t know how they are used or perform them without knowing where they originated.
The participant will be exposed to bold narrative presentations such as The Improvised Movie, Townies and Big Yellow Taxi as well as large scale “group mind” exercises like Adorable Baby Animal Mortal Kombat, The Character Wheel and The 21 Moves.

DAY FOUR: SELF (November 23rd)
The better you know yourself as a player, the easier it is for others to play with you, full stop.
In the spirit of collaboration & “pitch positive” essential to long form improvisation, this workshop is wholly compromised & curated to the individuals particularly present in the room.
Participants will focus on their specific artistic struggles by working for long stretches of stage time with fellow players constantly cycling into new scene work that allows for fresh perspectives & high volume repetition for all in attendance.
This definitive approach utilized by Miles Stroth in Los Angeles laser focuses on one player at a time, encourages the collective class to empathetically lift up & nurture their needs and provides a supportive system with the most efficient maximum amount of detailed, consistent scene rehearsal experience in mind.
In short, no one feels left out, no one sits for too long and no one gets left behind!