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Please find some other local improv and theater resources below.

Local Yahoo Theater Groups
baang
bayareatheatre
bayareatheatrebums
sfaudition411

SF Improv Alliance
- a weekly newsletter for the Bay Area Improv Community
http://www.improvalliance.org/

Theater Bay Area
- the local guide to the Bay Area Theater Community. They are responsible for the half price ticket office at Union Square.
http://www.theatrebayarea.org

local Improv Theaters
Pan Theater
http://www.pantheater.com
Bay Area Theater Sports
http://www.improv.org
Comedy Sportz
http://comedysportzsanjose.com

Local Sketch Groups:
KML
http://www.killingmylobster.com

Local Theater groups (major):
Berkeley Rep
http://www.berkeleyrep.org
ACT
http://www.act-sf.org

Smaller Local Theaters:
Off Market
http://www.offmarkettheater.com
Shelton
http://jeanshelton.com
Climate
http://www.climatetheater.com
Exit Theater
http://www.sffringe.org
(home of the SF Fringe Festival)

Local Method Classes
Actors Center
http://www.shelleymitchell.org

Local Meisner Classes:
Meisner Techique School of Acting SF
http://www.jarrettproductions.com/school.html

Local Film Making Schools (film making, acting, producing)
http://www.sfdigifilm.com/

Hints for shows:
For flyering and postering:
http://www.thumbtackbugle.com

Building and Audience -
Theater Bay Area and Gold Star Events
www.goldstarevents.com

Books on Improv:
Truth in Comedy
-authors: Del Close and Charna Halpern
Impro
-author: Keith Johnstone
Impro for the the Story Teller
author: Keith Johnstone
Improvisation for the Theater
-author: Viola Spolin
Improvised Scene from the Inside Out
-author: Mick Napier
Improvising Better
authors: Jim Carrane and Liz Allen
Art by Committee
author: Charna Halpern
Exercises for the Lone Actor
author: Viola Spolin

Books on Acting:
Sanford Meinser on Acting
author: Dennis Longwell
The Sanford Meisner Approach
author: Larry Silver Berg
Training the Actor
author: Sonia Moore

Enjoy!

-Theater Happenings

Exercise:

• The words fell around a pattern and the emotions grew bigger and bigger.

• The other actor will be torn in his/her need to go their own way. As the actor you have to decide what you’re doing and commit to it.

You have to think about the other person’s action and how

There is physical and internal action and the plaly between the two that allows for moment, moment and another moment. It’s importnat to feel how you’re changing insid, not just outside.  Every scene has awkward moment but you had to give yourself time to respond.

Scene work 2:

• Walk up to an actor and tell him/her something insignificant and let things to lead to other things until things peak internallly and emotionally.

• Allow yourself to feel stupid and crazy and when you’re done allow yourself to feel insignificant.

• As you go into those spaces you have to allow your movements to build more with the internal motions.

Thoughts, observations on the scene work

It was reallly cathartic

1. It was fun
2. You can’t think about what you’re doing.
3. You’re “chaining” your statements.
4. Allow yourself to go to terrible places, it’s where people ripped their insides out.
5. That awareness is very important and you can push beyond the wall.
6. You can feel a little of everyone.
7. I had words that I kenw wanted to come out but they were the things I initiallly wanted to come out, it kind of confused me because I stuttered in my head.
8. We communicate with our body so a lot of time when we get stuck in our heads when we move so we can find where we are.
9. The way you see this in a scene is if you’re swaying or going backwards and forwards.
10. Andy thought the rants were so funny and everyone knows people who probably go on those rants.

David: that goes a lot to the comedy because people all do these things.

Are you trying to be funny when you do this?

No, you’re just lost in that moment. Same thing in your scenes. Its’ hightening a moment, but this exercise isi important so that you let your character go where they will and you’re not driving your character. Your character is driving its own logic.

Ex. If a character always looks down when he talks to another character.

You don’t need to understand the why to a character logic, you just do it. People do a lot of things that don’t have logic. By backing away from it we’re making a comfortable choice.  This exercise is a good opening for a long form.

At the end there is a plateau where the transformation happens and your character is forever changed. Then you take a that change and explore it.

BOX EXERCISE

• Take a role from a box.

• Take you role that you took out of the box and that is what your partner’s role is.

DAVID’S RECOMMENDATIONS

1. When you know what  you want your objective comes automatically.
2. Don’t try to merge who you are in te scene with who you are.
3. You have to provide specifics so the other actor can respond.
4. The objective is what you fight for whether or not you get doesnt’ matter.Use props. Take opportunities to go in different directions, say if someone needs a band-aid, go find a band-aid.
5. Allow yourself to feel the wyy you would feel. So if something goes beyond comfortable when just react the way you would.
6. If you reach threshold then change status.
7. More detail.
8. “Yes and” your way to discovery for a character and scene.

“I don’t like the bondage stuff.” Andy

This is your chance to do the most rotten things in the world.

How you want to deal with an offer is you have to decide what will have the largest impact?

Debriefing

In the scenes heightening, whatever that thing is, you go off with that thing whichever direction it leads you in. The character will do whatever she wants in that moment.

The heigtening stops you from analyzing what’s going on in the moment.
So in scenes you don’t need other people to help you heighten. You can just go there and your partner will go there.

I didn’t know how to use my object or want so I reservsed it.

Stating your want or need is one of the most useful things.

What is your need or want, object or objective?

Recommended books:

Truth In Comedy - Basic Improv manual for long-form

Improv- by Keith Johnstone

Basic Skills

• The Power of Yes. Saying “Yes” opens you up to other possibilities.
• In Improv use the obvious.
• You have to keep focused on the relationship and actions, NOT the objects.
• The truth of the moment trumps everything in a scene, it brings you to the same page and you connect as people.
• Do that thing that makes a partner react and makes you react.
• It’s conflict-oriented. If you have an offer think about the opposite direction.
• Go towards that thing that makes you and your partner react.
• Create action.
• Conflict is a way of stalling, you are not stepping into the unknown.
• Embrace and Go crazy with it.
• Hold on to that which creates excitement.
• Now is always better than later.
• Yes your way through confrontation
• Staging is crucial and takes a lot of practice.
• Put you paints and hooks on the 4th Wall