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Classes and workshops 🍏
Classes and workshops 🍏
Inspired by what happens on stage here every night, we help students build the skills and stamina to create their own work, and to be self-empowered creators and performers. We offer training that supports a warm and inclusive environment of investigation, risk-taking, and collaboration. We host workshops that highlight physical-based performance, mining courageous comedy, radical presence, audience connection, devising, and ensemble work.
COME PLAY!
Elysian Class: Musical Improv 2: making up musicals! (6-Week)
Ever see hilarious people make up songs onstage and think, "That's truly fucking impossible"? Well it's not. It's very possible and, in fact, the premise of this class is that: literally everyone has the ability to learn how to make up songs. So listen to your therapist and do the thing that scares you ... by braving the form of improvising that even regular improvisers are scared to do! You'll learn how to: rhyme on the fly, sing ensemble number/trios/duets/solos, and wow Muggle audiences with the ultimate magic trick. This is the second level of the class. Some prior improv experience recommended!
Mondays October 20th- December 8th (no class 11/3 and 11/24) from 3-7pm
Elysian Class: Act, Clown, Act! (6 week)
Act, Clown, Act! is an acting class for comedians, clowns, and improvisors approached through the lens of traditional acting tools AND the principles and play of clown.
Over the course of the six-week class, students will work on one contemporary two-person scene and one monologue, chosen in collaboration between the student and instructor. Each student will perform either the scene or monologue each class and is expected to rehearse with their scene partner between classes.
Elysian Class: Language of Nonsense
This two-day intensive explores a fundamental element of clown work - communicating through The Language of Nonsense. How do we start a conversation? Build a vocabulary through movement and pattern? Establish games people will be excited to play? A deep exploration of primal communication. It’s also a chance to be live directed by Chad in a class show!
Elysian Class: Consent in Clowning
What does it mean to be a Consent-Forward performer? What does it mean to be sensitive enough that you always choose the best volunteer? What does it mean to have an interactive show that doesn’t make your audience cringe in disgust, but laugh in delight? These are the questions that we’ll be exploring in this 2 day Intensive Clown Workshop.
Enroll Here
Elysian Class: Pandemonium Workshop (5 day)
Internationally renowned clown and commedia master Christopher Bayes, the founder of The Pandemonium Studio in New York, current Head of Physical Acting at Yale School of Drama, and author of Discovering the Clown, or The Funny Book of Good Acting, is coming to Los Angeles to teach a special 5-day immersion workshop at the Elysian! For clowns, comedians, actors, and curious performers/non-performers of any experience level wanting to throw themselves into the thrill of pandemonium. Don’t miss a rare chance to train with Chris on the West Coast.
Over five days of radical play, we pursue the clown together in all of its messy and hilarious beauty. Learn to listen and respond with your whole body; develop a more playful and dynamic relationship with the audience, with your collaborators, and with yourself. Take a risk! Have some fun! Bring the ruckus! Let's find out what's funny about you!
Elysian Class: Pandemonium Workshop- Advanced Clown (5 day)
Prerequisite: Pandemonium Workshop at the Elysian, or other training with Christopher Bayes and/or The Pandemonium Studio
Internationally renowned clown and commedia master Christopher Bayes, the founder of The Pandemonium Studio in New York, current Head of Physical Acting at Yale School of Drama, and author of Discovering the Clown, or The Funny Book of Good Acting, is coming to Los Angeles to teach a special 5-day advanced immersion workshop at the Elysian. Jump into your body...open like a little flower...rediscover your playful spirit and the simple pleasure and ferocious generosity of performance.
Elysian Class: Playing Yourself (8-Week)
A new devising class at the Elysian focused on kickstarting the creation of a new show from your "auto-mythology." We'll generate new material from prompts that unpack your personal memories, stories, opinions, quirks, obsessions, and big ideas, maybe even unsent email drafts–in order to turn them into performance-worthy gems. Expand your experimental toolbox to find the most compelling ways to craft your ideas for an audience.
Elysian Class: Playing Yourself 2 (8-Week)
Bring your stories and ideas into the next stage of development!
Building on the work from the first session, continue to weave elements of your autobiography--quirks, memories, passions, obsessions, secrets, juicy gossip...into compelling performances. Through writing and devising prompts, onstage experiments, script therapy, group collaboration, and one-on-one feedback, we will work together towards to expand, deepen, and hone your material as you create your new solo show, which--who knows?--may even become a multi-person-more-than-solo-show!
Post-class, all students will have the opportunity to show their work in a work-in-progress performance at the Elysian.
