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. 

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.

Prerequisite: This class is best suited for intermediate improvisers and above.

NOTE: This is a 6-week class that skips June 26.

Reconnecting with the basics of improv is necessary in order to progress as an actor. This class will help you to revive that inner spirit that you may have forgotten. You will practice making stronger connections and making stronger choices. With a diagnostic overhaul, you will be primed to evolve to the next level of improvisational acting "and build The Perfect 6-Minute Scene."

ESTEVAN J. (CHUY) ZARATE is an actor/director/coach/corporate trainer from San Antonio TX that has been improvising in front of audiences for 34 years. He is a member of The Big Bash at The Hideout Theatre, The Known Wizards (Merlinworks faculty troupe), Stool Pigeon at ColdTowne and more duos than he can count. He teaches all styles and formats being that he has a very eclectic tool belt to reach into. If there is a scenario to be performed in, he has probably performed it. With specialties in improv singing and grounded/character-driven scenework, Chuy has coached hundreds of kids, teens, students and adults for years to multiple successes.