Improv 4 Teens Times Square NYC

Tag: humor

  • New York City area High School Residency: Stand-Up Comedy Comedy – NYC DOE VENDORS

    New York City area High School Residency: Stand-Up Comedy Comedy – NYC DOE VENDORS

    Stand-Up Comedy at its core is story telling, a combination of creative writing and public presentation. These are skills any student will need to stand out in their future endeavors. And the skills taught in this course transfer to many others. We create leaders and better students, empowered to listen and focus on and off stage. EMAIL for more information. NYC DOE VENDORS

    Finding Our Voice, Agency

    One of the amazing side effects of this course, as we create a fun safe space to create and share our stories is each student having a chance to succeed in baby steps. The first time a student gets an unexpected laugh in support of their work, they start to believe and trust in their own worth. Over the course of a few weeks, students develop their own style, their own voice.

    Empowering a Better Creative Process

    We teach students how to attack a new project. Just start. Simply brainstorm a list of ideas then get onstage and talk. Then brainstorm details and talk. Comedy is so much easier when we realize, we don’t have to be funny. Not at first. The secret is never TRY to be funny, clever or great. Those are functions of ego and insecurity. Our true talents don’t emerge on the scene until we embrace being ok with not being funny.

    Humor Builds a Better Brain

    William Fry, Stanford’s University’s late, great humor Guru, said that humor builds a better brain every time we compare to otherwise dissimilar things.

    Now 17, Carolyn is working with pro company, interning as a teacher assistant and more!

    It’s not until the third lesson plan that we truly begin to FIND THE FUNNY. We provide numerous ways to up the ante, teach how to trim the fat from unneeded set up, add analogies, exaggerate, consolidate, and the all powerful magic three.

    Similarly we start to teach presentation tricks. From day one we discuss the basics of facing audience, projection and diction. If the joke isn’t heard or understood it isn’t funny.

    Putting on a Show

    Every class is a mock open mic, a rehearsal for a real performance. Every session leads to a final performance. Having the end goal focuses students. Plus you can get great pics and vids for your school social media and yearbooks.

    Bringing Sketch Comedy to your Students

    There are a few ways to bring this program to your students.

    1. Simply buy the book and run the class. The paperback is just $9.99. Buy 20 copies as text book for $200 and let the fun begin, anywhere in the world. PS book is FREE via Kindle Unlimited or 2.99 via Kindle.
    2. Bring Walt Frasier to your school for a master class in comedy. $500 for up to 2 hours includes 20 copies of the book. Walt Frasier will lead the class in some improv games to launch the creative spirit, discuss his approach to brainstorming, hear some pitches, and set you off onto a successful session. We could also host this workshop at our Times Square NYC theater.
    3. THE FULL RESIDENCY Our team will drop by your classes up to 10 times, 20 hours. Walt Frasier himself at least 2-3 times, plus one of his teaching artist for all 10. As is, this will produce an entire show of live sketches and videos. Partnered with your la Guage arts teacher, develop into a full ELA or cultural arts elective, showing videos of classic sketches appropriate for all students, episodes of comedy TV and movies, discussing these works, as well as comedic short stories and going deeper into the history of comedy. You can also create additional collaboration and rehearsal time beyond our teacher attendance. $3000 include 10 sessions, 20 hours with one of our teachers, at least 2 sessions with Walt Frasier, 20 copies of the book, and optional online hosting of videos.
    4. THE FULL PROGRAM: Bring all of our programs to your school. Leverl 1 Improv Comedy. Level 2 Stand Up Comedy. Level 3 Sketch Comedy. Every class is designed to be self contained, with no experience necessary. In progression, the complete program delivers a population of confident creative powerhouses ready to take on the world in any profession.

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    Author, Artistic Director Walt Frasier has 25+ years of professional credits in comedy, Theater and music. He got his big break in TV performing comedy sketches on MTV’s Stankervision, Late Nite with David Letterman, TruTV’s Friends of the People, and most recently on HBO’s Pause with Sam Jay. As an actor, Frasier has appeared on NBC’s Blacklist, CBS’s Blue Bloods, USA’s Royal Pains (Filmed in Puerto Rico), Netflix’s Lilyhammer (filmed in Norway) and NICK’s Naked Brothers Band. In addition to 1000s of live performances around the world, Frasier has also appeared in numerous commercials, industrials, webisodes and reality TV shows. Frasier has written many books on comedy performance and more.

    A division of Improv Theater LLC

    The New York Improv Theater is a one stop edutainment center for corporate team building, office / holiday parties and more. Our comedy shows and workshops deliver high impact results. Clients include Google, Mercedes Benz, META /Facebook, TikTok, JP Morgan Chase, Accenture, Morgan Stanley, Twitter, Roblox, Rimowa, EI Digital, Accenture, Datadog HQ, Milbank, BING/Microsoft, Band of America – Merrill Lynch, Home Depot, Ernst & Young, Johnson & Johnson, Louis Vuitton, Coach, UBS, BDO, AMEX, Master Card, Macy’s, 360i, IBM, GM, Kraft, UNILEAVER, HBO, Prudential, Convene, Conference Board and many more… (NYC DOE VENDORS)

  • SUMMER COMEDY CAMP Times Square NYC Impov, Sketch & Stand-Up

    SUMMER COMEDY CAMP Times Square NYC Impov, Sketch & Stand-Up

    Register on Eventbrite

    HAVE FUN but never at another’s expense! – Walt Frasier’s #1 Rule

    Each week is a self contained session with classes in improv and stand-up comedy. Monday starts with a master class in Improv Comedy, introducing a number of warm-up, technique and performance games. Then we move into an open-mic style session where students develop original stand-comedy routines, starting with personal stories of observation and experience. Tuesday – Thursday are more like rehearsals than classes. A series of mock performance sessions develop experienced performers. Every week we introduce new games, review class faves and develop a new 2-3 minutes of stand-up comedy which get presented at our weekly showcase, Friday at 2pm.

    We have two to three adult teaching artists plus a number of teen interns every day, allowing us to break into smaller groups based on age and skills level.

    YES AND… #1 Rule in Improv

    Always say yes! Then support “YES” with words and actions. Never say YES to physical, emotional or mental harm, however, most NOs are we habitual lazy and insecure choices. And in improv oir job is to make our team look amazing. No need to watch our when the rest of the team has our back.

    LISTENING is the #1 Skill in Comedy

    Listen with your eyes. Listen with the willingness to change. Never think. Simply listen and focus. Make simple choices, Listen & Respond in support of team.

    DAILY HOMEWORK

    • SMILE Start every day with a smile! Physically smiling makes us feel great. Usually we smile when someone makes us feel good. It works both days. YOu can actually loosen stiff muscles and minor aches inside and out. Also, when you lead with a smile most smile back. Ignore that one judgemental hiding in the corner. They will judge you no matter what you do. If you want most folks to smile at you, LEAD BY EXAMPLE!
    • EXPERIENCE and OBSERVE YOU WORLD Every thing you need for comedy is right in front of you. LIVE with wide open eyes and ears. At school & home, on the subway, in the park, at the store etc etc etc things happen to you and to others around you. 
    • RECORD YOUR WORLD Keep a journal. What every observe and experience, write it down. Also record your process. Describe every Improv game you play in your own words. EVERY time you get off stage, record how that experience happened. Process your world, your anxieties, fears, joys etc. Getting things out of your head, frees you to focus in the moment.