Improv Classes
Experience the power of play, and the fun of improvisational comedy in a fun and safe environment with Made Up Theatre’s improv classes. We offer a complete training program, providing students with a strong foundation in improvisation that promotes creativity and personal growth. Learn improv today!
Check out our testimonials to hear what our students are saying!
Please note, our venue at 4000 Bay Street, Fremont, CA is located on the 2nd floor of a historical building and does not have an elevator.
Click the tabs below for more info and registration.
Course Description:
Are you interested in taking an improv class but want to see what it’s all about first? Well, come out to the Sampler Class to learn some improvisational skills in a fun, safe environment! This is a one-time commitment, and if you are interested, you can continue your journey by registering for our full Intro to Improv course.
Upcoming Dates:
Saturday April 15 • 4:30pm – 6:30pm
Saturday May 13 • 4:30pm – 6:30pm
Tuition: $15
Instructor: Sean Taylor
Sean is one of the principal owners of Made Up Theatre. Sean has been performing in both long form and short form improvised shows for over 15 years. He has training with Comedysportz, Upright Citizen’s Brigade, The Second City, and iO Chicago.
Ages: 18+
20 Student Limit
Prerequisite: None
*Up to date vaccinations and masks are highly encouraged.
Course Description:
Explore the Elements of Improv in our introductory course. You will learn the core fundamentals and principles of improv, focusing on various games and exercises that encourage trust, communication, agreement (“yes and”); active listening, character, status, and making your scene partner look good. After that, you’ll start to apply these concepts into fully improvised scenes.
8 Week Course
Dates: June 6th – August 1st (no class on July 4th)
Times: Tuesdays, 7:30pm – 9:30pm (2 hours weekly)
Tuition: $219
Instructor: Sean Taylor
Sean is one of the principal owners of Made Up Theatre. Sean has been performing in both long form and short form improvised shows for over 15 years. He has training with Comedysportz, Upright Citizen’s Brigade, The Second City, and iO Chicago.
Ages: 18+
16 Student Limit
Prerequisite: None
*Classes meet once a week.
Please note, unless otherwise noted, all new students are required to start at Intro to Improv.
*Up to date vaccinations and masks are highly encouraged.
Course Description:
Now that you’ve learned some of the core fundamentals of improv, it’s time to explore the methods used to sustain a scene beyond the first few lines. Delve into character and relationship work, “heightening,” making bold choices, and using offers to enhance your scene. In addition, you’ll learn various long form formats that will be used in your first improvised showcase for family & friends on the final class.
8 Week Course
Dates: Mondays, June 5th – July 24th (2 hours weekly)
Show on Final Class.
Times: 7:30pm – 9:30pm
Tuition: $219
Instructor: Shannon Harvey
Ages: 18+
16 Student Limit
Prerequisite: Intro to Improv or equivalent experience at outside school.
*Classes meet once a week.
*Up to date vaccinations and masks are highly encouraged.
Course Description:
This class explores short form improvisation as seen in our Laugh Track City show and the hit TV show, “Whose Line Is It, Anyway?”. Students will learn how to act quickly, while applying improvisational skills towards fast-paced scenes, on-the-fly challenges, and impressive guessing games! Students will also be able to showcase their talent in a showcase for family and friends.
8 Week Course
Dates: Thursdays, June 1st – July 20th
Show on Final Class.
Times: 7:30pm – 9:30pm
Tuition: $219
Instructor: Kyle Davis & Yap
Ages: 18+
14 Students
Prerequisite: Intro to Improv or equivalent experience at outside school.
*Classes meet once a week.
*Up to date vaccinations and masks are highly encouraged.
Class Topic: Just Duo It!
Course Description:
Curious about DuoProv? Or do you have a friend that’s been trying to get you to perform with them for forever? Don’t let your dreams be dreams. Introducing Just Duo It! – a duo focused improv class led by Ramon Martinez and Linh Huynh. Performing improv as a duo is an exercise in trust, support, and quick thinking. In this class, we will cover topics such as character choices, authentic responses, self editing, and common forms that can be performed as a two-person team. You will perform as a duo in a class show on the last day of class. If this all sounds exciting to you, Just Duo It!
*Note: A duo partner is required for this class. Please sign up with a partner with whom you will complete all exercises and perform with. Ideally sign up at the exact same time. Put your Duo Partner’s name in your order comments section (pictured below; during the checkout process).
8 Week Course
Dates: April 23th – June 18th (no class on May 21st)
Show on final day
Times: Sundays 5:00pm – 7:00pm (2 hours weekly)
Tuition: $239
Instructor: Linh Huynh & Ramon Martinez
Linh and Ramon, improv besties and real-life partners, have performed in their duo, Bad Brunchers, since 2019. They focus on relationships and the stories that we build from shared experiences.
