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Improv 401 — Harold Workshop

Tuesdays 6-9pm starting Apr 08, 2008
Prerequisites: Completion of Improv 301
Cost: $325

This course offers students the chance to strengthen their own individual skills while simultaneously allowing them more practice with the long form improvisation performance known as the Harold.

One goal of the course is to help students perform stronger scenes. The instructor will use the first half of the course to identify and troubleshoot any weaknesses that the individual players may be demonstrating.

The other goal of the course is to allow students to continue to perform full Harolds. The instructor will use “side-coaching,” or feedback given during an improvised piece as it is happening, in order to facilitate success in the students’ improvised scenes. The instructor will also give notes after each performance in order to enhance and improve the quality of future performances.

This course meets for three hours a week for eight weeks. Students will perform in two class performances at the UCB Theatre – once halfway through the course and once at the end. Graduation is also contingent upon students seeing at least two improvised shows at the UCB Theater before the end of the course.

Class Size: 16 Students

Improv 401 - Harold Workshop

Students will learn more Harold techniques, expand their group game vocabulary, try out alternative long form structures, and continue to hone their skills at the game of the scene. Students will have opportunities to perform at the UCB Theatre.

Every student should expect to receive individual feedback about their own performance and development in level 401. Admission to 501 after the completion of this course is not guaranteed. Students will be judged on their application of concepts that they have learned in previous levels.

Prerequisite: Completion of Improv 301.

Maximum class size is 16.

Neil Casey

casey, neil

Neil Casey has been performing at the UCB since 2002 after completing his training in long-form improvisation in 2001. He has studied improv with Armando Diaz, Michael Delaney, Kevin Mullaney, Matt Walsh and Ian Roberts.

Neil has a B.A. in English with a concentration in Drama and a minor in Theatre from the University of Delaware and has studied medieval and classical theater as well as stage directing under Dr. Heinz-Uwe Haus, internationally renowned Brecht scholar and former director of the Deutsches Theater.

Neil has performed regularly at the UCB Theatre in shows including Your Favorite Thing (sketch), The After School Super Power Hour, Instant Cinema, GameFace (sketch), The 4/20 Show (sketch) and Krompf as well as on the weekend house teams Monkeydick and currently Death By Roo Roo each and every Friday Night. He has directed shows at the UCB including Slow Night, Buffoons, Katie Dippold's One-Woman Murder Mystery, That's My Booze, Sidecar Presents: Condiment City and God's Pottery Saves the World.

Neil has appeared in shows for Channel 102, Promos for Comedy Central, and in the upcoming Adult Swim series Fat Guy Stuck in Internet.

Neil has also worked as the one-man IT Department for the UCB Theatre since May of 2006, so if you have any questions about using this site, you can ask him after class.

Student Feedback

"Neil is a great teacher. He is enthusiastic, nurturing and very clear."

"Neil did a great job of explaining concepts, especially with second beats."