This 2-week program is for teens ages 14-17. It utilizes theatre games, scene work and group exercises to teach teens the fundamentals of improvisation. Students are offered an overview of different kinds of improvisation, giving them a toolbox of skills. With a focus on building an ensemble, students develop their teamwork and listening skills. They will learn to relax and react on stage while building a scene with depth of relationship, environment and character. They are able to explore and expand their creativity in a safe and respectful environment.
RACHEL OAKES has been an improviser for ten years. She is a graduate of the two-year conservatory program at New Actors Workshop where she studied under Paul Sills and Kathy Hendrickson, among others, and has studied at Upright Citizens Brigade with Sean Conroy. Rachel has worked with various troupes around New York, focusing mostly on her two main groups, Present Elevation and God Freedom Fantastic. In 2005, Rachel became Manager of Improvisation at Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota, FL. As Manager of Improvisation, she taught all levels of adult classes, as well as leading teen and children's classes and camps. She also acted as a teaching artist in the Write-A-Play program, which conducts in-school workshops, using improvisational tools to teach children about playwriting. While in Florida, Rachel performed weekly with FST IMPROV in the 109-seat Goldstein Cabaret, playing to mostly sold out audiences.