Elysian Class: Organic Standup (8-week)
Do you want to discover what makes you uniquely funny?
Have you thought about stand-up but have no idea how to start?
Are you a performer who wants an unconventional approach to stand-up?
Elysian Class: Language of Nonsense
This two-day intensive explores a fundamental element of clown work - communicating through The Language of Nonsense. How do we start a conversation? Build a vocabulary through movement and pattern? Establish games people will be excited to play? A deep exploration of primal communication. It’s also a chance to be live directed by Chad in a class show!
Elysian Class: Crash course in neo-futurism
The SF Neo-Futurists are bringing their classic Crash Course in Neo-Futurism to The Elysian for one day only! Looking to expand your artistic practice and create new performances based on your own lived experience? In this three-hour workshop, you'll learn how to create original non-illusory plays based on the aesthetic principles of Neo-Futurism, turning your personal stories into theatre that's absurd, honest, and oddly affecting. Expect easy movement warm-ups, creative writing prompts, and opportunities to collaborate with other students. You'll leave the workshop with new two-minute plays to start or add to your body of performance work!
Elysian Class: Clown Lit (2-Day)
Clowns? Writing? Pfffft! Yes. You.
Writers? Doing clown? Writing as clown? Suss.
This is a class for making our words sing as loud as our bodies. This is a class for writers and comedians of all kinds who want to make a playful and fulfilling writing practice. The first session will include movement and writing exercises to loosen up our hands and brains. The second session will focus on getting our clown voice into our writing voice, and practical tips to help create unorthodox scripts for our live work. There will be a wee overnight homework assignment.
Come, let us pull our heads out of our asses.
Elysian Class: Spymonkey - Introduction to funny (1-Day)
This one day workshop is an introduction to the key concepts at the heart of Spymonkey’s Theatre of the Funny. We believe that everyone can be funny in their own unique way, and that the best theatre is one that embraces this quality in its artists. With the emphasis on supporting a space that is accessible, supportive and safe for all to laugh, we will use our favourite games and exercises as practical illustrations, to create belly-laughter – improv exercises (the sometimes scary pleasure of saying ‘yes’ to the unknown), explore practical concepts such as ‘finding the game’, the importance of complicity, or fixed point, of playing together with our friends, and of sharing that particular quality of Funny that you and only you can be.
We have taught these workshops all over the world for 30 years and we are still amazed how much fun can be had by a brand new group of people, as long as they come ready to laugh and equipped with a sense of humour about themselves and others.
Language of Nonsense w/ Chad Damiani (2-Day)
A two-day intensive from the creator/director of STAND UP AND CLOWN, CLOWN ZOO and co-creator of RORY AND CHAD WIN COMEDY TONIGHT! Chad Damiani (aka "Clown Boss") offers this intro class for veterans and newcomers, looking to explore how clowns connect and play with audiences through joy and nonsense.
How can we get a roomful of strangers to not only go along with our joyfully dumb ideas, but also become our eager co-conspirators? A deep exploration of primal communication. It’s also a chance to be live directed by Chad in a class show!
The Pandemonium Workshop (6-day)
A weeklong immersion in Clown with internationally renowned director, teacher, clown and commedia master Christopher Bayes, the founder of The Pandemonium Studio in New York, current Head of Physical Acting at Yale School of Drama, and author of Discovering the Clown, or The Funny Book of Good Acting. Jump into your body...open like a little flower...rediscover your playful spirit and the simple pleasure and ferocious generosity of performance.
The Pandemonium Workshop (6-day)
A weeklong immersion in Clown with internationally renowned director, teacher, clown and commedia master Christopher Bayes, the founder of The Pandemonium Studio in New York, current Head of Physical Acting at Yale School of Drama, and author of Discovering the Clown, or The Funny Book of Good Acting. Jump into your body...open like a little flower...rediscover your playful spirit and the simple pleasure and ferocious generosity of performance.
Language of Nonsense w/ Chad Damiani (2-Day)
A two-day intensive from the creator/director of STAND UP AND CLOWN, CLOWN ZOO and co-creator of RORY AND CHAD WIN COMEDY TONIGHT! Chad Damiani (aka "Clown Boss") offers this intro class for veterans and newcomers, looking to explore how clowns connect and play with audiences through joy and nonsense.
How can we get a roomful of strangers to not only go along with our joyfully dumb ideas, but also become our eager co-conspirators? A deep exploration of primal communication. It’s also a chance to be live directed by Chad in a class show!
