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Villainy: Being Bad on Stage with Valerie Ward

Full...

Class Description

Learn how fun it is to be bad. In this workshop, Valerie Ward will teach you how to play downright evil characters on stage that the audience will love to hate. Move beyond cartoons and caricature to let true villainy shine in all its dark glory by rooting your unique characters in truth.

In this three hour workshop, you will learn to:

Create a fully fleshed-out character for your villain
React convincingly to evil actions on stage
Add humanity to your monsters
Treat dark moments with the respect and patience they deserve

Instructor: Valerie Ward

Valerie Ward has been teaching, performing, and directing improv for over 20 years. With her world-renowned group Parallelogramophonograph (PGraph for short) she has traveled to over 65 cities in The US, Canada, Spain, France, The Netherlands, The UK, and Australia. Valerie recently moved to NYC from Austin, TX where she was an instructor, performer, and director at The Hideout Theatre, teaching all levels and styles of improv. Shows produced include:

A Bedtime Gorey: Inspired by the work of Edward Gorey, this show involved full-body shadow puppetry and garnered an B. Iden Payne Austin theatre award
A Deed So Dark: This murder-ballad fueled musical narrative featured improvised American folk music and explored the depths of human depravity in the dust-bowl era south

In addition to her 1000+ and counting shows with PGraph, Valerie performs with Echo Lake, an all-female group focused on organic improv. In teaching and coaching, she focuses on bringing truth and vulnerability to scenes while simultaneously discovering delight and mischief.

Full Session Schedule

Session Schedule*

Sep 12, 2024, 6:30pm - 9:30pm
at Ripley Grier (520 8th Ave, 16th fl)
(btw 36th & 37th Sts)

This class does not have a show/performance