FOUNDATION SERIES
At the core of Bad Dog’s improv training program is our three-level Foundation Series. These classes are where we tackle the basics… the meat and potatoes of improvising… the bricks and mortar of building scenes. Our Foundation Series sets the table for our intermediate, advanced and performance-oriented workshops & classes – everything from shortform & competitive improvisation (featured in our flagship show: Theatresports) to longform genre pieces (like our critically acclaimed Dreadwood and BattleAwesome Awesomestar) to musical improvisation (like Troubadour!) to more experimental formats (like Toronto Secrets)…
You won’t be a master of improvisation after taking the Foundation Series… but you should have just that: a foundation. A basic vocabulary. Something to build on, whether you are looking to become a more confident performer or just find a greater comfort level thinking creatively or speaking in public.
Click here for class details and registration information.
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FOUNDATION 1: BEGINNINGS
We’ll introduce you to the basic terminology & skills of improvisation, including:
- impulse work: not over-thinking, planning ahead or editing yourself; making choices without hesitation
- listening to and connecting with other people onstage
- making and accepting offers, finding agreement
- stagecraft (from being seen & heard… to creating dynamic stage pictures)
- basic scene structure: setting, characters/relationships, action, conclusion/resolution
- platforms (creating the foundations of scenes and making confident scenic initiations)
- improvised character & environment creation
Who it’s for: people with absolutely no prior improv or performance experience / improvisers who want to return to the basics to refresh their game
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FOUNDATION 2: MIDDLES
Foundation 2 builds on the skills introduced in Foundation 1, but with particular focus on action & stakes – making the moments onstage matter to the people having them and starting into themeat of scenes. Among other things, we’ll work on:
- creating tension while still embracing agreement
- finding the action of the scene within the scene itself rather than looking for it externally
- greater character depth/development of character relationships
- identifying objectives & wants within scenes and creating history
Who it’s for: improvisers who have completed Foundation 1 or have the recommendation of the artistic director/instructor
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FOUNDATION 3: (ODDS &) ENDS
Foundation 3 builds further on the ideas introduced in the previous two levels, and also incorporates a variety of frameworks within which to play. We continue to develop scene work with attention to:
- advancing & expanding ideas
- starting to recognize when a scene or beat has come to an end
- finding and hitting the game of the scene
- narrative and editing techniques
- ensemble work & group mind
Who it’s for: improvisers who have completed Foundation 3 or have the recommendation of the artistic director/instructor
