beginner improv
levels 1-2
now enrolling

IMPROV LEVEL 01: INTRO TO IMPROV

Spontaneity. Playfulness. Listening. Trust. Honesty. (8 weeks + Showcase)

Learn the basic fundamentals of improv comedy and meet cool new people in the process! Our courses are designed to help students unlock their inner creativity in a fun and supportive environment. Whether you want to learn more about the comedic process to become a better writer/actor/performer, or you just want to loosen up and improve your communication skills while becoming more comfortable in your own skin, the lessons of improv we teach work to build your confidence both on-stage and off. This class will teach you how to celebrate who you are and to find truth in comedy through a series of improv and acting exercises that focus on honesty, spontaneity, playfulness, and saying “yes, and.”

Saturdays at 12:30pm
starting October 19

8 WEEKS + SHOWCASE
SKIPS THANKSGIVING WEEKEND

TIANA STUART (she/her) is an actor, improvisor, musician, writer, and director. Tiana discovered a love for improv comedy when she lived in Amsterdam from 2016-2019 where she studied long-form improv at the world-renowned Boom Chicago under Michael Orton-Toliver, who combined curriculums from both Boom Chicago and The Free Association out of London. She then moved back to the U.S. where she graduated from Coldtowne's conservatory program in 2022. You can now catch her goofing around on multiple House Teams at Coldtowne and in other troupes. Tiana co-wrote and directed Twinsies, a comedic short-film that has garnered 25 award nominations and 4 wins, including Best Comedy at the Austin Indie Fest. Tiana is also a co-producer of the Lysistrata Women's Comedy Festival, a four-day comedy festival celebrating the collective power of women. You can catch her in HBO's Love and Death and other films and commercials. She is represented by the Zephyr Talent Agency.

Mondays at 8pm
starting October 21

8 WEEKS + SHOWCASE
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KEYLAN HAYNES is an Austin based actor and a graduate of ColdTowne Theater. He has taught in ColdTowne’s wonderful youth program, Excused Absence, and is a part of the B. Iden Payne award-winning improv troupe Sugar Water Purple. He co-directed The Emma Dilemma and performs every Sunday with his Harold troupe All Night All Night All Night.

Wednesdays at 6pm
starting October 16

8 WEEKS + SHOWCASE
SKIPS THANKSGIVING WEEKEND

GARRETT ROJAS is an actor, improviser, multi-hyphenate from Austin, TX. Named after Garrett Morris, he was probably destined to become an improviser at some point anyway. He was named Rookie of the Year at the 2023 ColdTony’s and has appeared in a number of main stage shows since then. He’s a working actor who’s committed to continuing his education, having taken acting, improv, and elective classes weekly since January 2021. As a teacher and someone who also has a passion for playing pretend, he aims to help you on your creative journey while maintaining an environment that fosters fun. You can catch him this fall at Coldtowne performing in shows such as The Monster, The Misterios, and The Showdowne (hosting).

Thursdays at 6pm
starting October 17

8 WEEKS + SHOWCASE
SKIPS THANKSGIVING WEEKEND

KRISTIN HENN is a proud graduate of the ColdTowne Conservatory. Committed to continued training, she has taken additional classes and attended intensives regularly since 2009, including with The Annoyance Theater, IO Chicago, Improv Utopia, and visiting performers and practitioners from around the country. She holds a BFA in Directing and an MA in Theatre History and Criticism, both from Texas State University.

IMPROV LEVEL 02: SCENE WORKS STRATEGIES

Prerequisite: Must have taken an improv class at ColdTowne or elsewhere.

Strengthen your two person scenes using characters, relationships, and finding & playing “The Game.”

Building on the fundamentals from Level 01, students will begin to practice skills and techniques that strengthen their scenes and characters. Concepts will be introduced to help create deeper characters and relationships more quickly, while keeping things fun! Students will learn how to identify patterns within their scenes to create “The Game”: the engine that drives comedy in an improvised scene or sketch. This class includes a student performance!

Saturdays at 2:30pm
starting October 19

8 WEEKS + SHOWCASE
SKIPS THANKSGIVING WEEKEND
EMMA HOLDER is an actor, improviser and sketch comedy writer with a background in theater and literature. She has been performing, writing and directing at ColdTowne theater since 2008 and has taught improv, sketch, youth improv, youth playwriting, and creative writing for over 10 years. Emma performs regularly with her improv teams Kinkade and Stupid but Brave. She was a founding member of one of the longest running ColdTowne sketch teams, Pendulum, and has written and produced two solo sketch comedy shows: Kennedy Women and I'll Allow it. Emma has performed at UCB Theater's Dell Close Marathon, Out of Bounds Comedy Festival, New York Sketch Fest and Austin Sketch Fest.

Mondays at 6pm
starting October 21

8 WEEKS + SHOWCASE
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ANTHONY ELLISON spent 9 years in Chicago writing, performing, teaching, etc. After dozens of sketch shows at Second City, Annoyance, CiC, he earned an MFA in Playwriting, and won the Scott McPherson Playwriting Award. His plays have been produced in Chicago, NYC, Austin, Liverpool, Athens OH, Muncie IN, and many more.

Tuesdays at 8pm
starting October 22

8 WEEKS + SHOWCASE
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WILL CLEVELAND brings 20 years of theatre experience into his class. He has served as Artistic Director of ColdTowne since 2016 and trained in improv and sketch writing at New York's Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. He wrote and produced works for UCBComedy.com as well as produced for Above Average, Funny or Die, Official Comedy and more. His show "One Hour Til Air" received the B. Iden Payne award for best Improv Cast in 2019.