Event

Dummy 'Harold' Masterclass

The Harold is one of the most popular forms of longform improvisation and the signature form of the iO Theater. The Harold is still taught, practiced, performed, and often bastardized the world over. This workshop will delve deep into what Harold actually is and what has made it worthwhile, compelling, and challenging since it's inception. We will break down all the components of the piece to make sure we know the real 'what', 'how' and 'why' of each working part. Openings will be tackled with a focus on creating group mind--discovering theme and tone through listening and joining. We will work on keeping the dynamism and physicality in our group endeavors.

This workshop will work first beat scenes in a way that establishes a firm foundation for the rest of the show: initiating with specificity, making what's happening now important, and keeping our scenework about character and relationship to give us numerous ways to heighten and explore these choices later in the show. A variety of ways to attack second and third beats will be covered, as well as approaches to group games that fuel our energy as the show progresses. Next level ideas such as artful editing, meta patterns/breaking the fourth wall, and simply following the fun will also be be addressed for the Harold veteran who wants to up their game.