Femprovisor Fest ’20 Workshops
Femprovisor Fest is hosting some stellar improv instructors at this year’s fest!
Early bird pricing is valid if you purchase your workshop ticket(s) before April 1, 2020.
Viola Spolin Improvisation Workshop w/ Aretha Sills
“Through spontaneity we are re-formed into ourselves.” – Viola Spolin
Viola Spolin’s Theater Games launched the American improvisational theater movement and changed the way acting is taught. Her work has influenced generations of improvisors, actors, and educators. In the workshop with sidecoach Aretha Sills, we’ll explore some of the groundbreaking exercises and theatrical concepts found in Spolin’s seminal book Improvisation for the Theater, with an emphasis on the philosophies of improvisation innovators Viola Spolin and Paul Sills. We’ll play some of Spolin’s major warm-ups and scene games to release the intuition through focus, spontaneity, and play.
Bio: The granddaughter of Viola Spolin, Aretha studied for many years with her father, director Paul Sills (creator/director of The Second City and Story Theater), and has conducted workshops for Paul Sills’ Wisconsin Theater Game Center, Bard College, Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Stockholm International School, Sarah Lawrence College, and Northwestern University. She has worked with Tony- and Emmy-Award winning actors and has trained faculty from Northwestern, DePaul, Columbia College, The Second City, The Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, LAUSD, CETA, and many other institutions and schools. She is the Associate Director of Sills/Spolin Theater Works and she directs The Predicament Players.
Tuition: Early bird: $65; Regular: $75
Please Note: This workshop is for all experience levels.
Instructor: Aretha Sills (Los Angeles)
Day/Date/Time: Saturday, May 2, 2020, from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Location: Studio A, Leela Training Center, 901 Mission Street (lower level), SF
QUOTES ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS:
“Aretha is dedicated to preserving the pureness of this technique, which from my point of view assists the actor to find the courage to find themself and then to fly. I believe she has, innately and amazingly, all the elements of the technique of both Viola Spolin and Viola’s son, the extraordinary director, Paul Sills. I have studied with Aretha, and believe me, the thrill lives on.”
- Paul Sand, Tony Award winner, Paul Sills’ Story Theater; Original Second City cast member
“Aretha Sills, carrying on the work of Spolin and Sills, is an amazing, insightful side-coach and teacher. We were fortunate enough to take a workshop in L.A. with her and it helped us reconnect with theater game work on a deeper level. She knows her stuff. Can’t wait to work with her again!”
– Deb Lacusta & Dan Castellaneta, The Simpsons, actor & writers
“As an educator and instructor of acting and directing, I was eager to learn about the American theater improvisation developed by Viola Spolin and expounded by Paul Sills. Aretha Sills provides an insight into the authentic roots of the system that has been utilized for years by theatre training programs. The workshop will provide you with an excellent opportunity to explore various games and exercises to enrich your view of performance and acting.”
– Norma Saldivar, professor and chair, UNLV Department of Theatre, and executive director of the Nevada Conservatory Theatre
Catch Aretha Sills on stage at the festival for a special tribute to her grandmother, Viola Spolin.
Improv Your Ass Off w/ Betse Green
Improv Your Ass Off. Get ready to shake your groove thing.
Have you come into a class, rehearsal or show feeling lethargic and in your head? Do you find that you end up just being a talking head in your scenes and can’t figure out why? Do you want new tools to help get you energized quickly and ready to play? Taking on the rhythms and patterns in your movement we will work together to create dynamic and unpredictable scenes to the beat of a new drum while simultaneously burning calories.
Inspired by the teachings of Viola Spolin, Jill Bernard, Susan Messing and Jane Fonda, this workshop is a loving homage to their masterful improv warm-up and scene exercises, exploring how your physicality can create dynamic, fun and unpredictable characters and scenes, with the bonus of burning extra calories. This workshop will empower people of all shapes and sizes connecting the improv mind, body, emotions and spirit.
By the end of the workshop, you’ll walk away with:
Tools to quickly get you energized and engaged with your fellow improvisors.
The importance of physicality/movement in silence and when to use it
The joy of movement with intent and purpose
Supporting your scene partner through non-verbal communication by using your physicality
The value and purpose of identifying the different rhythms of physicality/movement to create characters and enhance your environment.
*Please come prepared to move and wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Wear what you would wear to the gym or aerobics class. A towel and water bottle are encouraged.
Bio: Taught by internationally acclaimed instructor and improviser Betse Green, who brings her 18 years of experience as a professional improviser and Certified Improv Educator and Architect as well as her 20 years as a Certified Group Exercise Instructor. She has been a very active member of the Portland improv scene since 2002. Currently, she is an ensemble member and teacher at Curious Comedy Theater and CSz (ComedySportz) Portland. She also performs regularly with the acclaimed indy teams B&B, B.A.B.E., Broad Selection and Unbreakable Chain. Her performing and teaching talents have been showcased at improv festivals and theaters across the globe.
Tuition: Early bird: $60; Regular: $70
Please Note: This workshop is for all experience levels. It will be a highly physical workshop.
Instructor: Betse Green (Portland)
Day/Date/Time: Saturday, May 2, 2020, from 3:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Location: EXIT Theatre Main Stage, 156 Eddy Street, SF
Catch Betse Green on stage at the festival in Betse & Burns!
Your Voice, Our Reality w/ Alexis Camille
Explore holding on to your diverse identity and voice by accessing your actual reality and letting it live front and center with vulnerable confidence. Step in and out of your scene partners’ experiences while discovering and bridging your common intersections. In this workshop, you will learn to bring your unique authenticity to your scene work, enhance the heart of character relationships, and stay true to your unique point of view, without negating the scene or sacrificing your truth. First thought, best thought. You are enough.
Bio: Alexis Camille is an improv actor, director, storyteller, and educator living in Minneapolis, MN. After serving in the U.S. Marines, she began studying theater and improv in Oakland, CA. Alexis works with HUGE Improv Theater, The Theater of Public Policy, and is a cast member of internationally known Blackout Improv. She is impassioned about advocating for and serving the voices of underrepresented peoples, and is committed to projecting diversity and representation throughout her work. Alexis Camille especially appreciates contributing to efforts that create a culture of self-expression, inclusivity, open dialogue, laughter, and healing via the arts.
Tuition: Early bird: $60; Regular: $70
Please Note: This workshop is for all experience levels.
Instructor: Alexis Camille (Minneapolis)
Day/Date/Time: Saturday, May 2, 2020, from 3:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Location: Studio A, Leela Training Center, 901 Mission Street (lower level), SF
Catch Alexis Camille on stage at the festival in the Femprovisor Fest FemSemble!