In the past we have had veteran counselors bringing Jams, Elective Experiences, Shows, along camp activities like canoeing, arts + crafts, and campfires. Though this will change in the future for the Improv Retreat, it is still pretty impressive to see all of the things that would be available in one little weekend. Here’s a look at what was happening at the last “classic” TIR.
**The Bonus Stuff –
OPEN OFFERINGS ON SITE (no need to pre-register): TBA Jams as breakouts – once Friday/Sat, watchable Jams as mini-shows (BIPOC, Women+, LGBTQ+ sets), Soundscape Experience;
ACTIVITY YOU CAN PRE-PURCHASE: Canoeing
THE WORKSHOPS
BE HERE NOW with TARA DEFRANCISCO
A sought-after camp classic, this workshop is heavily requested and re-grounds us in experiential, interconnected work with one another. We notice the intangible, we trust our guts, we put down our apprehensions to truly understand one another and play in a circle of like minded people. Bohemian and playful original two person exercises/group work happens here, leading to much more than improvisation alone.
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BEING A DREAM PARTNER with JILL BERNARD
Improv is rarely a solo endeavor. This workshop will focus on how you can become the best possible partner your teammates could imagine. Games and exercises showing how to listen to what your partner really wants, and turn them into a rockstar. If we’re all doing this for each other, we’re a team of rockstars and we all win!
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FAVORITE THINGS: FOLIE À DEUX with NATHAN JANSEN
Back for round two of my favorite workshop, with new exercises! I can’t claim these are the best improv exercises, but these are my favorite ones. And they should be almost entirely different from last year.
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IMPROV TO SKETCH with PATRICK ROWLAND
Ever do a great improv scene or had a great idea but, don’t know how to turn it into a sketch? Through the magic of improv, we will breakdown those ideas/scenes and format them into a sketch for stage or filming. Patrick will run you through exercises that you can practice with others or with yourself. He will breakdown formatting your sketch and expanding on your awesome ideas so you walk away with tight well thought out hilarious sketches. Whether you’re a beginner or have experience this class is created to accommodate all levels.
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MAKING UP MONOLOGUES with MAYA HAUGHTON
Learn to improvise character monologues with confidence. Improvising alone can be intimidating but it doesn’t have to be. In this workshop, I’ll help you learn to confidently deliver character monologues in a clear voice with an interesting point-of-view.
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MONTAGE with RANCE RIZZUTTO
A fairly basic form, Montage is the underlying foundation of a lot of longform. Let’s dig into doing it truly free, and truly inspired. Making every scene a Venn diagram of choices gleaned from the scene before.
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MOVE THAT BODY with MAYA HAUGHTON
Your body is an incredible tool that you can use to express yourself in a multitude of ways. This workshop will guide you to move your body as a means to initiate scenes, create characters and express emotion.
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MUSICAL IMPROV 1 with JOHN STURK
This class is for the absolute beginner to musical improv. We will explore creating and heightening emotional point of views that can be enhanced with music, creating lyrics on the spot, and making melodies. No singing experience or training is required!
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MUSICAL IMPROV 2 with JOHN STURK
We will start to create scene work enhanced with music, building song structures, and explore longform narrative creations. Previous music improv training is recommended but not required.
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POSSESSED BY THE CHARACTER with LIZ MARCUCCI
This improv workshop explores the concept: How you are is who you are. Through exercises in presence, consistency, and intention, participants will build and sustain characters, discovering how action shapes identity and how embodying a role authentically brings it to life.
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PRETTY FLOWER with TARA DEFRANCISCO
Pretty Flower / Spokane is a form popularized by team Beer Shark Mice in the states and wildly used by teams in the UK. Splitting between dynamic group scenes and intriguing two person/small group spinoffs, this form concentrates heavily on taking care of own characters POVs, and capitalizing heavily on what’s fun, playable, and twinkly enough to explore. We’ll do exercises to get us there AND the form itself in this workshop.
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SECRET SECRETS with RANCE RIZZUTTO
What drives your character? None of my damn business! Let’s give our characters secrets to drive emotion and reaction!
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THAT’S MY JAM with NATHAN JANSEN
Short form hosting-From jams to corporate gigs, how an improv game is run can either sink the ship or raise the bar. I’ll share tips and tricks for setups, suggestion gets, game calling, audience handling, and how to create a supportive environment to empower performers and take care of our audiences.
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THE EVERYDAY IN NEW WAYS with ANDĚL SUDIK
Examining Our Improv Habits through Attention and Commitment- A lab for Advanced players to lean in and out of our improv habits through movement and play. It will be dumb. It will be beautiful.
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TRUTH & BEAUTY with JILL BERNARD
In this workshop, Jill Bernard will take you through a series of exercises that inject your work with a little bit of truth and beauty. Having the ability to create improv that is honest and vulnerable adds another layer to your work, a little bit of cake underneath your frosting to take your work from light entertainment to something with resonance. Please wear closed toe shoes to this workshop.
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TWO-PERSON IMPROV with PATRICK ROWLAND
Doing two-person improv can be tough. You’re on stage for the whole show and have to keep track of themes, characters, relationships, and environment. This workshop pairs you with a partner or you can sign up with a partner and you will learn how to pace yourselves, control the stage, and work together as if you’re sharing one mind. By the end , you will come away the skills to be able to jump on stage with anyone to create scenes characters, and worlds with ease.
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UNDER THE VEIL with LIZ MARCUCCI
This improv workshop is part self-discovery part character creation. You’ll discover facets of your truest self and then apply them to fun, new, quirky characters. Get ready to dig into all the wonderful things that make you, you!
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WHERE’S THE WALL? with ANDĚL SUDIK
Explore improvising with a more flexible fourth wall. This workshop will play with different modes of play and how we can keep ourselves sensitive and them all accessible at different moments. Game, Theater, Narrative, Physical, Authenticity. What if we consciously bounced around them within the same piece? Moment?
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