Bad Dog Oakville

CLASS DESCRIPTIONS

Youth Foundation
Participants in the Youth Foundation Class will learn the fundamentals of storytelling. Exercises are designed to build spontaneity, teamwork, and storytelling skills. They will create their own characters on stage and gain the self-confidence to show off their newfound talents.

Teen Foundation
The Teen Foundation Class is for students new to improv, as well as those with previous experience outside Bad Dog. The workshop introduces students to the fundamentals of storytelling. Exercises are designed to build spontaneity, teamwork, and storytelling skills. Students will will improve their abilities both to accept the ideas of others, and to come up with creative and funny ideas of their own. They will create their own characters on stage and gain the self-confidence to show off their newfound talents.

Adult Level One
This level is great for beginning improvisers, as well as being an enjoyable refresher for those improvisers who have had previous improv experience. The workshops will cover a number of improv games and exercises.

Adult Level Two
This level is available for improvisers who have completed Level One or have the permission of the instructor. Instructors will challenge the students at their individual level. It involves more advanced work on narrative, character, and acceptance, with a greater emphasis on scene work.

Adult Level Three
Intended for those who have completed Level 2, or have extensive improv experience, this workshop series explores more advanced scene work, as well as challenging improv games. In addition to the final showcase, improvisers may be invited to perform at one or more local venues.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS

Gary Pearson is a veteran improviser and one of Canada’s most respected comedy writers. His credits include Mad TV, This Hour has 22 Minutes, Corner Gas and he’s the producer of YTVs upcoming kids sketch show That’s So Weird. As an improviser, Gary has performed on Second City Mainstage. His improv troupe, The Chumps performed live across North America and had their own improv series on CBC Radio. Gary, his wife, and three children live in Oakville.

Duncan McKenzie is highly regarded as a comedy writer, producer and teacher. As a writer, he worked on over one hundred episodes of the television comedy series History Bites. He was producer of Train 48, North America’s first improvised TV drama, which ran over three hundred episodes. He’s taught improvisation and comedy writing at Theatresports Toronto, Bad Dog, and the Toronto Film College. He was a writer on YTVs kids’ sketch show, That’s So Weird. Duncan lives in Oakville with his wife, Amy, and their four children.

Amy McKenzie is an improviser and comedian. She wrote for all five seasons of the Gemini-award winning History Bites and also performed in the series, most notably as Judge Judy. She was associate producer/ writer and actor on the improvised television series Train 48. Amy taught and improvised at Theatresports Toronto (now Bad Dog Theatre). Amy is also active in education, and sits on the Special Education Advisory Committee for the Halton District School Board. She lives in Oakville with her husband Duncan McKenzie and four children, 7-16yrs of age.

For more information, please email oakville@baddogtheatre.com