Classes
From ColdTowne
ColdTowne Conservatory
The ColdTowne Conservatory offers five levels of Improv and three levels of Sketch Comedy training.
Classes offered during this session can be found here.
To register, please Contact us.
Improv
Why Improv?
Improv builds confidence, improves public speaking, increases spontaneity, fosters creativity and, most importantly, is fun. Whether you’re interested in a career in comedy or just looking for something fun to do with your free time, our classes can help.
Why ColdTowne?
The ColdTowne Conservatory is the only Chicago style long-form improv school in Austin. Our classes are based around the improv theories developed by Del Close, who trained such comedy luminaries as John Belushi, Bill Murray, Chris Farley, Tina Fey, the Upright Citizens Brigade and countless others.
ColdTowne classes are fun, relaxed and geared towards people of all backgrounds. It doesn't matter if you have any prior performance experience, the ColdTowne Conservatory will take care of you.
Instructors at the ColdTowne Conservatory have trained, performed, or taught at Improv Olympic, Second City, The Annoyance Theater, The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, The Comedy Conservatory in New Orleans and at festivals around the country.
Classes are $200 for an eight week course. Referral discounts and internships are available. The schedule of upcoming classes are below. Contact us to register.
Level One: Improv 101
Students learn the fundamentals of improv comedy, including “yes and,” creating characters and relationships and space work.
Level Two: Scene Work Strategies
Building on the fundamentals learned in level one, students will begin to remove their improv training wheels while exploring techniques that will strengthen their comedy scenes, including finding games and a more in depth study of characters and relationships. Students will also begin to explore various long-form techniques such as edits, walk-ons, tag-outs and group scenes.
Level Three: Long form 101
Having mastered the fundamentals of scene work, students will put together what they’ve learned into a show by exploring the building blocks of Chicago-style long-form improv through the grandfather of all forms, The Harold. Level three will cover organic openings, group games, beats, callbacks and more.
Level Four: Forms
Students will build upon their knowledge of the Harold while exploring other improv forms, such as narrative long-form, the Armando, the living room, the deconstruction and the improvised movie.
Level Five: The Show
Students will develop their own improv format and develop a show for performance at the ColdTowne Theater while continuing to build upon the previous four levels of training.
Sketch Comedy Workshops
Interested in Comedy Writing? Can’t think of anything funny to say? The ColdTowne Conservatory sketch comedy writing program can help. Our writing workshops will help you break through your writer’s block and teach you the fundamentals of sketch comedy.
Sketch writing instructors have trained at Second City’s sketch comedy program, have written for various satire publications and have written, directed and performed in sketch shows that are too numerous to count.
Classes are $200 for an eight week course. Referral discounts and internships are available. The schedule of upcoming classes can be found below. Contact us to register for classes!
Level One: The Sketch
Students will explore the fundamentals of sketch comedy, including creating comedic characters and working within basic sketch comedy structures. Students will participate in class exercises to generate ideas, complete take home assignments and workshop completed sketches in class to hone their comedy writing skills.
Level Two: Satire and Parody
Students will explore more complex sketch forms and explore the idea of satire and parody and comedy’s role in social criticism and observations. Once again, students will participate in class exercises and complete take home assignments to be workshoped in class.
Level Three: The Sketch Show
Building on the material and concepts generated in the previous two levels, students will learn how to put together a completed sketch show through working as a group to complete rewrites, create show runners and thru-lines and creating a run order. Students will participate in class exercises and complete take home assignments to be work shopped in class.
