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Level One: The Principles of Improv

Level One: The Principles of Improv with Rick Andrews and Ellen Matthews

Full...

Check below to see the full schedule for each session, see if your class skips a week for a holiday, and check out the date and time of your class show(s).

Class Description

Simply put, you'll learn to improvise. In Level One, students will get onstage immediately and explore the fundamental principles of improvisation through exercises in agreement, commitment, spontaneity and listening. Sessions are designed so students will build a strong foundation as a confident performer. You will amaze yourself with your new found skills at the class graduation performance in front of your friends and family. This show is always fun and usually the highlight of most people's lives. Open to all.

Instructor: Rick Andrews

Rick Andrews is a teacher and performer at The Magnet Theater, and has been studying, performing, and teaching improvisation since 1999. He began improvising with Improv Boston, and continued with a stint in Saint Louis, MO. He has been fortunate to learn from many improv greats, including Armando Diaz, Ed Herbstman, Joe Bill, Mark Sutton, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, Will Luera, Jill Bernard, and more.

Rick has taught workshops at improv festivals across the country, including the Boston Improv Festival, Baltimore Improv Festival, Black Box Atlanta, and many more. He co-produces Duofest, an annual festival of improv duos in Philly, PA. He has taught improvisation to people as old as 75 and as young as 6, and has done workshops for production companies and zoos alike.

He enjoys running, putting words on pages, thinking about the brain, and he loves improv more than anything.

Instructor: Ellen Matthews

Ellen Matthews started her comedic career back in Kindergarten, while during Playtime she pretended her butt was on fire, and frantically put it out by sitting on a bucket of Legos. The class gave rave reviews, and she's been honing her craft after since.

Ellen focused on sketch comedy while in college at UMass Amherst, but fell in love with improv after moving to New York. She has studied at UCB, the PIT, and eventually found her comedy home at The Magnet Theater, where she has had the privilege of learning from incredibly talented and supportive teachers, mentors, and peers.

You can see Ellen perform with her Megawatt team, Dreamboat, every Wednesday; and hear Ellen chatting with people much too loudly, in the Magnet Lounge, most days.

Full Session Schedule

Session Schedule*

  1. Jul 25, 2019, 7:00pm - 10:00pm
    at The Magnet Training Center
    (22 West 32nd Street, bet. Broadway and 5th Ave., 10th floor)
  2. Aug 1, 2019, 7:00pm - 10:00pm
    at The Magnet Training Center
    (22 West 32nd Street, bet. Broadway and 5th Ave., 10th floor)
  3. Aug 8, 2019, 7:00pm - 10:00pm
    at The Magnet Training Center
    (22 West 32nd Street, bet. Broadway and 5th Ave., 10th floor)
  4. Aug 15, 2019, 7:00pm - 10:00pm
    at The Magnet Training Center
    (22 West 32nd Street, bet. Broadway and 5th Ave., 10th floor)
  5. Aug 22, 2019, 7:00pm - 10:00pm
    at The Magnet Training Center
    (22 West 32nd Street, bet. Broadway and 5th Ave., 10th floor)
  6. Aug 29, 2019, 7:00pm - 10:00pm
    at The Magnet Training Center
    (22 West 32nd Street, bet. Broadway and 5th Ave., 10th floor)
  7. Sep 5, 2019, 7:00pm - 10:00pm
    at The Magnet Training Center
    (22 West 32nd Street, bet. Broadway and 5th Ave., 10th floor)
  8. Sep 12, 2019, 7:00pm - 10:00pm
    at The Magnet Training Center
    (22 West 32nd Street, bet. Broadway and 5th Ave., 10th floor)

Show Schedule*

  1. Sep 13, 2019, 8:00 PM
    at Magnet Studio Theater
    (22 W. 32nd St, 10th floor - Room A)
    2. *scheduling subject to change