“I gotta do some sad scenes. Why, I never tried to make anyone cry in my life!” -Buster Keaton
Drama for Comedians is a scene study class focused on the craft of storytelling for actors and performers used to funny business, who yearn to sink their teeth into a dramatic theater role.
The skills that make a dramatic performance sing are also crucial to comedy. We use the same muscles to laugh as to cry! Comedians understand that their material is at its funniest when they are at their most authentic and specific, connecting to what makes their jokes unique, and delivering the goods as only they can. By delving into the script analysis and acting of great scenes, students will gain a new perspective on their own writing and performance habits, and develop practical tools to help their work—whether in a scene, a sketch, stand-up, or beyond—feel fresh, truthful, and impulsively alive every time.
Students will be cast in a two-person scene from a modern or contemporary stage play (circa 1900-now). The scene will be chosen weeks ahead of class in collaboration with Jacquelyn based on a one-on-one conversation. With a strong emphasis on script analysis, intention-driven practical technique, and improvisational moment work, we will focus on how to fall in love with the material, make vivid and nuanced choices, and bring the most dynamic range of expressivity to the stage, so that characters we play reflect the multitudes that we contain. Prepare to improvise will be a major theme: when we’re given a script, whether it's comic or tragic, how can we prepare in a way that allows us to transcend self-consciousness and feel playful, curious, spontaneous, wild, and free inside the structure of the given circumstances?
REQUIRED:
-Application and interview before registration. Application does not guarantee a spot.
-Significant time for rehearsal outside of class. Please only consider taking the class if you have the time to rehearse with your partner in the 3 weeks before class begins, and between the first round and bring back of your scene.
Thursdays
August 20th, August 27th, September 3rd, September 10th, September 17th, September 24th, October 1st, October 8th
6pm-9pm
in the Skunk
Testimonials from previous students:
"Watching what our class was capable of achieving in a matter of weeks kind of blew my mind. People who are used to getting a laugh, were able to give extremely moving and vulnerable performances underJacquelyn's expert instruction. She helped us find and relate to the deep humanity in the characters, which made for such great theater -- the kind that gives you goosebumps and makes you sit on the edge of your seat. I loved this class!" -Shelly Gossman
"Drama for Comedians is STEAK for anyone with an inkling of intrigue in scene study. I came in as a confident improviser, I left a hungry actor. Jacquelyn's passion for theater is infectious. She pushes you to dig deeper than you're comfortable and strive for excellence." -Alexandra Kirsch
“Drama for Comedians was the most effective scene study class I have ever taken. Jacquelyn's ability to see every student's strengths and shortcomings and give useful feedback in real time enabled every student to experience an honest emotional arc in collaboration with their scene partner and supported by the text. Yes, this class is full of comedians, but it works for anyone looking for a practical entry into stageworthy performance.” -Andrew Lush
About the Instructor
Jacquelyn Landgraf is the Artistic Director of the Elysian. She is a director, performer, writer, and teacher, with a focus on new and developing work, and supporting artists-in-process. Alum of the experimental comedy collective The New York Neo-Futurists, the writer/performers of Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, The Infinite Wrench, and a long roster of downtown performance pieces. For over fifteen years, she was on the acting faculty at NYU Tisch School of the Arts/Atlantic Acting School, teaching scene study for Atlantic’s NYU Studio and Professional Conservatory. For those programs, she also created the class Moment Lab, a study of chasing the sincere and unplanned moment in performance and deepening connection between actors and audience. She teaches performance and writing workshops across the country and internationally, including at the Williamstown Theater Festival, Austin Film Festival, London’s Central Film School, Hollins University MFA program in Berlin, On Time Productions in Mexico City, Brave Studios in Melbourne, Australia, and the U.S. State Department. As an actor, Jacquelyn was in the original cast of the U.S. premieres of Deaf West’s Orpheé, Anna Nicole the Opera directed by Richard Jones at BAM/New York City Opera, John Guare’s 3 Kinds of Exile directed by Neil Pepe at the Atlantic Theater, Suzan Lori Parks’ 365 Days/365 Plays at The Public, and The Complete and Condensed Stage Directions of Eugene O’Neill, vol. 1, which was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for “Unique Theatrical Experience.” She created the two-season musical fiction podcast It Makes A Sound, and produced its original soundtrack album, Wim Faros: the Attic Tape.
Class cancellation policy: No refunds, exchanges, or transfers.