Class Time/Date: 6:30-8:30pm PST/ Wednesdays September 30, October 7, 14, 21, 28, November 4, 11 & 18
Schedule: 8 sessions plus 1 community performances
Class size: 16 students maximum
Class length: 2 hours (16 hours total) +1 performance
Tuition: $299
Prerequisites: None! Participants ages 13 and up are welcome.

Class Description:

Did you know that the origins of improv theater were not for performance purposes, but rather as a tool for helping people to connect with each other? We live in a society that is unfortunately very divided by factors such as age, race, and religion. Come join Applied Improvisation facilitators Yael Schy (a Baby Boomer) and Gary Ware (a Millennial) as they lead you through fun improv exercises combined with heartfelt discussions for improvisers of all levels and all ages (teens through adults), that are designed to help bridge those gaps. The class will culminate in a virtual community performance.

About Yael

Yael Schy is a dynamic theater and dance instructor, improviser, storyteller, singer/songwriter, and stand-up comedian known for her creative approach to learning and performance. Yael has been performing and teaching theater and dance to people of all ages for almost 50 years. She is the director of All That Jazz, a Bay Area musical improv troupe, and a founding member of the Applied Improvisation Network, an international association of business professionals and academics who use improv tools, experience, and theory for human development, training, and coaching in communities and organizations. In her spare time, Yael writes original jazz and blues songs!

Professionally, Yael is a leader in using expressive arts in both organizational and community-based learning and development. She is principal of Dramatic Strides® Consulting, specializing in leadership development, communication skills, team building and creative decision-making techniques that help people and organizations move forward together. By combining her 20 years of leadership development and facilitation experience with her decades of expertise in improvisational theater and dance, Yael helps individuals, teams, organizations, and communities to connect body, mind, and heart. Her passion is helping people learn how to work together across generational and cultural divides, in order to build community and achieve their common goals.

About Gary

Gary Ware, the Founder of Breakthrough Play is a sought-after Corporate Facilitator and Keynote Speaker with nearly a decade of experience as a performer in improv theatre. He assists teams with unlocking creativity and confidence, and sparks collaboration with experiential methods proven to drive peak performance. Gary spent over a decade in the corporate world and originally pursued improv to master public speaking. He quickly discovered that combining improv and play could be a powerful solution to achieve various business challenges.

As a facilitator, Gary has worked with people of all ages. His experience has ranged from improv workshops assisting elementary school students with emotional intelligence, to Laughter Yoga at assisted living facilities. When Gary isn’t leading workshops and keynote speaking, you can find him learning magic or off an adventure with his wife Courtney and son Garrett.