All-Level Workshops and JAMS!
These adult workshops and JAMS are for EVERYONE and are typically 1-2 hours in length! All workshops and JAMS are designed so that Absolute Beginner can mingle with folks who have taken years of improv classes. They cover a range of topics (meditation in improv, super-fun high energy play, character work, grief improv, improv for anxiety, the art of conversation and listening….etc), the options are endless. There are zero prerequisites for these workshops and JAMS unless noted.
Elective Courses
These adult classes are designed to explore a new area under the Creative Arts/Improv umbrella. They can range from theater arts classes (Scene Dive, Monologue Study and The Art of the One Act Play through Musical Improv Classes and classes in Short Form, Presentation Skills, Movement and Dramatic Improv). Most classes are for ALL LEVELS unless otherwise noted.
Absolute Beginner and Beginner Performance Courses
Our 4 Week Absolute Beginner course is for anyone who has ever wanted to take an improv class, whether to try something new, find out what laugh therapy feels like, make new friends in their local neighborhood, get out of their comfort zone, try a creative arts class, overcome anxiety of speaking in public or making small talk, discover their hidden gifts as a communicator and realize that absolutely ANYONE can take an improv class and apply it to their lives. This is a crash course to the introduction of long form improv.
Beginner Performance is the first essential leveled improv class of our program and is a prerequisite for our Intermediate class. This course will introduce the student to their very first longform form: The Adapted Armando. You can take the Beginner Performance without taking the Absolute Beginner class. Our full length Beginner Performance Course has a Showcase at the end. You must take the Performance class in order to be eligible for our Intermediate class.
You may repeat Absolute Beginner or Beginner Performance for 50% off the cost of the class as many times as you like! It’s fun to play!
Intermediate Performance Course
*Beginner Performance Improv Course is a Prerequisite for our Intermediate Level Performance Course.
*You must take this level in order to take our Improv Essentials Courses.
*Upon completion of this level, the instructor will let you know if you are ready for our Improv Essential part of the program. If they suggest you repeat the course, you can do so for 50% off the cost and it would be to review the Intermediate skills, which tend to be more difficult.
This course is for anyone who has taken our Beginner Performance class and wants to continue their long-form education. This class will continue to explore the study of long-form by introducing group games, second beats, call-backs, initiations, strong scene work, characterization, stronger connections to self, listening, group support, walk-ons and tag-outs.
Improv Essentials Courses
*You must complete both Beginner Performance and Intermediate Performance classes in order to enter our Improv Essentials Level. You must have instructor approval to enter the Improv Essentials portion of our program.
Improv Essentials courses vary in content and cover many different long forms. They can cover the La Ronde, or The Evente, Spoon River or a Monoscene or even a Harold. These courses are designed to take the skills covered in Beginner and Intermediate Performance classes and apply the knowledge of longform to more complex forms. They expect you have a clear understanding of the following longform skills: group games, walk-ons, tag-outs, clean edits, call-backs and 2nd beat knowledge.
You must take at least two Improv Essentials Course in order to enter your name into Unisphere. If the faculty feels that you need some more skills classes, they may recommend you take more Improv Essentials classes before entering Unisphere.
Unisphere
Welcome to UNISPHERE!
Unisphere is FoHi Improv’s Form Creation and Performance program. Our emphasis at this point in the program is based on the desire to invent a new long form that has never existed before. Everyone who has fulfilled our prerequisites (Beginner Performance, Intermediate Performance and two Improv Essentials Classes) can enter their names to be a part of Unisphere. These are are the minimum requirements, but students are encouraged to take a couple of Improv Essentials classes so that they know the possibilities of longform improv. Elective courses do not count towards Unisphere prerequisites.
Unisphere works as follows: When we are ready to run another round, we will put out the feelers to the general population to enter their names into the experience. We will then either have Instructor Approval or an Energy Audition. If we feel that you need another round of skill development, we will suggest that you take another class before coming in. This is because we need the common language of improv (all of the technical skills) and spirit of “Yes, and!” to be strong since Unisphere represents FoHi Improv outside of our usual performance spaces. The faculty is responsible for forming the Unisphere teams based on what we know about your style of playing and general chemistry between players. The auditions will ensure that the team is filled with members that are receptive to listening, have great team building skills, are looking for advanced work and creative challenges and love to perform. The team will live for only ONE round of Unisphere and then participants who would like to continue will be assigned a whole new team to continue on. This will foster inclusivity, diversity of playing, supportive mindset and community building.
Unisphere is our Advanced Improv experience. The cost for this course will cover the cost of room reservations, coaching fees, performance space fees, time for ad creation and pictures and advertising….etc. Each team will be assigned a coach during the course of Unisphere and they will work to create a new form that works for them while strengthening their improv skills as advanced players. Unisphere members will work towards a formal showcase experience where they will represent the most advanced players from the FoHi Improv experience in conjunction with the faculty. They will also lead two jams during their residency as the Unisphere Teams. At the jams, they will show their form development and represent the program as the advanced members who will gently lead all of members of the FoHi Community in scenes. They will also perform in a run of shows at an outside venue (currently, at The Queensboro).
There is no end to how many rounds of Unisphere you can participate in. You can continue as long as you like to learn, play with new people, develop new ideas and forms and always be a part of a program that will continue to grow over the years.