Musical Improv Level Two

Musical Improv Level Two with Frank Spitznagel and Nikita Burdein

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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


Taking the fundamentals you learned in level one, Musical Improv Level 2 shows you how to make your improvised scenes and songs look and feel more like a Broadway musical! Exercises in listening and emotional commitment will give you the solid scene-work you need to launch into songs. Also, you will explore different song styles, learning about want songs, philosophy songs, charm songs, and metaphor songs. 8 weeks of classes followed by a class performance. Prerequisite: Musical Improv Level One
All students will be asked to show proof of vaccination prior to the first session in order to participate in this class
NOTE: At the request of one of the instructors who has undergone several recent medical procedures, masks will be required for students when not on stage.

Instructor: Frank Spitznagel

Frank Spitznagel is the Musical Director at Magnet Theater and a piano accompanist who frequently plays for such improv groups as I Eat Pandas, Veal, The Made-Up Musical, Gusto, and many others. He is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music, where he studied piano performance. His work can be heard on several studio recordings. Frank has composed for Comedy Central and the Aspen Comedy Festival. He accompanied Itzhak Perlman in an original jazz composition by Benny Golson at Lincoln Center. He also played the American premiere of The Hired Man Off-Broadway. He has been musical director for productions such as Nunsense (all incarnations), A Chorus Line, Chicago City Limits, and several original musicals.

Instructor: Nikita Burdein

Born in the USSR, Raised in Chicago, and now in NYC, Nikita is an improviser, filmmaker, and writer of film, tv, and theater.

He has trained at the Magnet Theater and Upright Citizens Brigade since 2011 and performs weekly with Magnet house teams Wonderland (musical improv), Bodywork (non-musical improv) and Premiere (musical improv). He also performs with UCBT Lloyd Team seventeen, indy darlings Fancy Man, and Karaoke based musical improv with Happy Karaoke Fun Time.

Full Session Schedule


Session Schedule*

  1. Jan 22, 2022, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
    at Magnet Theater
    (254 W. 29th Street)
  2. Feb 5, 2022, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
    at Magnet Theater
    (254 W. 29th Street)
  3. Feb 12, 2022, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
    at Magnet Theater
    (254 W. 29th Street)
  4. Feb 19, 2022, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
    at Magnet Theater
    (254 W. 29th Street)
  5. Feb 26, 2022, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
    at Magnet Theater
    (254 W. 29th Street)
  6. Mar 5, 2022, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
    at Magnet Theater
    (254 W. 29th Street)
  7. Mar 12, 2022, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
    at Magnet Theater
    (254 W. 29th Street)
  8. Mar 19, 2022, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
    at Magnet Theater
    (254 W. 29th Street)

Show Schedule*

  1. Mar 19, 2022, 6:00 PM
    at Magnet Theater
    (254 W. 29th Street)
  2. *scheduling subject to change