Prerequisite: Level 2 or higher in an established improv school.

By popular demand! 

Experienced improvisers know that scenes can get exponentially harder to wrangle the more people you add to them. The more folks on stage, the more likely it is for people to talk over each other and for scenes to lose focus and devolve into an unwatchable cluster-f*ck. 

We got your back! In this deep dive into the intricacies of group scene work, we’ll hone skills to juggle complex scene structures and intricate character dynamics, including manipulating stage pictures, wordlessly pushing focus, and most importantly, learning when to shut the f*ck up.

MICHAEL JASTROCH is a comedic actor, writer, and improv instructor, formerly based out of Austin, TX, and presently living his “Van Life” dream of traveling the country and working out of Walmart Parking lots. 

As one of the founders of ColdTowne Theater and a member of the seminal improv groups ColdTowne and The Frank Mills, Michael has won several awards for his work, including “Best Comedy Group ” in the Austin Chronicle Reader’s poll and the B. Iden Payne award for “Outstanding Improv Ensemble.” His improv and sketch comedy podcast Victrola! was named one of Austin’s “Best Comedy Podcasts” and nominated by Austin Chronicle readers as one of the city’s best comedy groups.

Michael has taught improv comedy for the last seventeen years and has been nominated and won “Best Improv Teacher” and “Best Improv Coach” a whole bunch. He’s taught his improv workshops all over the country, including at the Magnet Theater in NYC, the Oberlin College Improv Festival, The Oklahoma Improv Festival, the Phoenix Improv Festival, The Dallas Comedy Fest, The Alaska State Improv Fest, and the North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival in Chapel Hill. 

Maybe you’ve seen a few improv shows and thought, “I could do that.” (And you’re right!) And sure, it looks like it might be fun. What if you could see for yourself with the least possible commitment? That's why ColdTowne is offering this one-off class all for the low, low price of FREE. Taught by members of the ColdTowne Conservatory faculty, this Free Intro to Improv is a heaping sample of what you’ll encounter in your typical Level One class.

That means a warmup, a lot of group games, and some discussion of the basic principles of improv. At ColdTowne we believe that best way to learn improv is to do improv, so we get you up and playing right from the start. Not only does this make for better improv . . . it’s more fun.

And fun is the operating principle here, people.

ASAF RONEN is the author of Directing Improv: Show the Way By Getting Out of the Way. He regularly performs, teaches and produces in Austin, was Education Director at The Institution Theater for eight years and is currently the Conservatory Director at ColdTowne Theater. He is also a Producer and Education Director of Austin’s annual Out of Bounds Comedy Festival. He has taught and performed improvisation in Canada, Great Britain, Norway and in twenty-eight of these United States with such groups as the B. Iden Payne Award winning Confidence Men (improvised plays in the style of David Mamet) and imp (mostly silent improv). He was also producer on TRUST US, THIS IS ALL MADE UP, a documentary on legendary improvisers TJ & Dave that premiered at Austin’s South by Southwest Festival in 2009 and helped develop the improvised film Days of Delusion with director Scott Myers. In 1999, Asaf founded the improv website, YESand.com of which he is Editor-in-Chief.

Have you noticed the world is on fire? Do you have an opinion about that? Something you want to shout to the heavens but no one to say it to. Well, that’s why you go to therapy or a comedy club (or both). Think of comedy as a vehicle for your societal critiques and observations. All the greats do it - Dave Chappelle, Wanda Sykes, George Carlin - the list goes on! Being able to look at the world’s biggest messes and boil it down to digestible bites for an audience is a skill worth its price in gold - and drink tickets (which is what you’ll be paid with when you first start your comedy journey). So let’s come together and dissect how the greats do it and work together to construct our own sets that take on the hot topics of the day.

Warning: This class is suitable for people who can discuss complex subjects with levity and heart. We're about discourse and healing. We're not about punching down and foolishness. If you come with that, you’ll be shown the door. (With love.)

ROCHELLE MCCONICO is the founder and CEO of MoonCricket Productions a live entertainment company specializing in interactive, multisensory comedic events. She is a visionary, writer, producer, and performer. In June 2020, Rochelle launched the Amuse-Bouche Comedy Festival to showcase the many great improvisers, comedy podcasters and stand-ups in New Orleans and performed as all three. In 2022, she followed up by co-founding, programming, performing and co-headlining the Lysistrata Comedy Festival, an all femme comedy festival, in New Orleans.

Additionally, Rochelle performs standup, improv, and sketch around the country both individually and with the groups: Black Improv Alliance’s Wakanda Vs. Everybody, Black As Phuck, Switchblade, Edge Control, and No Lye Comedy. 

Notably she has performed improv at the New York Comic Con (2022), Black and Funny Ocean City Festival (2022), and Baton Rouge Improv Festival (2022); sketch in the Dallas Comedy Festival (2018) and the Los Angeles Diversity in Comedy Showcase (2019), and stand-up in the the Black Girl Giggles Festival (2018) and Tower City Comedy Festival (2022). Rochelle also hosted during the Austin Sketchfest (2022) and will be appearing in the Moontower Comedy Festival in April 2023.

Rochelle also wrote, directed, and starred in three plays centering her alter ego character, billionaire media heiress Stangela Angela Hemsworth Kingsley Winthrop Farouk Adams III: I’m Only Here for the Snacks, and Stangela for President, and Stangela’s Swamp Thing. The first two plays were both featured at Infringe Fest in New Orleans (2018 & 2019). 

