New Workshops Winter and Spring 2019
UPCOMING SPOLIN THEATER GAME WORKSHOPS IN LOS ANGELES & THE BAY AREA
Explore the improvisational acting method of Viola Spolin to enhance your training as an actor, improviser, educator, writer, or director. Named "one of the most prominent acting techniques" by Backstage, Viola Spolin's Theater Games release the intuition through focus, spontaneity, and play, opening up new avenues of expression and communication in your work and in your daily life.
COMING SOON:
No Expectations Improvisation: Theater Games for Mindfulness and Communication, Saturday, Dec 1 (Wait List Only)
Bay Area Weekend Intensive Jan 12 & 13, 2019
8-Week Theater Game Workshop Starts Jan 15, 2019 in Los Angeles
Improvisation for Writers Starts January 10, 2019 in North Hollywood
9-Week Alumni Theater Game Workshop Starts March 12 in Los Angeles
Improvisation to Develop a Solo or Ensemble Show Starts March 14th in North Hollywood
Weekend Spolin Intensive in North Hollywood March 16 & 17th, 2019
Viola Spolin’s Theater Games launched the American improvisational theater movement and changed the way acting is taught. Her work has influenced generations of actors and educators. In the workshops with sidecoach Aretha Sills, we’ll explore the groundbreaking exercises and theatrical concepts found in her seminal book Improvisation for the Theater, with an emphasis on the philosophies of legendary improvisation innovators Viola Spolin and Paul Sills, and on applying Spolin’s meditative methods to your work in any artistic discipline.
Learn more below…
No Expectations Improvisation: Theater Games to Inspire Mindfulness and Communication, Saturday Dec 1 in LA - WAIT LIST ONLY
Enter the holiday season refreshed and inspired! In this three-hour workshop, we’ll explore the theater games and exercises that inspire theatrical improvisers to get out of the head and into the present time, but without any expectation of performing or being “on.” Our goal is to experience the many benefits of spontaneity and group play, with no pressure to create scenes or act. We’ll play a combination of meditative warm ups, sensory-awareness exercises, and traditional children’s games to release the intuition and open up new avenues of personal expression and communication. No experience needed, just a willingness to play!
We’ll meet: Saturday, Dec 1st, from 2 to 5pm
Location: Subud L.A., 5828 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Tuition: $60. for new players, $50 for returning players. A few sliding-scale spots are still available. Tuition is refundable minus a $10 registration fee if you cancel by Nov 1.
Registration: Wait list only. Email with questions or for a spot on the wait list.
Bay Area Spolin Improvisation Intensive Jan 12 & 13, 2019
Designed to introduce the key principles of Viola Spolin’s revolutionary acting, directing, and teaching methods in two days, the weekend intensive will help players be more fully present onstage and off. Beginners and experienced players are welcome.
We’ll meet: Saturday and Sunday, Jan 12 & 13, from 11am to 5pm each day, with an hour break for lunch at 2pm.
Location: Shotgun Studios, 1201 University Ave, Studio B, Berkeley, CA 94702
Tuition: $250. A few sliding-scale spots are available. Payment plans ok. Tuition is refundable minus a $50 registration fee if you cancel by Dec 12.
Registration: Email with questions if needed, then please fill out the registration form found here.
8-Week Theater Game Workshop in Los Angeles Starts January 15, 2019
This workshop is open to beginners and experienced players. Actors, educators, directors, and improvisers learn through play how to incorporate Viola Spolin's transformative techniques into their practice. The workshop will introduce players to the the key principles of Spolin's revolutionary acting, directing, and teaching methods, and help them be more fully present onstage and off.
We'll meet: Tuesday Nights, Jan 15 - March 5, 2019, 7:30 - 10pm.
Location: Subud Los Angeles, 5828 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, 90036.
Tuition: $365.; Returning players rate is $330. A few sliding scale spaces available. Please ask if you need a payment plan. Tuition is refundable minus a $50 registration fee if you cancel by Dec 15.
Registration: Email me with questions if needed, then please fill out the registration form found here.
Improvisation for Writers Starts January 10, 2019 in North Hollywood — Save $50 if you register by Nov 30!
