WORKSHOPS
The 2023 Miami Improv Festival features 7 incredible master class improv workshops taught by some of the best instructors in the industry. Workshop spots are selling fast and will sell out soon, for more information on workshops and to get your spot now go to WORKSHOPS!
Saturday, January 14
10:00 am
Joy + Beauty or Bust
$100 - $120 [BUY NOW]
Instructors: Tara DeFrancisco and Rance Rizzutto
Lots of improvisers lose their sense of play and connection with time. It's ironic - As talent rises and shows and reps increase, we get better at evaluating ourselves during shows rather than remaining in the moment to enjoy the shows we get to do. In this workshop, we will work on ways to connect, play inside scenes to create twinkly opportunity, actively listen, build scenes brick by brick, and not miss moments with one another where pure potential lives. Expect duo exercises, lots of scenes with side coaching, and group challenges to prompt playfulness, introspection, and discovery.
Saturday, January 14
2:00 pm
Found In Space
$100 - $120 [BUY NOW]
Instructor: Mark Sutton
For many of us, using the space in our improv scenes is difficult. Sure, we create things, and we touch things, and we move things around…but are we really using the space to tell the story? In this workshop, we will practice some of the ways to get the most out of our space and object work. We will visit our relationship with the space in new ways and show how investing in our environments with purpose and focus can lead to discovery, connection, and richer stories.
Honest Improv
$100 - $120 [BUY NOW]
Instructor: Stacey Hallal
Lots of people in improv reference ‘truth in comedy’ but rarely dig in what exactly that means in practice. In this workshop, you will learn the difference between playing honestly and going for the joke. We will also uncover and explore how to use authenticity as a comedic tool without sacrificing fun or joy in your play. This workshop is suitable for all experience levels.
Sunday, January 15
10:00 am
Building Character
$100 - $120 [BUY NOW]
Instructor: Stacey Hallal
Sometimes, despite our best intentions, we end up showing up on stage as ourselves. In this workshop, you will learn the tools to unleash the wide variety of characters locked inside of you! We will explore all aspects of character building from inspiration to creation to variation and beyond. Please dress to move in this workshop.
Playing Layers
$100 - $120 [BUY NOW]
Instructor: Mark Sutton
We practice a lot with 2 person scenes. This workshop will explore how to get them most our of multi-person scenes. We will practice how to be present, connected, and playful in larger scenes without making them a mess. We will also explore ideas on how to “read scenes” to get the most out of our entrances, and edits.
Sunday, January 15
2:00 pm
Duo Dynamics
$100 - $120 [BUY NOW]
Instructors: Stacey Hallal and Mark Sutton
In this workshop, longtime duo Mark Sutton and Stacey Hallal teach you the ins and outs of two-person play. You will practice identifying and playing grounded and absurd characters, take a deep dive into position play, and delve into dynamic contrast to keep scenes and duo shows energized. This workshop is open both to individuals and duos.
Improvised Stage Combat
$100 - $120 [BUY NOW]
Instructor: Dylan Rhode
Learn how to truly exploit your imagination in this workshop focused on creating movement of ourselves and invisible objects as we learn how to punch, slap, kick, slice, shoot, cast lightning, and wherever else our minds can take us. We'll not only focus on the actions, but more importantly the reactions, as well as sound effects and music. If you have little interest in stage combat, it's also great for just working on team support.
Instructor Bios
Stacey Hallal
Stacey Hallal founded the Curious Comedy Theater in Portland, Oregon in 2008 where she serves as Managing/Artistic Director as well as a regular performer, writer, director and teacher. As Artistic Director, Stacey has created the Curious training center curriculum, trains and supports the teaching staff, oversees the scheduling, production and creative direction of over a hundred shows per year and has the honor of curating the annual All Jane Comedy Festival.
Stacey has been devoted to comedy in Portland and Chicago for over fifteen years and has appeared and taught at more than 100 comedy festivals across the United States and Canada. While in Chicago, Stacey completed the iO, Annoyance, and Second City training centers. She went on to complete the prestigious Directing Program at Second City where she also taught improv and comedy writing as a member of the Second City Training Center Faculty. Stacey Assistant Directed the smash hit Second City Main Stage production, Between Barack and A Hard Place. Stacey also uses improv to help major companies better understand and communicate their brand stories with Character, LLC, a Portland-based company she helped start up in 2001.
