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Why Take Improv?

In this fun and exciting interactive process, you will gain self-confidence, sharpen your communication skills, and learn the type of teamwork necessary to create something original and brilliant from scratch. Right from the start, our students are on their feet exploring hilarious exercises and skill-driven games in an incredibly supportive and fun environment under the guidance of our caring and experienced faculty,

Unexpected Productions’ teachers instruct the basics of improv, which are not only useful to improvisers, but to anybody wanting to work with others, as a member of a team, as an effective communicator, as a good listener, or simply as a friend!

All 100-600 classes are for ages 18+. Get ready to:

  • Discover the joy of spontaneous storytelling
  • Conquer fears
  • Improve your job skills
  • Spark creativity
  • Meet people/make new friends
  • Become a better listener
  • Be a better problem solver
  • HAVE A BLAST

Our celebrated education program is the most established improv school in the region. We host classes online. We offer 6 levels of classes with 4 quarters a year. We also offer specialty improv classes, storytelling, sketch and stand-up comedy classes from renowned teachers from around the globe.

Classes

Unexpected Productions’ Market Theater

1428 Post Alley
Seattle, WA 98101

The Improv School – Georgetown Studios

650 South Orcas, Suite 101
Seattle WA 98108

Fall Schedule 2024
Improv 100
9/21 - 11/9
Saturdays 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
5700 6th Ave S Suite 109 Seattle 98108
9/22-11/10
Sundays 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM
5700 6th Ave S, Suite 109, Seattle, WA, 98108
9/23-11/11
Mondays 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
5700 6th Ave S, Suite 109, Seattle, WA, 98108
9/24-11/12
Tuesdays 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
5700 6th Ave S Suite 109 Seattle 98108
9/25-11/13
Wednesdays 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
5700 6th Ave S Suite 109 Seattle 98108
9/26-11/14
Thursdays 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
5700 6th Ave S, Suite 109, Seattle, WA, 98108
Improv 200
9/22-11/10
Sunday 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM
650 S Orcas RM 217 Seattle WA 98108
9/23-11/11
Mondays 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
650 S Orcas RM 217 Seattle WA 98108
9/24-11/12
Tuesdays 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
650 S Orcas RM 217 Seattle WA 98108
9/25-11/13
Wednesdays 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
650 S Orcas RM 217 Seattle WA 98108
Improv 300
9/22-11/10
Sundays 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM
5700 6th Ave S, Suite 109, Seattle, WA, 98108
9/23-11/11
Mondays 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
5700 6th Ave S, Suite 109, Seattle, WA, 98108
9/25-11/13
Wednesdays 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
5700 6th Ave S Suite 109 Seattle, WA 98108
Improv 400
9/24-11/12
Tuesdays 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
5700 6th Ave S Suite 109 Seattle, WA 98108
9/26-11/14
Thurdays 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
5700 6th Ave S Suite 109 Seattle, WA 98108
Improv 500
9/22-11/10
Sundays 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
1428 Post Alley, Seattle, WA 98101
9/22-11/10
Thursdays 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
650 S Orcas Suite 101 Seattle 981016
Improv 600
9/22-11/10
Sunday 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM
1428 Post Alley, Seattle, WA 98101
Improv 700: Advanced Rehearsal and Performance
7/10 - 8/14
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
650 South Orcas, Suite 101, Seattle, WA, 98108
7/31 - 9/4
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
650 South Orcas, Suite 101, Seattle, WA, 98108

Fundamentals of Improvised Hip Hop with Dre Anderson 7/9 – 8/13

Take an introduction to the foundations of Hip-Hop class to expand your improv skill set. Learn how to incorporate rhythm and poetry into your improv scenes with ease.

Improv games serve as gateways to the Five Pillars of Hip-Hop, teaching students how to create entirely improvised hip-hop songs. By combining fundamentals of improv with free-styling, beat-boxing, and crowd techniques, students gain a deeper understanding of hip-hop and how to use these elements to enhance scene work and have fun on stage.