Ages: 18+
12 Students (6 Duos)
Prerequisite: Intro to Improv and Scene Study or equivalent experience at outside school.
*Classes meet once a week.
*Up to date vaccinations and masks are highly encouraged.
Take a one-day deep-dive in a specific concept of improvisation! Check below for specific details on topics and timing.
Class Topic: The Improvised Workshop
Class Description:
Most workshops start with a single area of focus the instructor brings to the group. In this workshop, we will turn that idea on its head! The Improvised Workshop is all about you and your biggest improv goal. Think an afternoon improv bootcamp (minus the sit-ups). After a warmup, the instructor will ask each participant for one thing they want to work on. He will then customize the workshop and allocate an equal amount of time for each participant’s focus area. The goal? Make tangible progress on one key thing that you feel is holding you back from the next level of performance. The bonus? You’ll learn a lot about what other students are working on and get to be a role player for their portion of the workshop. And, who knows, you might just see some growth in those areas, as well.
Date: Sunday February 5, 2023
Times: 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Tuition: $55
Instructor: Tony DeRosa
Tony DeRosa is a recent Bay Area transplant after studying and improvising in Ann Arbor, MI and the greater Detroit area. He has performed in festivals in Texas, Ohio, Colorado, and Michigan and completed a 4-day improv intensive at Rise Comedy in Denver, CO. Previously, he developed a one-act play through improvisation at Planet Ant (Detroit) and learned how to convert improv to sketch with Kevin McDonald (Kids in the Hall). Tony particularly enjoys performing long-form improv as part of a large ensemble. Onstage, he aims to showcase a wide range from zany, supportive play to themes and social commentary. As of 2021, Tony is thrilled to be a member of the cast at Made Up Theatre.
Ages: 18+
6 Students
Prerequisite: Intermediate / Advanced students, but open to any students who have completed Intro to Improv or an equivalent class.
*Up to date vaccinations and masks are highly encouraged.
Musical Improv 1A: Fundamentals
There’s nothing more fun than musical improv! In this class, you’ll learn the fundamentals of improvising song, including stage presence, projection, taking focus with confidence, and rhyming through set-up/pay-off technique. Through pre-recorded accompaniment, you’ll apply song structure to both short form games and long form formats. Get ready to sing loud and proud! Can’t sing? Sing louder! This class is open to singers and non-singers alike!
6 Week Course
Dates: Sundays, June 4th – July 9th
Times: 7:30pm – 10:00pm
Tuition: $219
Pre-requisite: Completion of Intro to Improv or equivalent at outside venue. (Improv Scene Study is recommended but not required).
Instructor: Sean Taylor
Sean Taylor is one of the founders and co-owners of Made Up Theatre and has been performing and teaching improvisation since 2005. Sean has received training from Comedysportz, Upright Citizen’s Brigade, iO Chicago, and Armando Diaz. He also trained in the art of musical improvisation in The Second City Training Center. He’s excited to finally offer this class!
Ages: 18+
16 Student Limit
*Classes meet once a week.
*Up to date vaccinations and masks are highly encouraged.
Musical Improv 1B: Short Form Deep Dive
If you’ve taken Musical Improv 1A, we are happy to offer a new additional class to our curriculum…Musical Improv 1B! In this class, you’ll build upon the skills you learned in 1A by applying them to some of the most entertaining musical improv games out there! There will be a big focus on character games, freestyle rapping, implementing set-up/pay-off in impressive fashion, and scenic-based performances to pre-recorded tracks carefully picked out by your instructor. Plus, this class concludes with a show for family and friends.
7 Week Course
Dates: Sundays, March 19th – May 7th (no class on April 9th)
Times: 7:30pm – 10:00pm
Tuition: $239
Pre-requisite: Completion of Musical Improv 1A or equivalent experience at outside venue.
Instructor: Sean Taylor
Sean Taylor is one of the founders and co-owners of Made Up Theatre and has been performing and teaching improvisation since 2005. Sean has received training from Comedysportz, Upright Citizen’s Brigade, iO Chicago, and Armando Diaz. He also trained in the art of musical improvisation in The Second City Training Center. He’s excited to finally offer this class!
Ages: 18+
16 Student Limit
*Classes meet once a week.
*Up to date vaccinations and masks are highly encouraged.
