Event

Improv(e): Improv Comedy meets Social Activism

This course will offer improv comedy instruction, taught by the incomparable Katie Hutch, exploring how improv can be paired with social activism. We will be learning the principles of improv, as well as breaking new ground in using the medium as an activist tool: personal enjoyment and catharsis leading to social change and health.
Specifically, each class will look like this:
Open with an intro to the activist theme for the week (including but not limited to the list below).
Review of core improv rules and tools to incorporate the activist themes using them.
Discovery of original stories and bios aligned with weekly activist theme.
Focus on finding your individual voice to share through the lens of activist themes, characters and traditional improv forms.
Themes treated (one per class) will include (but not be limited to):
shared Jewish-Sufi teaching tales
stories of immigrants
philosophy of Greek Stoic thinkers (Marcus Auerlius, Epictetus, Seneca etc.)
mystical thinking of medieval mystic and Catholic heretic Meister Eckhart
musings of activist farmers such as Wendell Berry, Kristin Kimball etc.
short biographies of 20th-century hero/activists such as Gandhi, MLK Jr., and Nelson Mandela
Buddhist stories of wisdom
biographies of great activist Americans, such as Cesar Chavez, Sojourner Truth, Angela Davis, Saul Alinsky etc.
We will be building toward creating an International Human Rights Art Festival improv team: "The Impractivists." This team will perform social-activist improv not only at the PIT, but will also solicit shows in conjunction with:
Other NYC Theaters
Conferences
Universities
In conjunction with non-profit, activist groups
At businesses, as part of their team-building exercises
Any other venues where comedy, social activism and audiences come together
The class show will be Thursday, November 8, 9:30-10:30 pm, at the PIT Striker, 123 E 24th St (b/t Park & Lex)
The team will be formed via auditions, held in the late spring/early summer 2019.