Dates: 6 Tuesdays
Time: 4-6:30 pm
Location: 650 S Orcas Suite 101, Seattle 98108
Maximum Students: 14
Cost: $275
Prerequisite: Improv 100 or equivalent or by teacher approval
Ages: 18+
Instructor: Dre Anderson
Unexpected Productions’ ensemble member, Dre Anderson is excited to teach Fundamentals of Improvised Hip Hop at the Improv School. With over a decade of experience collaborating with Seattle artists, Dre enjoys sharing his love for freestyle and technique to help others unlock their potential. As co-director of An Improvised Hip Hopera and performer at Unexpected Productions, Dre combines improvisation with hip-hop to create original songs, characters, and stories. When not on the Unexpected Productions’ stage you’ll see Dre working in the community as a teaching artist for Seattle Theatre Group and Seattle Children’s Theater and operating cameras for Pacific Northwest Theatre Associates.
When not on the Unexpected Productions’ stage you’ll see Dre working in the community as a teaching artist for Seattle Theatre Group and Seattle Children’s Theater and operating cameras for Pacific Northwest Theatre Associates.

NOTE: Please note that this class has a great deal of movement and action. Please dress accordingly and bring a bottle of water.

Register Here

Mime and Physical Improv with Jay Hitt, Starting August 8, 2024

Mimes are able to create full environments and objects using only their skill and imagination. How do they do it? This class will show you. You’ll learn the basic skills a mime uses to transform an empty space into a full world of endless possibilities.

Date: 4 Thursdays Aug 8, 15, 22 and 29
Time: 7:00pm – 9:30pm
Location: Unexpected Productions Improv School, Georgetown Studios, 650 South Orcas, Suite 217 Seattle, WA 98108 https://goo.gl/CMCRQp
Maximum Students: 20
Cost: $150.00
Prerequisite: All levels welcome

Teacher Bio:
Jay Hitt is the creator and director of Mouth Wide Shut, a completely non-verbal improvised show that uses Pantomime, Figurative mime, Corporeal mime, and various types of dance to create scenes based on the spectators’ suggestions. these suggestions are also retrieved non-verbally.

Jay is also the Managing Director of Unexpected Productions and has been with this improv company since 1993. He has performed and directed a variety of short and long-form improv shows since 1988. He created the Duo Improv Showcase in 2008. He has studied with great coaches from America and Europe and has been teaching and coaching improv since 1998. He is well known for his fearless approach to physical improv and his precision when it comes to object work and environment creation.

NOTE: Please note that this class has a great deal of movement and action. Please dress accordingly and bring a bottle of water.

Physicality is a kind of language, especially in improv. Jay’s class helped to remind me just how important, nuanced and exciting it can be and gave me the “words” to use and showed me how to “speak” them with physicality. Jay as a teacher is like a clown’s never-ending scarf bit. I’m not sure how he keeps pulling more and more interesting stuff out of his pocket, but there seems to be a never ending supply of it. James L. 9/18

Jay reminded me that physicality is the foundation of performance and he gave me the tools to get there! Randal F.Jay was warm and welcoming. He was thoughtful in his planning and presentation. I really enjoyed getting to know him and learning more techniques to bring physicality to my practice. Theresa W. 9/18

Register Here

Advanced Improvised Song and Music Intensive with Ron Hippe, Starting 8/11

In this class, improvisers will learn advanced techniques for improvising songs. Working with an accompanist, we will learn when to sing within a scene, how to turn lyrics into poetry, how to perform long-form musicals and opera, and more. We will also learn how to avoid creating run-on songs.

In this class, we delve into the world of Musical Improv, focusing on classic song forms in a way that relates to improvisation. Participants will learn, practice, and perform in a supportive group setting. We analyze a song’s rhyming, timing, counting, and emotional sections. Using simple suggestions, we practice creating as many memorable choruses as possible. Additionally, we explore how to make lyrics and content more poetic. Through this class, you will learn how to create songs and stories on the spot, covering a wide range of musical styles, including Gregorian chants, pop songs, Broadway musicals, jazz tunes, and beats. No prior singing experience is required.

