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Precipice Offers Five Different Kinds of Improv Class Experiences
Free Sample Improv Classes Every
Tuesday and Thursday at 7 pm and Saturday at 3 pm most of the year
at the Precipice Rehearsal Space,
5520 Oakmont Ave.
Bethesda, MD 20817
For
reservations and further info
call 202-258-6888
or use the
form at the bottom
You
are invited to attend for free one of Precipice's ongoing classes − taught on Tuesday and Thursday nights
at 7 p.m. and Saturday afternoons at 3 p.m. The classes are located two miles from downtown Bethesda at the Precipice
Rehearsal Space, 5520 Oakmont Ave, Bethesda, MD 20817. You can simply observe or actually participate. But audit space
is limited, so you must reserve a place via telephone or the form at the bottom of this page.
Improv-For-Everyone Workshop
8-week semester 8 Tuesday nights, starting April 20, 2010 April 27, 2010 May
4, 2010
$240
7-9 pm
at the Precipice Rehearsal Space, 5520 Oakmont Ave.
Bethesda, MD 20817
For reservations
and info all 202-258-6888
or use the form at the page bottom
"Class was a great release. I think my inner comic genius
started to eek out! Overall it was a blast!" Lauren
K
For those who have never done improv, this class is for you. Open to everyone, regardless of experience,
this class is designed to gently and playfully bring out your creativity in a completely supportive environment. Students
take this workshop to:
- have fun in a playful atmosphere - get in touch with the artist within - learn
communication/presentation skills useful in work situations - experience personal growth - develop
acting skills - co-create
extended scenes and one-act plays
Advanced Workshop: Principles of Improvising
Entire Plays including Sophisticated Scene Work, Character Work, and Narrative
Techniques
Ongoing All Year Thursdays
at 7 pm and Saturdays
at 3 pm at the Precipice Rehearsal Space,
5520 Oakmont Ave. Bethesda, MD 20817
$240 for 8 weeks
For further info and to obtain an interview
to
determine class eligibility call 202-258-6888
or use the form at the page bottom
For
those with improv experience, this class gives you the chance to work at more challenging levels of creativity, improvising
20-60 minute plays. This workshop − designed from 20 years of research and using the same methods that trained
the Precipice performing company − uses exercises that are both fun and rigorous, stretching your creative muscles
in an exciting and supportive environment. You will learn principles for creating compelling and believable characters,
riveting scenes, and exciting plays that are as good as the best scripted work being written today. This class meets
on Thursdays and Saturdays, and you can attend either − or both − classes each week during the semester.
Play-Improvising
and Performance Workshop: Ongoing All Year Thursdays at 7 pm and Saturdays at 3 pm at the Precipice
Rehearsal Space,
5520 Oakmont Ave. Bethesda, MD 20817
$240 for 8 weeks
For
further info and to obtain an interview
to determine class eligibility call 202-258-6888
or
use the form at the page bottom Students who complete the Improv-For-Everyone and Advanced Workshops are eligible to apply
for enrollment in Precipice's play-improvising and performance workshop. This
workshop meets twice a week and provides students with the opportunity to participate in 8-12 performances a year in a 150
seat theater. Students receive intensive and personalized improvisation training that encompasses playwriting, directing,
character work, and advanced scene work.
Improv And the Writer Workshop
Taught Once a Year at The Writer's Center 4508 Walsh Street Bethesda, MD 20814
www.writer.org $200 call
301-654-8664 to put your name on a list to be notified of the next class
Designed for both writers and actors, this workshop helps you gain
greater access to your imagination. While writers find it helpful in stimulating their creative impulses, you needn't
be a writer to benefit from the expansion in your creativity. Call 202-258-6888 to find out when this workshop is being
offered. Here's the course description: James Joyce said that writing is "the most ingenious torture ever devised".
But, what if it doesn't have to be? Some writers report that when writing they enter another world, where words and
ideas flow easily and writing problems evaporate. This course reproduces that experience using improv exercises to teach
you to fully engage your material on an emotional level, while bypassing the roadblocks of your internal critical, and accessing
your wellspring of creativity.
About the Teacher Gary Jacobs has been teaching, producing, and directing improv
for 28 years. He now teaches internationally, as well as on both the East and West Coasts. In April, Gary taught workshops
in Auckland, New Zealand at the Covert Theater and in Christchurch, New Zealand at the Court Theater. His last eight workshops
in Bethesda, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, and Ventura, California were sold out.
What do students say about Precipice's
classes?
“In the past six months in Gary’s
class, I have portrayed a father, son, grandson, husband, and lover, a massage therapy student, a burglar and a deli worker.
I’ve been in a submarine, on the moon, in a cemetery, at the beach, at a campsite, on a fishing pier, at a wedding,
in the aforementioned jail, at a fortune teller, at an island resort, at a bowling alley and at the prom. This is just a tiny
sample of characters and settings that one can expect to experience in Gary’s class.
I so look forward to every class. They are, of course, fun; but, they are also challenging, thought-provoking,
insightful, sometimes frustrating, but always entertaining. The camaraderie is incredible. The support from my classmates
makes it possible for me to take risks and succeed (more often as time goes on) or look like an idiot (more often than I’d
like, but I’m getting used to it). Gary’s approach to improv is what makes this possible. His encouragement
and mantra (anyone can improvise) and his coaching are so supportive, providing an atmosphere conducive to learning how to
improvise a play and, as Gary says, to “make great art.” Does it work? Absolutely. In the short time I’ve been in Gary’s
class, I’ve noticed that the quality of our work has dramatically improved. It’s not easy. There’s
much more to trying to improvise an entire play than one might think. The feeling of accomplishment experienced after
a particularly satisfying class is well worth the time and effort.” - Mark Bleich
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"I was always jealous of my friends who had an 'artistic outlet' - a way to express themselves outside
of work and family. I can barely draw a stick figure and I leave musical instruments to people who can play them. Stepping
into Gary’s beginning improv acting class opened that creative door for me. Anyone can do it. Blissfully, “talent”
or being funny isn’t required. All I needed was the desire to have fun. Gary takes care of the rest. Going to improv
class is a highlight of my week, and no, I’m not a recluse! As a bonus, the class has given me the confidence to speak
in front of others when the need arises. Think wedding toasts and presentations. I’m so glad I found this class!"
- Julie S
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"I discovered that Gary Jacobs' Precipice Improv Theater
was holding classes in Bethesda. I had been looking for a new creative outlet and just wanted to have more fun, so I
signed up. My first impression of Gary's Improv class was that it was like an adult summer camp. The warm
up exercises are a hoot - fun things that I wouldn't get to do in everyday life. The classes give me a chance to forget about
my responsibilities and to focus solely on what is right in front of me. What a luxury! Gary is a "boost your ego" type
of a person. He is encouraging, challenging, and very adept at finding the next level where his students can express themselves
in a safe environment After eight months in Gary's class, I can appreciate how the experience has helped move me out of my 'comfort
zone.' Working with Gary and the other Improv students has made me much more spontaneous in my work, in which I interact with
the public doing marketing and training. It has helped me to be much more present to my customers' needs and questions. As
a result, I feel more engaged in my work and even a bit more light-hearted. Who would have guessed that Improv would have
such a positive influence on the rest of my life and on my ability to enter new situations with greater confidence? The
benefits have been invaluable and surprising.
I
have learned so much about being 'in the moment', supporting my partner, getting out of my head, and letting go of my own
ideas in order to be completely present to what is. Very Zen! What a lesson for life." - Renee Panagos
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