Looking to give improv comedy a try in a supportive, encouraging, and super fun environment? Look no further than our Improv Drop-in Class on Thursday nights at The Commodore from 7:00 – 8:15 p.m.! In this class, our experienced instructors will take you through a series of exercises designed to introduce you to the basic principles of improv. You’ll leave the drop-in with both newfound skills and newfound confidence! As an added bonus, students who attend a Drop-in and go on to enroll in an Intro to Improv six-week class receive $15 off their class enrollment.

This class is also great for those who have studied improv before, but might not have done it in a while. Come one, come all!

Have fun, build self-confidence, discover your comedic voice, and make new friends in our Introduction to Improv class! In this six-week survey of the basic principles of long-form improv comedy, students will learn how to create improv scenes from scratch in a fun, fast-paced, and supportive environment. We’ll explore core improv concepts such as agreement, heightening, and authenticity, and will deploy those concepts using techniques such as monologues, group games, and two-person scenes. The class will culminate in an optional showcase performance for friends and family at the Commodore in Ybor City. No previous experience necessary.

About your instructor:
Andrew Springer has loved the improv art form since he watched “Whose Line Is It Anyway” and thought ‘How hard could it be?” Turns out pretty difficult, and also very fun!

Andrew has performed with several improv teams around the Tampa Bay Area since 2013. He has been invited to perform in several improv festivals including the Countdown Improv Festival, Tampa Improv Fest, the Palm Beach Improv Festival, and O-Town Improv Festival. Andrew has experience training and performing with The Box Theater, American Stage Theatre Company, Troup X Improv, and The Commodore. He is currently appearing in shows at The Commodore including ‘The Yelp Revue’ and ‘The Captain’s Wheel’. Above all else, he loves working with improvisers at all levels of experiences, especially with those just beginning their improv journey.

Our eight-week Level Two class in longform improv comedy takes the basic tools of improvisation that you learned in Level One, and teaches you how to use them to create rich, compelling, and hilarious improv scenes. You'll learn how to recognize the game of the scene, and seize opportunities for patterns, connections, and heightening within and between your scenes that will serve as the building blocks for a longform piece. The class will culminate in a graduation performance in mid August.

Prerequisite: Level One intro to improv class. If you've taken such a class elsewhere, we want to hear about it, so please get in touch with us before enrolling! You can email us at commodorecomedy at gmail dot com.

About your instructor:

Eddie Geller has been performing comedy since 2003, getting his start at the University of Florida with their long-running improv and sketch troupe Theatre Strike Force. From there, he spent years doing comedy in both New York City and Los Angeles at theaters like iO West, UCB LA, The Comedy Store, and the requisite number of dingy bars. Geller has appeared in several national commercials and on the silver screen in For A Good Time, Call… You can catch him performing regularly at The Commodore on Friday nights. If you’re taking one of his classes, all he asks is that you Commit To The Bit.

This eight-week class builds upon the key concepts introduced in Levels One and Two, and focuses intensively on two-person scenework. In this class, you'll learn how to create scenes that are grounded and sustainable, and how to more easily extend those scenes to second beats and callbacks that are equally committed and resonant (and, not to mention, funny!) You can't create a longform piece without first knowing what makes for a quality two-person scene, and this class will help you do just that.

Prerequisite: Level Two or equivalent, either at The Commodore or elsewhere.

About your instructor:

Danny Mora is a longtime Chicago improviser who has taught at iO Chicago and Second City. He performed for many years with the original Armando show in Chicago, Deep Schwa, and the legendary group 3033. On television, you may have seen him in Modern Family and Chicago PD. On stage, you may have seen him in Love Corrections at the St. Pete Comedy Theater and Picasso at Lapin Agile at the Straz.

Start Together: A Workshop for Female-Identifying Improvisers

This workshop is open to female-identifying improvisers of all levels of experience (including brand new improvisers!). In it, we'll run through exercises focused on confident initiations, heightened agreement, and character & relationship development in scenework in a supportive, positive, and fun environment.

About your instructor:

Kelly Buttermore has been performing improv and sketch comedy in New York City since 2003. She spent a decade performing on various house improv teams at the Magnet Theater, where she also taught improv classes. She currently performs and teaches with her comedy partner Justin Peters as the prolific touring improv duo From Justin to Kelly. With Justin, she is the co-founder of the Countdown Improv Festival and The Commodore. In addition to performing, teaching, and producing improv, she has also written and performed in numerous sketch revues over the years, and mounted two autobiographical solo shows. By day, she works as chief of staff at the American Council of Learned Societies, an academic nonprofit devoted to advancing the humanities.