Date: Sundays August 11, 18 and 25
3 Classes: 1:00 pm-3:30 pm

Location: Unexpected Productions Improv School, Georgetown Studios, 650 South Orcas, Suite 101 Seattle, WA 98108 https://goo.gl/CMCRQp
Maximum: 16 Students
Price: $125

Prerequisite: Must have completed Improv 100 and an improvised music class

Ron Hippe joined Unexpected Productions in 1990. Since that time he has worked with a multitude of improv companies around the globe in San Francisco, L.A., Orlando, Atlanta, Vancouver, N.Y., London, and Austria. Ron has appeared in productions with the Intiman, ACT, and Seattle Rep theatres and also appeared on Broadway in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Kentucky Cycle. Ron is a veteran commercial and voice-over actor for radio, TV, and video games. In addition, Ron is a musician and singer-songwriter.

**Cancellation Policy: We are unable to offer refunds.

Register

Advanced Acting for Improviser with Cynthia Lair Starting 8/31

“The best way to find more honesty and depth in improvisational work is through repetition. In this advanced workshop, we will continue making moment-to-moment responses more habitual. Pursuing wants in a variety of ways will be another focus. Applying these good practices to scenes that involve more than two performers allows for exploring more generosity and fuller stories. And lastly, finding our way toward strong endings sparks satisfaction for the performer and the audience. We will work on all these techniques, with care and respect, in the advanced version of this helpful class,” Cynthia Lair.

Pick up where you left off in Cynthia’s Acting for Improvisers in this Advanced class. Designed for students who studied with Cynthia, continue refining your acting skills as an improviser in Advanced Acting for Improvisers.

Bring your improvised scenes to life and experience what it means to inhabit the characters you create fully. Learn to embrace the imaginary circumstances in which we improvise.

This workshop is designed to give improvisers space to practice simple techniques that help bring a deeper authenticity to scenes. Bringing acting skills to improv builds the connection between characters and forms a stronger bond with the audience. We will do this by looking closely at moments like how we pursue action and allow reaction. Bringing more reality to these helps create more compelling stories.

Along with techniques from other master acting teachers, this class focuses on pursuing objectives that result in emotional responses as well as internal and external actions. Emphasis is placed on slowing down, listening, and allowing offers to land before responding honestly – moment-to-moment improv. Practicing these techniques can bring richness and reality to improvised scene work.

Advanced Acting for Improvisers

Dates: Aug 31, Sept 7, 14 and 21

Time: 10:30 am – 1:00 pm

Location: Unexpected Productions Improv School, Georgetown Studios, 650 South Orcas, Suite Rm 217 Seattle, WA 98108 https://goo.gl/CMCRQp

Maximum Students: 14

Cost: $150

Prerequisite: Improv 200 and Acting for Improvisers

Ages: 18+

Instructor:

Cynthia Lair began her life as an actress with a B.A. in theater. From there she became an acting apprentice at the Actors Theater of Louisville, followed by professional roles in regional theaters. After moving to NYC she continued her training with Uta Hagen and her performing with on-stage roles and on-camera roles in numerous national commercials. Some of her favorite theater roles, The Kathy & Mo Show, The Glass Menagerie, and Hard Times came after moving to Seattle. Her theater work combined with improv training has led to much fun in improvised plays such as Four Hearts, Shakespeare Unexpected, Atomic Sci Fi, A Shadow in the Doorway, and Austen Unbound. Cynthia has been an ensemble member and teacher at Unexpected Productions since 2015.

Register Here

Sketch Comedy Writing Through Improvisation with Joe Guppy, Starting 9/21

Discover the art of writing comedy through engaging improv games, instructed by the Emmy-award-winning comedy writer Joe Guppy. This course teaches fundamental improv techniques and how to create a comedic foundation. Students will gather around a writer’s table of support and encouragement, where they’ll learn to rewrite with a focus on story structure. Additionally, we’ll examine scenes from popular TV shows like Saturday Night Live, Key & Peele, and Almost Live. This course is ideal for aspiring and experienced improv performers, actors, comedy and screenwriters, and playwrights. The class concludes with a writer’s showcase.

