Improvisational Prep School Policies and Notes

** Introduction **
Thank you for volunteering to help teach the Prep School Workshops!  This
document is meant to give you some idea of how we're setup, and what we need
you to do.  It is continuously evolving, so, check back to see if there are
changes.

If you have any questions, please contact me, Jerry Han.  My contact info is at
the end of this document.

Thanks!

** Prep School Philosophy and Goals **
The goal of Prep School is to act as a bridge between the Drop-In Sunday workshops,
and the advanced work done at Charm School.  It is an introduction for beginners
into the technical stagecraft of Improv, and is a refresher for advanced students
as to the basic craft.

Prep School should embrace the same philosophies of Drop-In -- these workshops
should be inclusive, instructive, and supportive, with the goal of producing
improvisers confident in their abilities, and ready for polishing in Charm School,
and for showtime in Theatresports.

** Prep School Workshop Organization **
Prep School Workshops are co-ordinated by myself, and are run by a group of
teacher/volunteers.  These volunteers are experienced members of the Staircase
improvisational acting community.  

Prep School is run in cycles; a single cycle is a 6-week period of time where 
two or three teachers sit down and teach the Prep School curriculum.  Teachers
sign up for a cycle, and then run that six week cycle of Prep School.  Teachers
can experiment, and run classes in whatever way they wish, as long as they follow
the policy guidelines, and cover the curriculum in its entirety.

There is a sign up sheet located at the front counter of the theatre that has 
dates for the current four-month period.  

If you cannot make a date you have already signed up for, please let me know
right away, and see if you can get one of the other teachers on the resource
list to volunteer.

My job as co-ordinator is to make sure that all workshops have teachers, to
keep the quality of the workshops high, act as a resource to teacher
volunteers, to act as a liasion between the Prep School Workshop teachers 
and the rest of the theatre, and to integrate workshops into a common cirriculum.

As co-ordinator, I answer to the Artistic Director of the Staircase, Hugh
Macleod.

I will try to meet with all the volunteers at least once every two months, to
discuss concerns, address problems, and gather ideas for the next period of
time.  Attending these meetings is not compulsory, it's just a chance for me to
me and greet with everybody.

Teachers of Prep School are required to have taught at least several classes of
Drop-In Workshop.  If you wish to volunteer for Prep School, please talk to me.

Prep School students are 'graduates' of the Drop-In workshop program, or approved
by the AD or myself with the consulation of the teaching volunteers.  Drop-In
students are 'graduated' to Prep School at the start of every cycle, while
'Charm School' students can be grandfathered in at any point.

** Prep School Workshop Structure **
Prep School Workshops run for 1.5 hours on Sundays, between 2:30 - 4pm.  Most
workshops have a very quick five minute break around 3:15pm.  

When starting a workshop, please introduce yourself, state briefly what this
workshop is about, and tell people that they have to sign up and that the
workshop is $5.  Also, remind people where the bathrooms are.  There is a 
frequent flier card available, (do two Prep Schools, get the third free), so
a six week program is actually only $20.  Also advise people to sign up; these
people can get into Theatresports for free that week (whcih means it's very 
important for them to sign up.)

Workshops then usually proceed to several minutes of warm-up exercises, then to
the 'meat' of the workshop.  These ideas are under the control of the teacher, 
though, it is expected that teachers follow the prep school workshop curriculum. 

Most workshops centre around a main theme, and exercises and instruction are
meant to highlight this theme e.g. Character, Conflict, Environment, Scene
Work, etc.  This helps a teacher come up with ideas.

Finally, after finishing the main portion of the workshop, a cool down exercise
(usually freeze tag) is nice.  At the end of the workshop, thank the
participants for coming out, remind them of other events at the Staircase and
that they can get calendars outside, and that they can leave feedback with you,
myself, or Hugh.  

Note, that due to legal restrictions, we are unable to admit people under 14
years of age into Prep School Workshops as partcipants.  If there are problems 
with this, please refer them to me.

Maximum class size for prep school is 12 people.  

** Prep School Workshop Curriculum **
A 6 week cycle rotation of Prep School should cover the following subjects:
        Basic Handles
        The 1-2-3-4 Structure and the Open Scene
        Basic Tech Skills
        Introduction to Lights/Sound from an Improviser Perspective
        Basic Show Skills (Hosting/Note Taking/Ask Fors)
        Introduction to Advanced Concepts of Improv
        Introduction to Long Form Improv
        
Please do not advertise the subject of your workshop beforehand; this is 
to encourage people to come to Prep School.  