Mark Sutton
Mark Sutton is one of the most respected and sought after teachers in improvisation today. He is a founding member of Chicago’s legendary Annoyance Theater and, for 10 years, was the Theater’s managing director. While at Annoyance, he created, directed or performed in over 100 plays, musicals and improv shows. Mark is faculty emeritus at both The Annoyance and The Second City, and has been a featured instructor at comedy festivals across the United States and Canada for many years. He helped develop the aggressive, personal power style of improvisation pioneered by Mick Napier at The Annoyance. For the past 14 years, he has been a program designer and lead facilitator for Second City Works – the business training and entertainment arm of The Second City with clients ranging from corporate America to Academia to professional sports. Mark’s no-nonsense, personal style of teaching has inspired and enlightened thousands of students during his 30+ year career.
Tara DeFrancisco
Tara DeFrancisco believes in the power of connection & collaboration of improvisation on a cellular level. She is a veteran performer of 6000+ shows on multiple world-renowned stages, including The Second City, ComedySportz, and iO Chicago (on beloved house team Chaos Theory, The DelTones, Armando, HERE). Tara is internationally known for her performances in “HERE the (improvised) Musical” – a two person improvisational show called “Nothing Short of Genius” from NPR; HERE is continuously touring and has been brought to 24 countries and 80+ cities worldwide to headline. One of the best things she’s ever made is The Improv Retreat, an event gathering hundreds of US/international improvisers each year for a sleepaway conference with teachers from multiple cities to celebrate their craft, brainstormed and founded in 2012, now many years running. Additionally – She is the Co-Founder, Artistic Director, instructor & mainstage performer for revered and beloved The Nest Theatre (CBus, OH), a leading performance & educational community in Ohio, producing 25 mainstage shows year-round, a space with active COE & "no-paperwork" scholarships for those underamplified in the arts (LGBTIQ, BIPOC, persons with disabilities, vets, and those over 65). She is an esteemed educator who has created curriculum for theatres all over the world, including all four mentioned above. She is so pleased to be a Guest Professor to the Ohio University School of Performance (Athens), as well as an Adjunct Professor of Acting for Animation at Columbus College of Art & Design. As an artist, you may also hear her in voiceovers (Sirius, Rocky Rococo, Crocs, 7 Little Johnstons), in commercials or industrials (Sheetz, Dish TV, Vegas.com, US Cellular, Sears, SunTrust), in movies (The Life + Times of An Unhappily Married Man), on Internet Game Show (One Hot Dollar), and here and there in television (ABC Family, L
OGO TV). She believes in that the tenets of improvisation & vulnerability of comedy are transformational and life-changing, and hopes she gets to share the joy it has brought her with you.
Rance Rizzutto
Rance Rizzutto has been professionally improvising since 1999 on stages all around the world. Starting in Portland, OR with ComedySportz, Rance soon found his calling as a mainstage performer at two theatres in Chicago after the big move, then sustained multiple tours with Second City Theatricals aboard Norweigian Cruise Lines. In Chicago, he most connected with iO Theatre where he became an adored performer and host featured on such beloved teams Chaos Theory, The Deltones – and later, lauded two-person touring duo, “HERE, the (improvised) Musical” which tours globally as invited headliners at festivals, schools, and performing arts centers. Incredible host, teammate, and curriculum designer, his improv and prior work experience have enabled him to help businesses grow utilizing improvisation principles for their communication and team unity needs. He is the Co-Founder, Training Center Director, instructor & mainstage performer at revered The Nest Theatre in CBus, OH. In addition to his hosting hundreds of live industrials, you can catch him on an internet game show (One Hot Dollar), and you may have seen Rance in television commercials for Hewlitt Packard or Sears or hear his voice in animated commercials for Sears as well (as a bear, in case you’re wondering). His life has completely transformed due to enrichment from improvisation, and finds great passion in the potential energy and fun in the comedic arts he is fortunate to have as a career.
Dylan Rhode
Dylan is the Founder of The Backline Comedy Theatre and the Omaha Comedy Fest. Trained and performed at UCB-LA and iO West for years, was a member of the early LA Indie scene, and since created a flourishing scene in Omaha. His teaching style combines UCB's Game with iO's Relationship and a passion for both honesty and creativity. He's taught and performed at festivals and theaters throughout the country and around the world, and students that started with him have gone on to make house teams at UCB and iO, as well as write for shows like Big Mouth and Wild N' Out and even star in the new HBO show Rap Sh!t. His newest goals are animation and filmmaking and you better watch out if you're in a karaoke competition with him.