Skills offered in class: Fundamentals of comedy writing, basic scene improvisation, story structure, rewriting, and how to create a comedy premise.

Date: 8 Saturday 9/21 – 11/9
Time: 10:00 – 1:00
Location: Unexpected Productions Georgetown Studio, 650 South Orcas St Suite 101, Seattle 98108 The last class will include a showcase performance in the last hour of class.
Maximum Students: 12
Cost: $300.00
Prerequisite: None
Age: 18+

Teacher Bio: Joe Guppy, M.A., won 8 Emmys and a Writers Guild award for comedy writing and performing. He’s a former head writer/cast member for the Seattle comedy show Almost Live, which ran for 15 seasons on KING-TV5, with two runs on Comedy Central. Joe is a founding member of Seattle TheatreSports and has written television scripts in Los Angeles for directors John Landis (Blues Brothers, Animal House) and Blake Edwards (Pink Panther). He’s taught fiction and scriptwriting at Seattle University and is an experienced group leader.

Register Here

Fundamentals of Improvised Hip Hop FALL ’24 with Dre Anderson

Take an introduction to the foundations of Hip-Hop class to expand your improv skill set. Learn how to incorporate rhythm and poetry into your improv scenes with ease.

Improv games serve as gateways to the Five Pillars of Hip-Hop, teaching students how to create entirely improvised hip-hop songs. By combining fundamentals of improv with free-styling, beat-boxing, and crowd techniques, students gain a deeper understanding of hip-hop and how to use these elements to enhance scene work and have fun on stage.

Dates: Six (6) Tuesdays, September 24 – October 29
Time: 7:00pm-9:30 pm
Location: 650 S Orcas Suite 101, Seattle 98108
Maximum Students: 14
Cost: $275
Prerequisite: Improv 100 or equivalent or by teacher approval
Ages: 18+

Instructor: Dre Anderson

Unexpected Productions’ ensemble member, Dre Anderson is excited to teach Fundamentals of Improvised Hip Hop at the Improv School. With over a decade of experience collaborating with Seattle artists, Dre enjoys sharing his love for freestyle and technique to help others unlock their potential. As co-director of An Improvised Hip Hopera and performer at Unexpected Productions, Dre combines improvisation with hip-hop to create original songs, characters, and stories. When not on the Unexpected Productions’ stage you’ll see Dre working in the community as a teaching artist for Seattle Theatre Group and Seattle Children’s Theater and operating cameras for Pacific Northwest Theatre Associates.

When not on the Unexpected Productions’ stage you’ll see Dre working in the community as a teaching artist for Seattle Theatre Group and Seattle Children’s Theater and operating cameras for Pacific Northwest Theatre Associates.

Register Here
Teen Improv Class Fall 2024

Why Improv for Teens? In Youthprov, students learn the fundamentals of good improvisation through games and exercises. The games are fun and entertaining but they are also a creative process that encourages support, active listening being present, and intelligent risk-taking on and off the stage.
We help teens build self-confidence, public speaking ability, and cooperation all while having a blast! Our classes boost our student’s confidence, curiosity, and creativity.

Improv teaches us to accept mistakes as gifts and communicate thoughts and ideas more effectively. AND, LIKE WE MENTIONED… IT’S FUN!

The focus is on creating ensemble work in a safe, supportive, and fun environment. Students have a blast, make friends and gain incredible life skills.

Students take classes to:
• Improve listening skills
• Improve their public presentation skills
• Gain amazing teaming skills
• Overcome shyness
• Build confidence
• Improve communication skills
• Think on their feet
• Take intelligent risks
• Come out of their shell
• Have a safe place to take risks

Teen Improv Class Fall 24
Dates
Day and Time
Location
Registration
9/22-11/10
Sundays 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Seattle