All The Hats (1-Day/Info Session)
You made a show! Now what? Learn how to find festivals and other places to perform, how to put together a tour, and, even better, how to come home with a return on your investments (ROI).
For the independent artist and producer who wears all the hats.
Language of Nonsense w/ Chad Damiani (2-Day)
A two-day intensive from the creator/director of STAND UP AND CLOWN, CLOWN ZOO and co-creator of RORY AND CHAD WIN COMEDY TONIGHT! Chad Damiani (aka "Clown Boss") offers this intro class for veterans and newcomers, looking to explore how clowns connect and play with audiences through joy and nonsense.
How can we get a roomful of strangers to not only go along with our joyfully dumb ideas, but also become our eager co-conspirators? A deep exploration of primal communication. It’s also a chance to be live directed by Chad in a class show!
Playing Yourself (8-Week)
Kickstart the creation of the show that only you could dream up. Generate new material from prompts that unpack your memories, your stories, your opinions, your quirks, your obsessions, and your big ideas, and maybe even your unsent email drafts–in order to turn them into performance-worthy gems. Find the incredible thing waiting to be discovered inside the personal collection of seemingly-random material and ephemera you already have.
Improv: Fast and Loose, Slow and Steady (8-Week)
An improv class for anyone who wants to learn to be more present, become a true active listener and be free on stage. And anyone who loves to have fun.
All The Hats (1-Day/Info Session)
You made a show! Now what? Learn how to find festivals and other places to perform, how to put together a tour, and, even better, how to come home with a return on your investments (ROI).
For the independent artist and producer who wears all the hats.
Language of Nonsense w/ Chad Damiani (2-Day)
A two-day intensive from the creator/director of STAND UP AND CLOWN, CLOWN ZOO and co-creator of RORY AND CHAD WIN COMEDY TONIGHT! Chad Damiani (aka "Clown Boss") offers this intro class for veterans and newcomers, looking to explore how clowns connect and play with audiences through joy and nonsense.
How can we get a roomful of strangers to not only go along with our joyfully dumb ideas, but also become our eager co-conspirators? A deep exploration of primal communication. It’s also a chance to be live directed by Chad in a class show!
MOVEMENT FOR COMEDIANS, CLOWNS & IMPROVISERS (2-Day)
Critically acclaimed, award-winning Clown & Bouffon, Eric Davis leads you through a masterclass of movement to help you create dynamic comedy.
Rooted in Play, Lecoq Technique and Laban/ Bartenieff fundamentals, this class will
Get you laughing, sweating and give you greater awareness of your body as well as a theatrical language to articulate your comedy on stage.
BOUFFON 1 (4-Day)
A Satiric Ensemble of Mocking Madness and Mayhem!The World laughs at the Clown, but the Bouffons laugh at the World! Unleash your inner Bouffon in an explosion of fun and comedy gold.Imagine a wild-eyed pack of Players, ecstatic to mock anything and everything. Ridiculous, confronting and poetic, this Satyric chorus teeters on the seesaw of fun and uncomfortable truth. To begin this journey, we focus on the role of “The Player”.
Language of Nonsense w/ Chad Damiani (2-Day)
A two-day intensive from the creator/director of STAND UP AND CLOWN, CLOWN ZOO and co-creator of RORY AND CHAD WIN COMEDY TONIGHT! Chad Damiani (aka "Clown Boss") offers this intro class for veterans and newcomers, looking to explore how clowns connect and play with audiences through joy and nonsense.
How can we get a roomful of strangers to not only go along with our joyfully dumb ideas, but also become our eager co-conspirators? A deep exploration of primal communication. It’s also a chance to be live directed by Chad in a class show!
The Simple Clown (3 Days)
The simple clown is simply you without all the know-how and wherewithal, left only with hope and an unrelenting pursuit of play amidst the unknowns of the audience, and the world around you.
2025 Edinburgh Fringe Festival Info Session with John Norris
Curious about Fringe? Do you have a show and want to see if it’s a good idea to bring it over? Why does it seem like everyone is doing their shows in Scotland for a month? What’s the point? Is costs HOW MUCH?!
If you're thinking about bringing your work to Edinburgh in 2025 or 2026, NOW is the time to start planning and making some decisions.
John Norris (creator of Fringe hits Mr. Chonkers and Underground Monk Show and youngest child of three) leads an info session that will explain what Fringe is, what to expect, detailing the pros and cons, and some best practices on what makes someone have a successful Fringe experience. Followed by a Q+A
Entrances and Exits: Led by Corey Podell and John Norris (2-Day)
Frequent collaborators John Norris and Corey Podell will share tools and methods from their language of collaboration, helping you translate ideas and impulses into character and story, and direct and shape material. A clown/performance workshop with an emphasis on lots of stage time, exploring creation, presence, and connection.
