Improv Course Catalog

Even if you never wish to perform, the skills and habits you can learn in an improv class can be life changing. Improvisers need to step into the unknown confidently, collaborate with care, and move forward from failure gracefully. Do these sound like skills that are valuable to just generally being a human being on this planet we occupy? We think so too!

As a primer for some specific skills we think you can grow through improv practice, please take a look at this primer we’ve made for you.

The Rozzie Square Theater offers two different umbrellas of improv focus ☂️☂️

🎭 Improv Comedy: Performing spontaneously on stage in front of an audience. The primary goals are to entertain and create laughter through this collaborative art form. Performance options include competitive games and also scenes played on stage (scenework) that are either like sketches (shortform) or like full plays (longform). All learning objectives focus on preparing students to perform confidently in front of an audience.

🧠 Applied Improv: Using improv techniques in contexts beyond the stage. The goals are to explore and apply improv skills in areas that benefit from the core foundational habits and skills of improvisers, based in change management, resilience, communication, and leadership. All learning objectives aim to enhance personal and professional skills.

To learn more specifically about Applied Improv — and even request topic areas for us to address — please take a look here.

RST’s Improv Comedy curriculum guides students through a structured, sequential series of 8-week courses. Designed to provide comprehensive improv comedy education, this curriculum covers foundational improv skills and scenework, longform improv tools and formats, and shortform games and the ComedySportz® shortform format. Along the way, students may optionally take other classes, e.g. musical or dramatic improv. This curriculum aims to create well-rounded improvisers and foster a strong improv community. At each level, students will…

1. …explore the specific area of focus…

2. …understand how different elements of improv support and inform each other, and…

3. …apply their learnings in a live performance.

RST’s Applied Improv offerings include various workshops available to all experience levels, ranging from single sessions to 5-week series, mini-series, or weekend intensives. Participants can choose their area of focus, with no prerequisites required. Each workshop begins with foundational improv skills, building knowledge and expertise as the learning progresses. By the end, students will have tools, frameworks, tactics, and insights that they can directly apply to their personal or professional lives.

Areas we have visited so far include communication, public speaking, leadership, anxiety management, and overall wellness. We’re always looking to hear from our community and city for what resonates and what you want to see next. You can tell us more here.

All students are required to start with our introductory courses, like Level 1A: Intro to Improv. We want to be respectful of your education and skill set, and though we understand there’s a chance you may find some concepts repetitive, we believe in the importance of reps and experience diversity! It’s also helpful to learn our style, as it is the foundation the remainder of our curriculum is built from. We often liken this to the same way someone who is classically trained in playing the saxophone might find that we review, say, jazz with a different breathing technique.

This is a great question and we have lots of ways to support you.

If you’d like to see how we manage our classrooms in general and how we support our students, you can check us out in person at The Free Drop-In, a free, 90-minute workshop that runs 2-to-3 times per month. Nothing speaks like experience!

If you’d like to learn about our ethos, you can review the Code of Conduct our teachers and performers are held to, as well as our “In the Community” section to read more about our commitment to the Roslindale neighborhood and our neighbors in Boston. And then the latest of what we’re up to is on our blog.