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Train at The Annoyance:

The Annoyance provides excellent quality training in improvisation. Based on Artistic Director and Founder Mick Napier’s book Improvise. Scene From the Inside Out, the Annoyance philosophy focuses on the individual; giving students feedback and support to allow them to find and enhance their personal point of view and creative voice.

 

Annoyance classes challenge the conventional wisdom of the rules of improvisation, examining what’s behind them and how they came to be in the first place. Simply put, we make you the best improviser YOU can be.

 

All of our teachers are ensemble members who have learned and performed with The Annoyance, and thus have first hand experience with the way we approach improvisation.

The Annoyance Program

The Annoyance Program:

AP1: Chicago Improv For Beginners

AP1: Chicago Improv For Beginners

8 Weeks

AP1 is an all-encompassing survey course that will give anyone a solid foundation in improvisational comedy.

Pre-Requisites:

None

AP4: Finding Your Voice

AP4: Finding Your Voice

8 Weeks

Through individual feedback, setting performance goals, and identifying and breaking habits, AP4 offers fine-tuning in improvisation.

Pre-Requisites:

AP3

AP6: Part 2-Scripted Narrative

AP6: Part 2-Scripted Narrative

8 Weeks

In Part 2, students will take the skills they learned in Part 1, (how to turn their improv into written sketches), and further develop their work with the creation of a narrative play.

Pre-Requisites:

AP6 Part 1

AP2: Beginning Annoyance Philosophy - Initiations

AP2: Beginning Annoyance Philosophy - Initiations

8 Weeks

The Annoyance philosophy focuses on decisive initiations and a strong point of view. AP2 looks at the first seconds of scenes and explores how they affect the rest of the scene.

Pre-Requisites:

AP1 or Previous Improv/Acting Class Experience

AP5 : Putting it All on Stage

AP5 : Putting it All on Stage

8 Weeks

The focus in AP5 is to help the improviser discover and strengthen their individual comedic improv voice and the “hows” of bringing this voice into an ensemble.

Pre-Requisites:

AP4

AP3: Scene Work

AP3: Scene Work

8 Weeks

In AP3 students are challenged to play with more complexity and style, juggling it all within a scene while always maintaining their strong point of view.

Pre-Requisites:

AP2

AP6: Sketch Review

AP6: Sketch Review

8 Weeks

With this class, Actors and Directors will collaborate with Annoyance instructors to create short-length shows that will be performed on The Annoyance Mainstage.

Pre-Requisites:

AP5

Electives

Electives:

Advanced Improv w/ Mick Napier

8 Weeks

ADVANCED IMPROV uses intense individual feedback to help students develop their comic voice.

Pre-Requisites:

AP5

Musical Improv III

8 Weeks

Musical Improv III is an introduction to improvising the 50-minute improvised musical improv show

Pre-Requisites:

Musical Improv 1, 2

Musical Improv I

8 Weeks

Musical Improv I is an introduction to improvising songs, and more specifically the art of 'scene into song'.

Pre-Requisites:

Completed 2 levels of improv training

Movement & Clowning

8 Weeks

A movement/clowning workshop that incorporates work in improvisation

Pre-Requisites:

None

Musical Improv II

8 Weeks

Musical Improv II teaches you to improvise a cohesive half-hour musical improv show using the Annoyance improv philosophy.

Pre-Requisites:

Completed Musical Improv I

Workshops

Workshops:

Mark Beltzman's Transformation Through Improvisation

Mark Beltzman's Transformation Through Improvisation

2 Days 3/25, 3/26

The ART OF ALLOWING  WORKSHOP is for anyone desires to cultivate the ability to flawlessly and spontaneously create magic on stage or off, as well as, in life.

Pre-Requisites:

None

Summer Intensives:

5-day course - 6 hours per day

The Annoyance Training Center teaches students how to develop and maintain a strong individual voice in their improvisation. These intensives will address the initiation of a scene; developing and maintaining strong characters; learning to hold on to your initial choices while at the same time, expanding on (heightening) the choices you have made; and learning to become deft at creating and weaving unexpected, character-based choices into your work.

Annoyance classes challenge the conventional wisdom of the rules of improvisation, examining what’s behind them and how they came to be in the first place. Simply put, we make you the best improviser YOU can be. All of our intensive teachers are ensemble members who have learned and performed with The Annoyance, and thus have first hand experience with the way we approach improvisation.

"This whole week got me doing things that I've never done and loving improv again like I never have before."

"It was a really wonderful experience and it was engaging from Monday through Friday. Everyone was really friendly and made us feel welcome" 

"That theater is a special place... Every instructor was mind-blowing in their own way and really helped my approach to improv."

Intensives

Summer Intensive I

5 Days

Annoyance Summer Intensives cover the Annoyance Training program levels 1-5

Pre-Requisites:

None

Summer Intensive II

5 days

Building on the work of Intensive I, Intensive II gets more into the nitty gritty of each level's lessons, allowing more time for students to do scenework with each concept.

Pre-Requisites:

Summer Intensive I

Class Make-Ups

Class Make-ups:

Click on the link below that corresponds to your class level, in order to sign-up for a make-up class

AP1

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904084eaaa82dabfb6-ap1term#/

AP2

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904084eaaa82dabfb6-ap2term#/

AP3

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904084eaaa82dabfb6-ap3term#/

AP4

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904084eaaa82dabfb6-ap4term#/

 

Sub/make up classes are not available for AP5, AP6-1, AP6-2, or electives

Student Info & Policies:

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