Fall Improv Classes Now Enrolling at Dreamcatcher

Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre, professional Theatre in Residence at the Oakes Center in Summit, will offer an Intro to Improv workshop, and both Level 1 and Level 2 Improv Classes for adults and teens beginning this fall.

The Intro to Improv workshop will be held on Saturday, September 21 from 12:00-2:00 pm. This workshop is for those who have been thinking about trying an improv class but have wanted to dip a toe in before signing up for a full session. Instructor Lulu French will guide students through the basic principles of improv in a fun, accessible way. Beginners will be surprised how easy it is to collaborate with classmates to free their imagination and create instant characters, scenes and worlds.

Lulu French (Maplewood) will also teach the six-week Level 1 Improv Comedy for Teens and Adults class, running from October 5 through November 9 on Saturdays from 12:00-2:00 pm. Instructor Dave Maulbeck (Madison) will teach the eight-week Level 2 Improv Comedy for Teens and Adults class. Open to students who have taken the Level 1 class, the class runs from October 10 through December 12 on Thursdays from 7:30-9:30 pm, with no class on Halloween and Thanksgiving. All classes will take place at the Oakes Center in Summit.

These classes delve deep into the craft of improv with more complex games as the weeks progress. The Level 1 Improv Class is great for new improvisers, and also for actors who want to add another dimension to their skills. For those who come with a foundation of improv skills, Dave will introduce games that require keeping many balls in the air at once in the Level 2 class. The environment is supportive and responsive to the needs of students with any level of experience. Improv is a valuable skill for countless situations such as public speaking, auditions and job interviews as well.

Lulu French first took improv classes at Gotham City Improv two decades ago and has been improvising ever since. In addition to being a graduate of GCI, she has also studied improv under Amy Poehler, Matt Walsh, and Matt Besser, various Second City alumni such as Todd Stashwick (12 Monkeys), and improv masters Michael Gellman, Dave Razowsky, and Aretha Sills. She has appeared in numerous improv performances in NYC improv theaters such as Gotham City Improv, the Magnet Theater, and Upright Citizens Brigade, as well as with Dreamcatcher's own The Flip Side. Lulu has been teaching improv since 2000 and has recently opened her own business, Rocket Improv.

Dave Maulbeck is an entertainment artist and member of the Screen Actors Guild and he recently relocated back to New York City after a multi-year stint in Los Angeles, where he studied with The Groundlings. He has starred in several commercials, including the Super Bowl Ad - Groundhog Day, for truTV, and as the Polish Polisher for Burger King. With film credits including the evil Dr. Wily in Megaman, and the main character Dracula Goes to Camp, Dave is no stranger to the screen. In 2007 Dave co-founded Chicken Scoop Productions where he executive produced several spec pilots, music videos, and web series. More recently he has been developing animation projects with BEHIND the BAG! Productions, where he is co-creator and illustrator of The Kinetix, a comic book series featuring high school superheroes whose powers derive from their respective disabilities, which recently reached full funding on Kickstarter.

The cost of the Intro to Improv workshop is $35. The cost for the six-week Level 1 class is $210, and for the eight-week Level 2 class, the cost is $280. At Oakes, parking is available in the lot behind the theatre on Ashwood Avenue and at the Summit Recreation Center on Morris Avenue. The facility is wheelchair accessible. To register for the class or for information on any of Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre's programs, please visit www.dreamcatcherrep.org or contact Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre at The Oakes Center, 120 Morris Avenue, Summit, NJ 07901, 908-514-9654.

About Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre:

Dreamcatcher was founded in 1994, and is a non-profit professional ensemble of actors who build community with the audience by sharing contemporary, life-affirming stories that challenge, energize and entertain. Our work has at its heart a belief in the essential goodness of people and the power of live performance to connect people through our shared humanity.

We expose theatregoers to ideas and lives like and unlike their won, with the intention of awakening their imaginations and creating empathy for others. We deepen the experience of our patrons with personal contact through receptions, talkbacks and interactive programs.

The company's activities include mainstage productions, improvisational comedy and cabarets, new play readings and a variety of educational and senior outreach programs.

Dreamcatcher's programs are funded by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, The Summit Area Public Foundation, and many other corporations, foundations and individuals. Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre is a senior member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.

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