Actor’s Toolbox
Whether you are starting out or wish to return to the foundations of a strong technique, the focus in this class is on truth and being present. We’ll explore quick and powerful ways to make your performance more natural and spontaneous and dive deeper into character study and script analysis. Students will work with monologues, script analysis, and scene study. A great start for the beginning actor or improvisor who wants to deepen their performance. No experience necessary.
7 Week Course
Dates: TBD
Times: TBD
Show on final performance.
Tuition: $239
Instructor: Jessica Bettencourt
Jessica is an actor, filmmaker and director who recently relocated from New York City to the Bay Area. She earned her MFA from The New School for Drama and has appeared in multiple films, new media projects and off-Broadway. She is excited to finally teach for Made Up Theater in-person!
12 Student Limit
Prerequisite: None
*Classes meet once a week.
*Up to date vaccinations and masks are highly encouraged.
Course Description:
You know the show! Now, learn the games! You’ll learn the games made popular on the hit TV show “Whose Line Is It, Anyway?”. Games like Party Quirks, Weird Newscasters, Hollywood Director, and so much more! Through challenging improv games, you’ll learn all about committing to characters, embracing rather than fearing failure, and trimming out the fat of your improv scenes and getting to the FUN!
6 Week Course
Dates: TBD
Show on Final Class.
Times: TBD
Tuition: $219
Instructor: Sean Taylor
Sean is one of the principal owners of Made Up Theatre. Sean has been performing in both long form and short form improvised shows for over 15 years. He has training with Comedysportz, Upright Citizen’s Brigade, The Second City, and iO Chicago.
Ages: 18+
14 Student Limit
Prerequisite: Intro to Improv or equivalent experience at outside school.
*Classes meet once a week.
*Up to date vaccinations and masks are highly encouraged.
We are happy to address some Frequently Asked Questions about our improv classes. Do you have other questions?
Feel free to send us a message and we’ll respond as soon as possible.
What is improv?
Improv is a style of acting, where the performers do not have scripts or pre-planning. They improvise material on the spot, usually based on suggestions or inspiration from the audience. Two types of improv exist: short form and long form. Short form improv is a fast-paced style that includes games and skits that have pre-determined rules attached to them. Short form improv is commonly seen on the TV show “Whose Line Is It, Anyway?” or our main stage show Laugh Track City. Long form improv features longer formats that range from a series of scenes inspired by a specific opener to the show to improvised plays, movies, and musicals.
Why should I take an improv class?
Improv classes have many benefits! You might think only comedians or actors take improv class, and sure, they do but most people learn improvisation for other reasons. Here are a few of the biggest benefits of learning the art of improvisation.
- Improve public speaking skills.
- Learn to think quickly and get out of your head.
- Overcome shyness or anxiety.
- Become a better and more active listener.
- Meet new friends.
- Discover new things about yourself.
What can I expect from my first improv class?
Improv classes might seem intimidating, because you do not know what to expect. You might think, “Oh no! Am I going to have to go onstage on the first class? Do I have to be funny?” However, we are here to relieve stress and anxiety and give you some info on what to expect. Here’s what to expect on the first day.
- You’ll play warm-up games and exercises. Our instructors do not want to put anyone on the spot, and we recognize that new students may come to the 1st session with anxiety. The beginning of the first day of class involves warm up games and exercises that are done as a group. The games focus on getting outside of your head, being OKAY with making mistakes, bonding with your new classmates, and just having FUN.
- You do not need to be funny. Sure, improv is associated with comedy, but we consider comedy a byproduct of improv and not the goal. The goal of improv is collaboration, acceptance, and fun. If you think you’re going to have to tell jokes or be funny, don’t worry! In fact, we discourage intentionally trying to be funny. You will naturally be funny by following the fundamentals of improvisation.
- You will fail a lot. This sounds like a negative, but it is one of the biggest positives of improv. People naturally fear failure, and it can even discourage us from trying. But in improv, we encourage failure! There are no scripts in improv, so we treat mistakes as gifts rather than shortcomings. In short, failure is fun in our class system!
- You will have fun. Enough said! Many students have told us that improv is the highlight of their week. Join the FUN!
Do I need any performance/comedy experience?
Nope! Our beginning improv classes are aimed at those who have never done improv before. Most students in our beginning classes have no performance experience, so do not fret!
Are there any perks for taking improv classes at Made Up Theatre?
Yes! Each time you register to one of our improv classes, you’ll receive a few free tickets to check out our shows.
What is your current COVID-19 Policy?
At the present time, up-to-date vaccinations and masks are highly encouraged. This policy is subject to change.
Looking for some pointers on improv?
Well, we’ve produced 100+ instructional videos called “MUT Improv Tips”
Subscribe to our channel