"My vision is a world of accessible intuition." -Viola Spolin
"If you haven't surprised yourself, you haven't written." -Eudora Welty
This 8-week workshop is designed to jump start new written work in a playful and non-competitive environment. Writers will learn the fundamentals of scene improvisation and put them to work in their writing through in-class games and writing exercises. We'll clear creative blocks by igniting an intuitive response, and allow ourselves the chance to see where it leads without judgment. The workshop will explore ways writers can access their intuition through play to bring a fresh spontaneity to all types of written work. Open to beginners and experienced writers and players.
"Improvisation for Writers was the first workshop I took with Aretha Sills. Combining traditional and theatrical games, it was clear how this approach fits well with writers. The side-coached free writes, based on the focus of the theater games, gave my writing three dimensionality and a rich environment to find new characters, plot points, conflicts and complex story arcs. Getting out of the head and into the physical is life-changing for a writer. I have gone on to take many more improvisational theater workshops with Aretha, because it benefits my writing (especially with well developed, living-breathing characters), my overall creativity, and my personal well-being." --Valerie Brockbank, screenwriter/ fiction writer
We'll meet: Thursday Nights, Jan 10 - Feb 28, 2019. Please note: we will not meet on Valentine's Day and the last class will be held on Wednesday, March 6. All classes meet from 7:30 - 10pm.
Location: 5628 Vineland Ave, North Hollywood, CA 91601.
Tuition: Before Nov 30, tuition is $315 for new players and $280 for returning players. After Nov 30 tuition is $365. or $330 for returning players. A few sliding scale spaces available. Please ask if you need a payment plan. Tuition is refundable minus a $50 registration fee if you cancel by Dec 10.
Registration: Email me with questions if needed, then please fill out the registration form found here.
9-Week Alumni Theater Game Workshop Starts March 12 in Los Angeles
This workshop is for returning players who would like to delve deeper into exploring the exciting theatrical possibilities in Viola Spolin’s Improvisation for the Theater. Our last session will be a workshop performance/demonstration and a potluck reception for an invited audience of friends and family on Saturday, May 4th.
We'll meet: We’ll meet for 8 Tuesday nights, March 12 - April 30 plus a workshop demonstration/performance for an invited audience on Saturday, May 4th. All sessions meet from 7:30 - 10pm.
Location: Subud Los Angeles, 5828 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, 90036.
Tuition: $380. A few sliding scale spaces available. Please ask if you need a payment plan. Tuition is refundable minus a $50 registration fee if you cancel by February 12.
Registration: Email me with questions if needed, then please fill out the registration form found here.
Improvisation to Develop a Solo or Ensemble Show Starts March 14th in North Hollywood
Players will create and develop a monologue or personal story with the goal of beginning a longer piece. Teams of players who would like to develop an ensemble show are also encouraged to participate. We’ll use theater games and improvisational methods to help us round out the characters, fill in detail, and deepen the connections in our scenes and stories. At our last workshop we will present our works-in-progress to an invited audience of friends and family. All experience levels welcome.
We'll meet: Seven Thursday nights, March 14 to April 25th, plus a final meeting on Saturday, April 27th, which will be a performance of our works-in-progress for an invited audience. All classes meet from 7:30 - 10pm.
Location: 5628 Vineland Ave, North Hollywood, CA 91601.
Tuition: Tuition is $375 for new players and $340 for returning players. sliding scale spaces available. Please ask if you need a payment plan. Tuition is refundable minus a $50 registration fee if you cancel by February 14.
Registration: Email me with questions if needed, then please fill out the registration form found here.
Weekend Spolin Intensive in North Hollywood March 16 & 17th, 2019
Designed to introduce the key principles of Viola Spolin’s revolutionary acting, directing, and teaching methods in two days, the weekend intensive will help players be more fully present onstage and off. Beginners and experienced players are welcome.
We’ll meet: Saturday and Sunday, March 16 & 17, from 11am to 5pm each day, with an hour break for lunch at 2pm.
Location: 5628 Vineland Ave, North Hollywood, CA 91601.
Tuition: $250. before Dec 15, $265 after. A few sliding-scale spots are available. Payment plans ok. Tuition is refundable minus a $50 registration fee if you cancel by February 16.
Registration: Email with questions if needed, then please fill out the registration form found here.