Improv Comedy classes in Barcelona
There is a surprisingly robust English speaking comedy scene here in Barcelona, and I’ve been dabbling my toes in it.
I hope to write a few more posts about it, but in the meantime, it’s interesting that there’s such a divide between clown and standup in people’s eyes (including mine)
Thinking about it, I feel like the difference between standup and clown is focus.
The standup comedians tend to make what they say funny, and the clowns tend to make what they do funny. The best of both worlds do both. This reminds me that years ago, I had a realization that the #1 rule of theatre is to be engaging.
(And I will say there are many clowns who for a variety of reasons don’t speak at all, but they nevertheless communicate with the audience. Really, it’s all about connecting with the audience. By. Any. Means. Necessary.)
Something that often (in people’s minds anyway) bridges the gap between verbal comedy and physical comedy is Improv comedy.
One of my new found friends Noah Levin asked me to promote the classes that he’s teaching in Barcelona. Noah is the founder of the Barcelona Improv Festival, and is the leader/director of an Improv company here. They do a variety of styles, including the short form “improv olympics” short sketches kind of stuff that was made popular by the crew at Whose Line Is It Anyway, as well as other long form stuff (where the character and situation may be solicited at random, but then they spend the time to create a show grounded in emotion and possibly drama.
The intro classes are on Tuesday nights.They also offer an intermediate class, which is primarily for duos to practice working together) Both classes culminate in a performance at the Comedy Clubhouse, one of the venues in Barcelona dedicated to English speaking comedy.
If you are living in Barcelona, and you have no comedy experience, this is a good intro in how to improvise.
For more information click one of the two images below.
I’d be remiss not to mention one of the other big players in the Barcelona Improv scene. BIG (Barcelona Improv Group) They have classes also starting soon, but most of them are sold out/unavailable. And I haven’t met them yet.