william and mary improvisational theatre

WILLIAM AND MARY IMPROVISATIONAL THEATRE
WORKSHOP INFORMATION
ABOUT I.T.
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I.T. (Improvisational Theatre) was founded in 1986 at The College of William and Mary
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We are the oldest student-run performing arts group on W&M’s campus
We perform both short-form and long-form improvisational comedy
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Short-Form: Party Quirks, Hoedown, games you’d see on “Whose Line is it Anyway?”
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Long-Form: Improvised plays, improvised musicals, Armando Diaz, etc.
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Philosophy: We have a foundation in Chicago-style improv. This means we emphasize strong
relationships and believable characters instead of always ‘going for the joke.’ Comedy comes
naturally from scenes based in reality, and the best scenes are the ones our audience can
connect with personally.
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We try to make our shows something you could take your grandmother to see (PG-13)
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We don’t fix computers (at least not very well)
“Treat your audience like poets and geniuses and they’ll have the chance to become it.”
-Del Close, founder of the iO Theatre
OUR ACADEMIC YEAR
We perform at least once a month for the student body. One of
these shows is our annual Improvathon, a 12-hour charity show
benefitting Avalon Women’s Shelter in Willliamsburg, Virginia. We
do other philanthropic events as opportunities arise.
During our fall break, we travel to Chicago to see the country’s
best improv and train with alumni who improvise professionally.
We hold workshops for schools in the Williamsburg area, and are
constantly looking for new opportunities to share our love of
improv with other people.
OUR ALUMNI
Alumni of William and Mary I.T. have gone onto successful careers not only in improvised
comedy, but also writing, video arts, and production. You can find our alums in such places as…
Alumnus Joey Bland (a member of Chicago’s
Improvised Shakespeare and The Second City)
gives us a workshop during our annual Fall Tour.
THE WORKSHOP PROCESS
The benefits of improv are immense. Improvising teaches us how to think on our feet, react to others, and have
fun, all at once. Improv is empowering, and can give young performers the confidence boost they need to
perform in other areas. Our workshops are designed with this in mind.
Our workshops are flexible, and can be tailored to fit your needs. Our regular format is as follows:
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Warm-ups – increase the energy and make sure everyone is okay with looking ridiculous
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‘Rules’ – learn the (loose) guidelines of improv comedy
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Large group scenes – give everyone a chance to perform at least once with partners
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Smaller group scenes – play smaller, more focused games (once everyone is comfortable)
• Go on for as long as we have time for
• Followed by critiques from group members, as needed
In the past, our workshops have been coupled with a show put on by members of our group. We encourage
students to see ‘professionals’ in action so they can more easily know what to do themselves.
Our critiques are very broad, and we don’t like to focus on individual performers unless we’re singling them out
for something positive. We realize our workshoppers probably have little to no experience with impov comedy.
With this in mind, we tailor our workshops to make sure everyone is not only learning, but having fun.
PAST EVENTS
I.T. has held workshops with:
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Student groups at The College of William and Mary
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The School of the Arts at Bruton High School
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Waller Mill Fine Arts Magnet School
I.T. has held paid performances for:
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The Kimball Theater in Williamsburg
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The Librarian Association of Virginia
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The Williamsburg Art Association
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William and Mary Residence Life
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And more!
CONTACT US:
Email us at improvtheatre@email.wm.edu to ask about prices and booking an event!
Thank you for your consideration!
“Don’t bring a cathedral into a scene. Bring in a brick; let us build together.”
- Del Close