Comedy Workshops

We have got a mess of SUPER FUN and educational workshop offerings available to Fest performers and attendees, taught by our incredibly seasoned headliners. Peep the descriptions below!

Workshops go on sale Thursday, March 26th once all Fest teams have been chosen.

Friday, May 8

Portrait of a smiling man with short dark hair, light skin, and a stubble beard, wearing a black jacket against a blue background.

Bilingual Improv - Practice Your Spanish! Beginners Welcome!

Did you know that the art of improvisation began as a tool that Viola Spolin, a Chicago social worker, used to help immigrant children learn English? This workshop offers a structured, supportive, and fun environment to learn the fundamentals of improv while practicing your Spanish... sin miedo! This class is designed for beginner Spanish speakers, but fluent Spanish speakers and ESL students are also bienvenidos!

El arte de la improvisación comenzó como una herramienta que Viola Spolin, trabajadora social de Chicago, utilizaba para ayudar a los niños inmigrantes a aprender inglés. Este taller ofrece un ambiente estructurado, de apoyo y divertido para aprender los fundamentos de la improvisación y practicar tu inglés... ¡sin miedo! Esta clase está diseñada para principiantes de español, ¡pero también son bienvenidos los hispanohablantes fluidos y los estudiantes de inglés como segundo idioma!

Instructor: Rudy Mendoza
When: Friday, May 8th
Time: 10:00am
Duration: 2 hours
Where: NC Stage

On sale march 26th
A close-up of a middle-aged man with light-colored hair, wearing a dark collared shirt, speaking with his mouth open against a black background.

Set Everything On Fire

In this workshop, you’ll learn how to start scenes from a place of being okay. Your character is exactly where they’re supposed to be, doing what they’re supposed to be doing, with the person they’re supposed to be doing it with. Nothing is wrong.

And then something changes.

Greg calls this moment the “in-scene point-of-view discovery.” It’s not a preplanned move or a clever idea. It’s the realization that happens because of your partner and inside the scene. A shift in how you see them and how you see yourself. A shift in what suddenly matters.

That discovery is the spark. In this workshop, you’ll learn to recognize that moment and commit to it fully. Instead of forcing conflict or chasing the “game,"" you’ll let the new point of view do the work. As you intensify this point of view the spark turns into a flame. Then you use that flame to SET EVERYTHING ON FIRE.

Instructor: Greg Tavares
When: Friday, May 8th
Time: 10:00am
Duration: 2 hours
Where: Wortham Center for the Performing Arts (Tina McGuire Theatre)

On sale march 26th
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Close-up portrait of a smiling woman with curly black hair, wearing a pink top and gold earrings.

Everything You Need - Simplifying the Two Person Scene

Join Chicago improv duo, Women of a Certain Age, as they explore relationship-based two person scenes. This three hour workshop will focus on creating a shared point of view, listening moment-by-moment, and creating characters who care. You’ll leave this workshop with the tools to create high energy, impactful two person scenes.

Instructor: Daniela Aguilar and Elim Almedom
When: Friday, May 8th
Time: 1:30pm
Duration: 3 hours
Where: Wortham Center for the Performing Arts (Tina McGuire Theatre)

On sale march 26th
Close-up portrait of a middle-aged man with curly brown hair and a beard, wearing a pink collared shirt against a black background.
Close-up portrait of an older woman with short blonde hair, wearing a red-orange scarf and pearl earrings, smiling against a peach background.

All The Small Things

Getting off on the right foot makes all the difference in great scene work. This class focuses on building strong foundations that help you relax, have fun, and create clear, engaging scenes. You’ll learn how to create specific, detailed characters and stories on your feet, and how doing less, taking your time, and focusing on small details can lead to richer, more compelling work.

We’ll explore simple, practical ways to start scenes so your fellow players can relax, stop negotiating, and just play. A solid beginning also helps the audience settle in and enjoy the story without confusion. You’ll also learn easy techniques for course-correcting a scene and getting back to a grounded and confident place.

