UCB IMPROV 101

I began taking Improv classes at UCB Sunset in Los Angeles last month and it has been quite a ride!

Improv has always been a scary, intimidating thing for me and as I have begun to get settled and a little more used to living in Los Angeles the time came to take a class. There are bazillions of acting schools to choose from here, but only four improv schools! Second City, iO, UCB and Groundlings, so improv it would be for me as it was a more limited choice!

Of course, if you're going to do Second City or iO, you should probably do them in their place of birth, which happens to be my place of birth- Chicago! So, it really made the choice easy for me. And UCB Franklin is super close to my house and, so I've researched but not yet actually experienced, you can take the red line to UCB Sunset pretty easily! I am bound and determined to take the train to class one day when I have mustered up the courage, but until then, I have been travelling by automobile to UCB Sunset once a week for class!

It has been super informative and I am excited to be taught by Pam Murphy, who is a UCB pro and delightfully straight forward and super chill about approaching the work. Pam creates a class environment that is fun and safe to fall flat on your face in. Sure you'll get laughed at, but she makes you feel like that's ok and the point! No one does anything wrong except for being sorry and not being ready or eager to jump in. Laughing at yourself helps you to laugh with everyone else and makes it fun and easy to learn!

I've had exposure to the Improv world through friends in Illinois State University's Improv Mafia and in Chicago's Octavarius, Moon Sharks and PIMProv and it's been exciting to peal back the curtain and see how their brains build the comedy they are so skilled at making!

This intro to improv has been a journey in confidence building and eye opening for me as an actress and a regular, old human who loves relying on a script! What's great about UCB improv and the craft of acting is it always goes back to your relationship with your partner on stage. Don't know what to do or say next? Go back to the most human element how do you relate to the other human on stage with you? I've also been able to see some great UCB Improv shows FOR FREE as a student and even met up with some classmates for drinks after the show!

I'm hoping to do the next level asap and will hopefully become more and more ready to improvise in an audition or at the old 9-5 day job the more UCB I get into my brain! Improv classes help with all walks of life! :D