Advanced Training Program

Mockingbird Improv’s Advanced Training Program (ATP) is for graduates of our Improv Essentials core training series or other experienced community members looking to advance their improv skills. Class meets once a week on an ongoing basis and is tailored to the needs of the class. Our expert instructors work with our students to identify areas to strengthen and craft the class to address those needs. Goals are set at the start of each enrollment period (approximately every two months) and the curriculum is designed to work towards those goals. Students receive a lot of individual feedback and are supported in working on their specific goals as improvisers.

Next Tryout: Wednesday June 25th @ 6PM
(Complete form below)

Tryouts are every two months.

Class schedule: Class meets every week on Wednesdays 7:00 - 9:00 PM in our Liberty Station location.

Membership is $85 a month. Billing is automatic and can be cancelled at any time. No minimum enrollment period.

Eligibility: Students are expected to have completed or be on track to complete Mockingbird Improv's level 5 class or equivalent training.

Performance opportunities: Students will have regular performance opportunities, at least every other month on Thursday evenings.

Other program features: Students can attend all Mockingbird Improv shows for free. Students also receive discounts on electives and workshops.

To inquire about eligibility, placement, or anything else pertaining to class, contact our Education Director at jackie@mockingbirdimprov.org

Entry to the class is based on a Tryout Day. Tryouts are approximately every two months (see upcoming date below) and are used to ensure students have adequately grasped the concepts taught in the Improv Essentials core training program and place students in one of three groups:

Bachelors Class: Most new graduates will go to the Bachelors class to continue practicing the skills taught in levels one through five and get them well into their muscle memory.

Masters Class: As students advance in their skill they can enter the Masters class that dives into the nuances and particulars of truly outstanding improv artistry.

PhD Class: For experienced improvisers who’ve honed their scene work and ability to create full characters, the PhD program offers a space for continued refinement. This advanced training focuses on sharpening instincts for strong choices and expands performers creative range.

About the Instructors:

Each class is led by one primary instructor from among the theater’s most experienced teachers. In order for students to learn from a variety of voices the class has a rotation of primary instructors that changes a few times a year as well as frequent guest teachers that come in for a class or two.

Bachelors Class Instructor

**Chris** has been studying improv since 2001. He’s been blessed to have learned the art form from teachers at San Diego TheatreSports(SDTS), National Comedy Theater, Finest City Improv, Sidestage Improv, BATs, and Mockingbird Improv. After many years performing with SDTS, he was the founding member of Husky Improv, the sexiest improv team in San Diego, Up Yours!, puppet improv, and a collection of other indie groups. Chris has also enjoyed teaching improv classes at SDTS, The La Jolla Comedy Store and The Comedy Palace in San Diego. Chris admires the work of Peter Gabriel, Marina Abramovic, and Fred Rogers. He and his amazing wife Unison have two amazing kids Zion and Zachary.

Chris “Jazz” Colthurst

Masters Class Instructor

**Mae** has been teaching improv for 8 years since developing Virginia’s Operation Improv curriculum for the nonprofit Armed Services Arts Partnership. Mae has studied improv performance at both the Second City Conservatory and Groundlings Core Track. She has been on at least a dozen house teams and indie teams at theaters spanning the country, including genre, premise-based, Harold, JTS Brown, movie, musical, puppet, and short form. Her teaching philosophy has been shaped by Teaching Artist training from PsychArmor and psychodrama methods at Duke University and other some of which informed her work in her Masters in Cognitive Neuroscience and her M.Ed. in Instructional Design. Some of her specialized skills include film production, film and theater acting, Shakespeare, vocal performance, sketch, clown, stage combat, and standup. Her standup was featured in a PBS documentary in 2016. Her mission is to unblock shame & fear to tap into every player’s inner genius.

Mae Brayton

PhD Class Instructor

**Amber** is an improviser, teacher, coach, and bona fide improv nerd. She earned her BA in Theatre with a minor in Dance from UCSD, where she performed short-form and is now a licensed massage therapist and acupuncturist. Amber rediscovered her love of improv in 2016 and has since performed with over 20 teams in theaters around the globe from California to Ireland. Her strengths in improv include Narrative/Genre work, physicality, improvised clown, and slow, grounded, emotionally rich scenes. She performs regularly at Finest City Improv with Genre House, Belle Reve (improvised Tennessee Williams), and musical team Ditty Heights. As a teacher and coach, Amber is dedicated to helping fellow improvisers discover their unique voice and artistic joy.

Amber Largent