Del Close has been quoted as coaching improvisers to “wear your character like a thin veil.” In other words, portraying characters so they come across as real and three dimensional as opposed to over-embellished and superficial. So how do we learn to play “characters” not “caricatures”? When I was new … Read More
Enrolling Now for Teen Classes starting this September!
Make your plans now to laugh more during the school year. We’ve got some great instructors lined up to teach improv to middle and high school students. Middle School (grades 6-8) class meets Tuesday afternoons starting September 8th. High School class meets on Saturdays from 3-5pm starting September 12th. Check out … Read More
Summer Intensive with Nerdist School founder Ptolemy Slocum!
Ptolemy Slocum is the founder and director of the Nerdist School in LA. He has made something of a cottage industry, playing mental cases on HBO classics — first on The Sopranos and then The Wire. You may also know him from the movie Hitch, appearances on Veep, Fringe, How … Read More
If You’re Not Having Fun, You Might Be The A**hole
By Peggy Walkush A couple years back I asked fellow improvisers on Facebook “what is the last thing you say to yourself before going on stage?” One improviser responded, “If you’re not having fun, you’re the a**hole” (quoting Susan Messing I learned later). I didn’t understand what she meant but … Read More
Build With Us!
Since opening our doors in 2013, our community of guests, performers, and students has grown tremendously! We are now bursting at the seams and asking for your help to grow our space to provide more opportunities to play, laugh, and learn. Once we meet this first goal, we’ll be looking … Read More
Join us this Saturday for the PRIDE Parade!
FCI is marching in the PRIDE parade. Throw on your FCI shirts and doll yourself up for fun! Join us by 10am at the location in the map. All are welcome. We have kazoos for everyone! We are in group “L” so if you can’t get there by 10 you … Read More
Happy Hour Meet Up This Thursday
Join us this Thursday for happy hour at Toronado from 5-7pm! This is the first in our monthly “off-stage gatherings” for the community. See you in the back patio beer garden! Come one and all!
3 Ways to Focus on the Process and Enjoy the Results
Many of us are conditioned to view the world as a series of results. What grade did I achieve on an exam? Did I land the big client? Do I own a home, car, or fancy new smart phone? The ends sometimes feel like they outweigh the means. Improvisation presents a window … Read More
Beginner’s Mind
Bliss and fear are the two sides of the ignorance coin. On the one hand, there is a freedom to not knowing what comes next. It allows us to take on challenges we would otherwise talk ourselves out of. Most of us would never start the race if we knew … Read More
A Hunger For Steak: Honesty in Improvisation
By Peggy Walkush When I was fairly new to improv, I read an interview with an experienced improviser I admired in which she said the more improv she watches, the less she laughs. Not necessarily because it isn’t funny, but because she has seen much of it before. That really … Read More