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Improv for Beginners returns to Samford University's Academy of the Arts for Summer 2014!

Extemporaneous Theatre Company is pleased to announce that Douglas O'Neil, Jr. and Dr. Julie Steward will be teaching Improvisation and Comedy for Beginners as part of the Academy of the Arts at Samford University!

The key skills used in improvisation -- such as creative thinking, trusting one's self, teamwork, and "leaving one's ego at the door" -- are applicable to a broad range of life skills and careers. This course introduces these concepts in a classroom and a hands-on workshop environment where everyone performs with and in front of everyone else. This allows students to employ new ways of thinking and working with other people, even if a student never intends to perform on stage.

PLUS - this Professional Development course counts for 1.4 CEUs!

Our previous students say:

"Outstanding! Very fun and informative! Loved every minute!"
"I really enjoyed the course. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I wanted to do something outside of my comfort zone, and this was it!"
"It was helpful to begin with a brief 'lecture' on comedy theory or whatever topics would help and then jump into activities. The two instructors made the course fun, engaging, and a wonderful experience."

The course will run Tuesday nights from 6:30 to 8:30 pm between June 17 and July 29, 2014. To learn more about the Academy of the Arts at Samford University and register for our exciting upcoming course, PD 270-00: Improvisation and Comedy for Beginners, please visit them on the web at www.samford.edu/academy-of-the-arts!

Custom Workshops for Schools!

Improv training is very useful for arts disciplines such as speech and theatre, but has also been used in the business and professional worlds to enhance valuable life skills such as creative thinking, communication, problem solving, and teamwork. We bring all of these concepts to our in-school workshops, which are taught by professional improvisors with classroom experience. We work with you to determine the key skills and topics we will cover with your students, and we provide a learning experience that our students and teachers alike can engage in, enjoy, and build upon with their other curriculum. We've taught everywhere from elementary school gifted programs, to advanced high school theatre classes, to our community course at Samford After Sundown, and we'd love to add you to our list of happy alumni!

Other teachers with whom we've worked say:

"OMG! Doug and Chris were great! They had a VERY well organized lesson plan that was sent to me in advance for my approval. They were engaging for the students and just generally fun guys. The students LOVED the time they spent with Doug and Chris. I also totally enjoyed myself. It was fun, engaging, and the content was higher level... The presentation was more than perfect."
"I'd recommend an ETC workshop for others because it showed us the formulas, guidelines and examples of improv in a comfortable and fun environment... I was incredibly pleased and impressed by the instructors' rapport with with students, encouragement of their efforts, and suggestions of various techniques of improv."

Since each workshop is individually designed, please email us with your preferred dates, workshop size*, and any preferences you have for the focus of your workshop. We have references available upon request.

*Because of the individual student participation necessary for our work, we do ask that groups be limited to a maximum of 45 students/session - though multiple consecutive sessions can be booked for a single day.