Maybe you’ve seen a few improv shows and thought, “I could do that.” (And you’re right!) And sure, it looks like it might be fun. What if you could see for yourself with the least possible commitment? That's why ColdTowne is offering this one-off class all for the low, low price of FREE. Taught by members of the ColdTowne Conservatory faculty, this Free Intro to Improv is a heaping sample of what you’ll encounter in your typical Level One class.

That means a warmup, a lot of group games, and some discussion of the basic principles of improv. At ColdTowne we believe that best way to learn improv is to do improv, so we get you up and playing right from the start. Not only does this make for better improv . . . it’s more fun.

And fun is the operating principle here, people.

ASAF RONEN is the author of Directing Improv: Show the Way By Getting Out of the Way. He regularly performs, teaches and produces in Austin, was Education Director at The Institution Theater for eight years and is currently the Conservatory Director at ColdTowne Theater. He is also a Producer and Education Director of Austin’s annual Out of Bounds Comedy Festival. He has taught and performed improvisation in Canada, Great Britain, Norway and in twenty-eight of these United States with such groups as the B. Iden Payne Award winning Confidence Men (improvised plays in the style of David Mamet) and imp (mostly silent improv). He was also producer on TRUST US, THIS IS ALL MADE UP, a documentary on legendary improvisers TJ & Dave that premiered at Austin’s South by Southwest Festival in 2009 and helped develop the improvised film Days of Delusion with director Scott Myers. In 1999, Asaf founded the improv website, YESand.com of which he is Editor-in-Chief.

This workshop will serve as a fun, fear-free exploration of improvising through song and dance. Musical structure and approaches will be introduced for total beginners and improvisers with experience in musical shows will get a chance to refine or improve their skills. Improv and/or musical theater experience is welcome, but the only thing required is enthusiasm! Piano accompaniment by Yuki Desouza.

CHRIS GRACE is a comedian and actor you may know from Superstore, This Is Us, PEN15, Broad City, and more. Grace performed his one-man show Chris Grace: As Scarlett Johannson to effusive reviews and sold out crowds at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He's bringing his new show, Sardines, to headline Austin Sketch Fest on Memorial Day Weekend.

This project has been financed in whole or in part by the City of Austin’s Elevate Grant Program. Austin Creative Alliance is a fiscal sponsor of Austin Sketch Fest.

This workshop will cover best practices and exercises for collaborative writing, whether you’re a sketch duo, trio, team, or trying to break into a writer’s room for TV and film. With their experience leading sketch writing meetings, directing sketches, as well as their collective time spent writing for television, Joan and Raft will walk you through how to pitch, how to collaborate, and how to cook up magic in a writers room setting. Bring some of your sketches for feedback or develop new ideas together in real time!

JOAN & RAFT is a comedy duo featuring LA's two hottest trans best friends Joan Haley Ford and Raft. You may have enjoyed their writing on shows on Netflix, HBO Max, Cartoon Network, and Comedy Central. They're a consistent Austin Sketch Fest producer and fan favorite!

This project has been financed in whole or in part by the City of Austin’s Elevate Grant Program. Austin Creative Alliance is a fiscal sponsor of Austin Sketch Fest. 

Characters, baby! Spending a lot of time onstage playing yourself? Feeling stiff and uninspired? This workshop is designed to give you tools for fast, energetic play. We will explore the power of making big character choices right away through genre, high fidelity matching, and point of view. A surefire way to inject more fun into your scenes!

WOODY FU (he/him) is a creator based in Los Angeles. Before appearing on many of your favorite TV shows, Woody trained in New York where he performed on UCB’s Maude Night and Betty Nights. He was also in Baby Wants Candy (Edinburgh Fringe), Boom Chicago (Amsterdam), and Just For Laughs: New Faces: Characters. 

This project has been financed in whole or in part by the City of Austin’s Elevate Grant Program. Austin Creative Alliance is a fiscal sponsor of Austin Sketch Fest.

Maybe you’ve seen a few improv shows and thought, “I could do that.” (And you’re right!) And sure, it looks like it might be fun. What if you could see for yourself with the least possible commitment? That's why ColdTowne is offering this one-off class all for the low, low price of FREE. Taught by members of the ColdTowne Conservatory faculty, this Free Intro to Improv is a heaping sample of what you’ll encounter in your typical Level One class.

That means a warmup, a lot of group games, and some discussion of the basic principles of improv. At ColdTowne we believe that best way to learn improv is to do improv, so we get you up and playing right from the start. Not only does this make for better improv . . . it’s more fun.

And fun is the operating principle here, people.

ASAF RONEN is the author of Directing Improv: Show the Way By Getting Out of the Way. He regularly performs, teaches and produces in Austin, was Education Director at The Institution Theater for eight years and is currently the Conservatory Director at ColdTowne Theater. He is also a Producer and Education Director of Austin’s annual Out of Bounds Comedy Festival. He has taught and performed improvisation in Canada, Great Britain, Norway and in twenty-eight of these United States with such groups as the B. Iden Payne Award winning Confidence Men (improvised plays in the style of David Mamet) and imp (mostly silent improv). He was also producer on TRUST US, THIS IS ALL MADE UP, a documentary on legendary improvisers TJ & Dave that premiered at Austin’s South by Southwest Festival in 2009 and helped develop the improvised film Days of Delusion with director Scott Myers. In 1999, Asaf founded the improv website, YESand.com of which he is Editor-in-Chief.