Instructor: Dan O’Connor and Lisa Frederickson
When: Friday, May 8th
Time: 1:30pm
Duration: 3 hours
Where: Wortham Center for the Performing Arts (Henry LeBrun)

On sale march 26th

Saturday, May 9

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Shamilton Hip Hop Improv Workshop

Want to take your musical improv to the next level? In this workshop we'll practice free-styling techniques, dropping hooks, trading verses and other rhyme games to help you confidently incorporate hip-hop into your musical improv repertoire.

Instructor: Katy Berry
When: Saturday, May 9th
Time: 10:00am
Duration: 3 hours
Where: NC Stage

On sale march 26th
Portrait of a man with dark hair, a mustache, wearing a light blue collared shirt.

The More The Merrier - Finding Your Fun in Group Scenes

Tired of uninspired and formulaic group scenes? Come reset your framework for group scenes in this 2 hour, high repetition improv workshop! We’ll draw on our experiences in real life group dynamics to explore practical choices that embrace our playful sensibilities. We’ll learn to find our fun in group scenes, so that our teammates can find theirs too!

Instructor: Andrew Lemna
When: Saturday, May 9th
Time: 10:00am
Duration: 2 hours
Where: Wortham Center for the Performing Arts (Tina McGuire Theatre)

On sale march 26th
Headshot of a middle-aged man with curly dark hair and a beard, wearing a light pink button-up shirt, against a black background.
Close-up portrait of an older woman with short, blonde hair, blue eyes, wearing pearl earrings and an orange top, smiling slightly against a warm background.

Action With Alacrity

alacrity (noun): brisk and cheerful readiness

This workshop is about telling a story and moving from scene to scene with energy and commitment. We will workshop focusing and taking care of each while creating great narrative. These skills apply to short form game work as well as good long form.

Instructor: Dan O’Connor and Lisa Frederickson
When: Saturday, May 9th
Time: 10:00am
Duration: 3 hours
Where: Wortham Center for the Performing Arts (Henry LeBrun Theatre)

On sale march 26th
Close-up headshot of a smiling man with a beard and shaved head, wearing a black jacket, against a blue background.

Chicago Style Improv

Get a taste of authentic Chicago-style improv! This workshop hones in on the core principles of listening, non-verbal communication, and patient play. We'll work on creating believable characters and environments, allowing scenes to unfold naturally. Learn to trust the process and your scene partners to build strong, organic improv from the ground up.

Instructor: Rudy Mendoza
When: Saturday, May 9th
Time: 1:30pm
Duration: 3 hours
Where: NC Stage

On sale march 26th
A man with light brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a blue collared shirt, speaking or singing with an open mouth.

The Join

This workshop is about the top of the scene—that first moment when you either feel a great connection with your partner or a sinking feeling that you’re alone in the universe. Don’t you want more of the great feeling and less of the sinking feeling?

Greg calls that great feeling The Join; i.e., the moment you know you’re together and everything is going to work out. It is about supporting, not understanding. It is about belonging to each other, even when you don’t know how. It is about moving before you talk. Every scene starts with a join, so you might as well learn The Join.

This workshop focuses on authentic, emotionally grounded scene work with direct, personalized feedback from Greg.

Instructor: Greg Tavares
When: Saturday, May 9th
Time: 1:30pm
Duration: 2 hours
Where: Wortham Center for the Performing Arts (Tina McGuire Theatre)

On sale march 26th
Two men performing on stage, one sitting on the other's lap, both with expressive faces, dark background, stage lights overhead.
Three people standing and talking in a room with orange curtains, with chairs behind them and audience members partially visible in the foreground.
People sitting in an audience at a comedy or entertainment event, laughing and enjoying the moment. The room has warm lighting and a relaxed atmosphere.
A group of people sitting and listening to two women speaking on a small stage in a brightly lit room with orange curtains, high arched windows, and ceiling fans.
Three people on stage during a theatrical performance with one sitting on a chair, one standing on a chair, and another kneeling on a chair. The woman seated appears surprised, while the two men are holding hands and engaged in an intense scene. The stage has a backdrop of trees.