OKC Improv is proud to announce that Tami Nelson of Austin's New Movement Theater will be teaching an improv workshop on the Straight/Absurd Dynamic as part of the Megaphone Comedy Tour's stop in Oklahoma City.

The goal of the Straight-Absurd workshop is to teach students to identify the roles of straight/absurd characters at the top of the scene. This is a classic comedic dynamic that... [read more]

OKC Improv is proud to announce that Tami Nelson of Austin's New Movement Theater will be teaching an improv workshop on the Straight/Absurd Dynamic as part of the Megaphone Comedy Tour's stop in Oklahoma City.

The goal of the Straight-Absurd workshop is to teach students to identify the roles of straight/absurd characters at the top of the scene. This is a classic comedic dynamic that emerges in improv scenes naturally and frequently. Once students begin to understand the elements of this dynamic at play during a scene, they find it is easier to shape the scene, heighten the scene and find the funniest, smartest choices more easily and quickly. This workshop runs students through exercises playing both strait and absurd characters and helps to guide them to understand what truly makes their characters one or the other. We work on pacing and reactions, experiment with emotional choices, learn to better feed each other information, and clearly communicate intention in the scene though the dynamic of straight/absurd. This workshop will teach the improv student to look for clues at the top of the scene that will define the dynamic and then intelligently map the remainder of the scene.

Cost is $15. Limited spots available. Please reserve your spot by calling (405) 343-1570 or e-mailing okcimprov@gmail.com.

For more information about Tami including her teaching and training experience go to: http://newmovementtheater.com/tami-nelson/

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And now a testimonial from OKC Improv producer Clint Vrazel:

"Tami Nelson's Straight/Absurd dynamic class gives improvisers an incredibly and endlessly fun and applicable perspective to play with. I've taken workshops at half a dozen festivals and theaters, and her class was one of the most revelatory. With Tami I discovered I tend toward the absurd, and through this perspective I learned how to even better enjoy and take advantage of that role.

But more importantly, she demystified the nature and function of 'straight' characters, something myself and many in improv, especially short-form, shy away from. In her expert hands, wild, absurd players like myself experience how playing it straight doesn't imply boring or characterless – they're a tool to wring even more crazy out of your scene and keep the audience engaged along the way. Likewise, under Tami's guidance, I saw many habitual straight players coached into diving in, exploring, enjoying, and ultimately understanding the 'other side'.

Tami teaches from experience - her main improv partner (and husband) is Chris Trew, who I regard as being one of the most out-there improvisers I've ever seen. Her mastery of the straight/absurd harnesses their wild energies without restraining them, making them a truly dynamic duo. She's like the nuclear engineer of improv, teaching how and why scenes blow apart so that you can then guide the explosion and harness the comedy. In doing so, Tami laid down challenges that will fuel my improv for years to come. After a decade of improv, my mind was happily and irreversibly blown."