WORKSHOPS
Jessica has the rare ability to teach and encourage her students to be sincere and heartfelt, while maintaining their playful and sillier sides. - Kareem Badr - Hideout Theatre, Parallelogramophonograph
.jpg)
WORKSHOPS
Jessica finds true joy in teaching, her basic philosophy is to create an experience where students can find the principles of improv themselves, and in that process grow as improvisors and humans.
MOVEMENT FROM THE INSIDE OUT
3 hours - up to 18 people
So much emotion is stored in the body. When you tap into that well of stored knowledge suddenly your characters develop a richness, a fullness, and a realness that you just didn't have access to before. Jessica Arjet teaches you how to get in touch with your body and listen. You’ll find which parts of your body send you which signals, how to breath into your emotion for more honest reactions, how to be open to the audience so they know what you are thinking before you do, and how to integrate your body with your improv so you present whole, authentic people on stage. You will push your improv into deep, but deeply exciting places with this workshop. You will also learn exercises that you can do at home by yourself or with your troupe to continue growing your body/performance awareness. It’s not just a movement workshop, but learning to move from the inside out.
BEING BAD
3 hours - up to 16 people
Good villains are a necessary evil. Most of us are such nice people that it’s not easy being mean. This class will teach you how to let loose your darker side and play real, 3 dimensional bad guys. Never again will you waffle out of an evil offer, instead you will lean in and give the protagonist what they need to really struggle and then defeat you so they can shine. We’ll also explore the difference between jerks, bad people and evil villains. In a series of exercises this class will help you discover how to be bad, and then how to gently put that back in the box when the scene is over.
BEING OPEN/BEING CONNECTED
3 hours - up to 12 people
Connection – it’s what let’s you into your scene partner’s head. It’s what allows you to work in unison. It’s what opens you up to that raw vulnerability that brings the audience to the edge of their seat. Without connection your scenes feel like you are trapped in a glass box and frustrated that no one else is picking up on your cues. In this workshop Jessica Arjet will help you find that connection and safe vulnerability through a series of fun and powerful exercises you will open up to your fellow players and together to the audience.
WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE
3 hours - up to 12 people
Learn how to go deep into the harder, scarier emotions and land it in such a way that you leave the audience gasping for breath. We’ll cover the darker emotions of fear, anger, sadness, as well as some of their unpleasant variations like jealousy. We’ll not only find our way in but believable and honestly find our way out of those places so we can show our character’s growth and change in a way that is deeply and thoroughly satisfying to your audience.
BEING LAZY
2 hours - up to 16 people
Improv should be fun and easy, not laborious struggle! This workshop gives you a whole bag of easy tricks aimed at breaking down the hard work of improv and finding the joy instead.
You’ll learn and practice how to mine the top of the scene for everything you need. How to get the answer from your partner instead of inventing it from your struggling brain. How to give yourself a moment to think without derailing the scene. And how to jumpstart your creativity when you are coming up with nothing.
Your scene work will shine and your partners will adore you when you learn to use these keys to unlock delightful, joyous improv.
COACHING AVAILABLE
Size and time based on need
Need a fine tuning for your troupe? Working on a specific skill? Want feedback and challenges that will uplift you? Jessica works with your troupe or team to discover what you need and challenges you to bring out your collective best.