IMPROV CLASSES
Our improv classes are for everyone! Learn improv, have fun, laugh, meet people! It’s like play time for adults. Start with our Improv 101 class and if you catch the improv bug, keep taking more classes!
Students who complete all three of our Core Improv Classes (Improv 101 – Improv 301) are permitted to audition for one of our Helix teams that perform weekly as part of Improv Wednesdays. From there, the sky’s the limit! Keep your skills sharp through workshops and special improv shows like Cage Match and Improv Jam.
Check out our Student Resources page for great information about all things comedy.
All core classes meet at the Comedy Spot Training Center, at 915 T Street in Sacramento.
IMPROV 101
- Upcoming Start Dates:
June 14 (Wednesdays)
July 17 (Mondays)
August 16 (Wednesdays)
When is the last time you had true fun? This eight-week Improv 101 course is the perfect fit for everyone! We teach you all the basics of improv. Basically, you are going to laugh for two hours each week and play like a kid. You will learn how to create comedy scenes off the top of your head, with no preparation or planning, inspired by students’ true stories. You will learn basic improv skills, like accepting and building on other student ideas, establishing and playing the pattern of the scene, and heightening your pattern from grounded to crazy town. You want to just have fun? You want to perform someday? This class is for everyone! Okay, let’s do this. Register. Stop messing around. Annnd, go!
IMPROV 201
- Upcoming Start Dates:
June 13 (Tuesdays)
Prerequisite: Comedy Spot’s Improv 101
Improv 201 is all about scene work and giving you the confidence to stop thinking and let it rip! This eight-week class will focus on characters, improving your scene initiations, reacting in the moment, finding and playing fun simple patterns, and supporting your scene partner. Round two! Let’s make this happen. Register! Do it!
IMPROV 301
- Upcoming Start Dates:
August 15 (Tuesdays)
Prerequisite: Comedy Spot’s Improv 201
Improv 301 will give you some new tools for your improv tool belt. In this eight-week class, you will learn all the skills needed to perform the Helix improv form. Helix is a long-form improv structure in three beats, featuring characters, physicality, and strongly improvised scene work. Helix provides structure, but also allows for open, creative play, so it is good for performers who are still developing skills and is accessible to audiences. Helix was created by Comedy Spot founder Brian Crall, and 15 years of student and performer feedback and experiences. Students who complete Improv 301 are eligible to audition for a Helix team and the opportunity to perform in our weekly show, Improv Wednesdays.
IMPROV GAMES
- Upcoming Start Dates:
July 13 (Thursdays)
Prerequisite: Comedy Spot’s Improv 101
In this 8-week short-form Improv Games course, students will learn and practice valuable skills like character, scene work, and physicality, all while having fun and playing improvised games similar to those see on the TV show Whose Line is It, Anyway? Playing short-form games will also help students think on their feet and build confidence. This course culminates in a class performance, giving students the opportunity to showcase their skills.
MUSICAL IMPROV
- Upcoming Start Dates:
July 8 (Saturdays)
Prerequisite: None
In this 6-week Musical Improv course, you will learn the foundations of musical improv comedy in a fun and supportive environment. We will teach you how to improvise realistic song structures and lyrics that support great scene work, how to rhyme and harmonize on the spot, and how to create flashy, fully improvised musical numbers with your classmates. There will even be live piano accompaniment at each class! The course will culminate with a class performance of a mini-musical showcasing all of the skills that you learned.
WHAT IS IMPROV?
WHY STUDY IMPROV?
Think the only reason to take improv classes is to start a career in comedy? The skills you learn in improv can impact your life in many ways, beyond our four walls. Get in on the fun and register today!
Improv training provides many benefits:
- Increased confidence
- Improved public speaking skills
- Enhanced acting abilities
- Gained comfort in social settings
- Refined brainstorming abilities
- Improved listening and observation skills
- Enhanced creative-thinking abilities
- Improved decision-making skills
- Team development skills