Drama for Comedians
A dramatic scene study class focused on the craft of storytelling for funny people yearning to sink their teeth into a dramatic theater role.
Language of Nonsense w/ Chad Damiani (2-Day)
A two-day intensive from the creator/director of STAND UP AND CLOWN, CLOWN ZOO and co-creator of RORY AND CHAD WIN COMEDY TONIGHT! Chad Damiani (aka "Clown Boss") offers this intro class for veterans and newcomers, looking to explore how clowns connect and play with audiences through joy and nonsense.
How can we get a roomful of strangers to not only go along with our joyfully dumb ideas, but also become our eager co-conspirators? A deep exploration of primal communication. It’s also a chance to be live directed by Chad in a class show!
LAST CHANCE TO STUDY WITH THE CLOWN BOSS!
BOUFFON 1 (3-Day)
A Satiric Ensemble of Mocking Madness and Mayhem!The World laughs at the Clown, but the Bouffons laugh at the World! Unleash your inner Bouffon in an explosion of fun and comedy gold.Imagine a wild-eyed pack of Players, ecstatic to mock anything and everything. Ridiculous, confronting and poetic, this Satyric chorus teeters on the seesaw of fun and uncomfortable truth. To begin this journey, we focus on the role of “The Player”.
CLOWN RITUALS: THE PLAN & THE PLAY (4-Day)
Develop Clown Relationships and create pieces through mindfulness, looping and Ambushes- from Creator of Red Bastard and multiple Cirque du Soleil Shows.
Language of Nonsense w/ Chad Damiani (2-Day)
A two-day intensive from the creator/director of STAND UP AND CLOWN, CLOWN ZOO and co-creator of RORY AND CHAD WIN COMEDY TONIGHT! Chad Damiani (aka "Clown Boss") offers this intro class for veterans and newcomers, looking to explore how clowns connect and play with audiences through joy and nonsense.
How can we get a roomful of strangers to not only go along with our joyfully dumb ideas, but also become our eager co-conspirators? A deep exploration of primal communication. It’s also a chance to be live directed by Chad in a class show!
MOVEMENT FOR COMEDIANS, CLOWNS & IMPROVISERS (1-Day)
Critically acclaimed, award-winning Clown & Bouffon, Eric Davis leads you through a masterclass of movement to help you create dynamic comedy.
Rooted in Play, Lecoq Technique and Laban/ Bartenieff fundamentals, this class will
Get you laughing, sweating and give you greater awareness of your body as well as a theatrical language to articulate your comedy on stage.
Save The Show: Intro To Clown w/ Chad Damiani (2-Day)
A two-day intensive culminating in a class show, that explores the basic principles and psychology of clown work. Students will leave this class having learned how to be less verbal and more physical, to commit to their most joyful impulses, embrace failure and play with the audience, instead of for them.
For students at all levels – from experienced performers looking to sharpen their fundamentals, to newcomers interested in being more playful and free.
CLASS SHOW: Wednesday 8/21 at 7:30PM - Get tickets here!
Language of Nonsense w/ Chad Damiani (2-Day)
A new intensive from Chad Damiani — the creator/director of STAND UP AND CLOWN and CLOWN ZOO! Clowns do more than just connect with audiences. They invite them to become part of the show. But how can we get a roomful of strangers to not only go along with our joyfully dumb ideas, but also become our eager co-conspirators?
BOUFFON 1 (4-Week)
A Satiric Ensemble of mocking madness and mayhem! Students will learn the attitudes and drives of Bouffons- outsiders who love to mock anything and everything. Discover the indulgent pleasure of these anti-clowns through complicity and play and ecstatic mocking. Led by Eric Davis (Red Bastard).
Chekhov in L.A.: Two Week Masterclass with Anya Saffir
A scene study class designed to immerse performers in the tragicomedic world of Anton Chekhov's plays, breathing the text into wild life with laughter, tears, and unabashed spontaneity. A chance to study Chekhov's deeply moving and incredibly funny vision of the human comedy with master acting teacher Anya Saffir, who has taught Chekhov for twenty-five years in NYC and across the globe, and directed productions at the Moscow Art Theater, NYU/Tisch, Harvard/American Repertory Theater, the Atlantic Theater Company, and beyond.