** Teacher Suggestions **
-- Remember that these are intermediate people; set your expectations and 
your difficulty levels accordingly.  In particular, improv students at this
level must attain a certain degree of mastery in order to proceed up the
ladder; don't be afraid to give hard, picky notes.  On the other hand, it
is important to remember that these are intermediate people, and that, if
advanced students are present, split focus notes may be required.  But, you
can and should do more difficult material at this level.  Improv is going
to the edge and trying to get back 'alive' -- take your group to the edge.

-- Try to avoid the trap of focusing on one person to the detriment of the rest of
the class; if you need to give further instruction, take the person aside at the
break or at the end of the workshop.

-- We try to stick to certain common elements, in order to minimize confusion
among workshopers.  The 1-2-3-4 is our basic narrative handle, as described
at http://www.learnimprov.com.  If there is any confusion,
http://www.learnimprov.com is our baseline resource.  However, remember that
the 1-2-3-4 is meant as a handle, and should not be used as a crutch.  The
goal is to get the improvisers to tell a good, entertaining story.

-- Experience has shown that most workshopers like doing handles, but the
handle interferes with the quality of the improvisational acting (as workshop
participants concentrate more on the handle as opposed to the basics of
improv.)  Make sure the basics are well covered before doing handle work.  Use
handles as a reward. However, one of the goals of intermediate level work is
doing handles properly; make sure they understand that it's the scene first,
the handle second.  

-- Fairly often, you will get groups of experienced and inexperienced
improvers.  Don't be afraid to rely on the experienced people to help you
demonstrate things.  

-- Don't be afraid to try new things, and make mistakes; if it doesn't work
out, do something different next time.  That being said, remember that the
participants are number one -- anything that doesn't benefit them is probably a
bad idea.

-- Sometimes you'll get individuals who have taken other training courses (e.g.
Second City), but wish to get involved at the Staircase.  We recommend that
they do at least a couple of prep school workshops, just to get used to our
'groupthink' and our environment.  If they're obviously too advanced for the
group, let me know, and we'll get Hugh to move them up.  

-- If you're attending a workshop as a student, don't interfere in the workshop
being offered by the teacher.  If you have notes, or a suggestion, talk to the
teacher privately, after the workshop.  While on stage, the teacher should have
full support from everybody in the class, especially from other recognized
teachers in the group. 

-- Remember that everybody's comfort level concerning physicality and certain
types of content is different.  While 'accidental mature content' can occur,
try to keep your workshop within the bounds of a 'G' rated show.  By playing
to the lowest common denominator, you can keep all your students involved and
having fun.

-- If you're having problems with a student, or with an audience member, try 
to talk things over with them outside of class.  If all else fails, refer them
to me.  Teachers are supposed to teach -- it's the co-ordinator's role to 
deal with issues concerning workshoppers.

-- If you feel that a student may be ready for Charm School, let me know, and we'll
talk about it.  Once every couple of weeks, the producers of the various shows meet
to discuss improv issues affecting the theatre as a whole; we'll discuss the
student there, and get back to you (and the rest of the teachers) as soon as we
can.  Please don't mention anything to the student until we have a definitive
answer -- this is to preserve the student's confidence level.

-- And please make it apparent that a cycle is an administrative tool;
completing a cycle of Prep School does not mean a person is ready for 
Charm School.  As stated above, if you think they're ready for Charm School,
let me know and we'll bring it up among the teachers and with the AD/Cabal.

** Resources for Student Development **
Students who wish to learn more about improv can be directed to:
http://www.learnimprov.com.  They should also be invited to come out to see the
experienced group at Charm School/Theatresports, to get them to start entering
in the groupthink that drives most Staircase Improv.

There are also available various workshops belonging to the STEP program at the
Staircase, or from outside workshop leaders; don't be afraid to find out what's
available and to make recommendations to your students.  

** Resources for Teacher Development **
Ideas for games and such can be found at http://www.learnimprov.com

The Staircase, unfortunately, has no formal development program for teachers at
this time.  However, there are experienced workshop leaders who are able to
answer concerns and offer advice over various situations.  Don't be afraid to
ask questions. 

As well, don't be afraid to trade tips and ideas between sessions among
teachers, or during our meetings.  The only stupid questions are the questions
that are unasked.

Hugh McLeod will also be sitting in on some workshops, and will be offering
suggestions and observations.  

** Final Thoughts **
Teaching provides a particular set of challenges, but also its own set of
rewards.

If you have any questions, or problems, please talk to me, Jerry Han.  If you
feel unable to approach me, you may talk to Hugh Macleod, or Laura Couchie, the
Player Rep.  And, remember, this is supposed to be fun.  If you aren't having
fun, then why are you doing this to yourself?   If this applies to you, please,
let me know -- we may be able to do something.

Thank you again for volunteering your time and effort, and I hope to see you
around on Sundays.

Jerry Han
jhan@warpfish.com
(905) 528 2773

Version: September 22nd, 2003