Workshops
“I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with Mona and Shara both onstage as professional improvisers and within the coaching and facilitation realm through several adult and teen organizations. These two are a bright future for improv and applied improv training: intelligent, talented, energetic, curious, immensely pleasant and highly dependable. They have a universal ‘likeability’ stemming from their attentiveness to those around them that enables them to thrive with students of any age.”
“Solid instructors. Very knowledgeable of their craft. Their experience, passion, and joy illuminate the classroom. If you have a chance to practice with them, I recommend Mona & Shara.”
We love to teach! Check out some of our most popular offerings below. We're also always happy to take the time and dream up a customized workshop with you. The stage is the limit.
Participants: We work both with theaters for open-enrollment classes and with performance ensembles who want to explore these skills and formats as a team
Timing: Our workshops can range anywhere from 2 hours to weekend-long intensives. Contact us to learn more about our specific offerings and what will serve your group or theater best.
Building the Environment
After our shows, we often get the most feedback not on the stories we've created but rather the worlds we have built to house those stories. The weight and sound of a door as it opens, a closet mirror that allows you to realize your roommate is a vampire, a walk-and-talk through a hospital. In this workshop, you'll practice using effective space object and environment work to bring any world to life.
Character Bootcamp
How do you get in the head of a character so you can have their spontaneous reactions? What's the best strategy for keeping physical and vocal choices vibrant and clear over time in a longer show? How can you create different personas without judgement? In this workshop, we'll take a deep dive into character exercises that will allow you to quickly sink into and remain with characters throughout a show.
The art of clowning is all about using your entire body to convey meaning. If you are an improviser who feels disconnected from your body, this workshop will teach you ways to bridge that gap in your performance.
Clowning for Improvisers
Delighting the Stage
The best performers are often not the loudest or flashiest players but rather the ones intent on delighting their partners. In this workshop, learn how to be the improviser everyone wants to play with.
Dynamic Duos
Liven up your play with this duo-focused intensive. Build your attention muscles and strengthen your connection with your partner, break your patterns and go-to roles, and refine skills like playing multiple distinct characters, creating rich environments, and finding variety in scene starts and endings.
Whether you are a die-hard Shakespeare fan or you are looking to expand your acting range, improvising in the style of The Bard gives you permission dive in with big with emotions, plot twists and strong character choices. Studying this format will push you to access more power onstage than you thought possible.
Improvised Shakespeare
In the spirit of San Francisco improv, learn how to perform a completely improvised two-act play or musical. In this workshop, you’ll explore how to create a strong platform for your story, keep characters consistent over time, and co-create a longer story with your fellow improvisers.
Narrative Longform
Sex & Violence
Want to tell passionate love stories or get into wild fist-fights? This workshop will teach you the down and dirty ways to safely and sensitively show intimacy and violence onstage.
So You Want to be an Improviser...
Don’t let anyone tell you improv is just a hobby! In this interactive talk, we’ll share stories of how we’ve made improv into our full-time careers and get you started on your way to doing the same.
Super Scene
Super Scene is one of our favorite improv formats. Not only is it a great way to delve into directed improv and longer narratives, but it’s also a nearly fail-proof way to guarantee your audience has a wonderful time!