Coaching and Workshops | Jason Shotts

GROUP COACHING

I'm currently coaching a variety of improv groups in the Los Angeles area. If you're in a large improv ensemble, a two-person improv group, or you need coaching for an upcoming improv audition, I'm available to help you. I can coach your team's rehearsals or create a standalone workshop for your needs, even if you're just looking to "get better at improv."

I'm also equipped to coach your group via Skype or FaceTime.

Contact me for rates and availability.

SPECIALIZED WORKSHOPS & INTENSIVES

If you're interested in having me teach at your improv theater or festival, here are a few specialized workshops and intensives I've taught in the past.

Contact me for rates and availability.

Owning

Your Scene

Owning Your Scene

A major stumbling block for improvisers is our own natural inclination to try to “fix” or “change” our partners. Consequently, our scenes struggle because we’re not focusing on “owning” our own choices/wants/POV.

In this workshop, we’ll focus on exercises that identify the energy we’re creating in our scenes; and that prioritize vulnerability over defensiveness, a concept of improv that seems easy on paper, but can be difficult to put into practice.

Weirder Weirds

Truthier Truths

Weirder Weirds and Truthier Truths

We’ll work on balancing out the “weird” and the “truth” in our scenework. Too much (or not enough) of one of these elements and the audience will struggle to connect with what we’re creating. We’ll work on making sure our “weird” is weird enough. We’ll discuss how to “fuel” our weirdos and push them as hard as we can.

We’ll also take off our “Yes, And” improv training wheels and attack our scenes with some brutal truths. What do you honestly think/feel/want to say? Say it! Let’s get an audience to relate to us in a real way. Let go of what you’re “supposed" to do and have some fun!

and

My Thing

Our Thing

Our Thing and My Thing

Humans are naturally defensive. We can’t help it. Couple that with being watched by an audience and you can’t help but separate and put up walls, which makes “building a relationship” incredibly difficult. “Yes, And” sounds easy in practice, but why does it feel so hard when you’re up onstage?

First, we’ll focus on techniques that will help you drop your defensive mechanisms so that you can truly start having fun with your scene partners. Only then can we discover what “Our Thing” is. Let’s “Get in a Boat” together and start having fun. Next, we’ll couple “Our Thing” with “My Thing”. That way you’ll never need to ask yourself “What’s next?” in a scene again.

The

Two Person
Show

The Two Person Show

This intensive workshop will be focused on the building blocks and execution of a two-person show. In this class we will be putting relationship and point of view front and center to build a rich and satisfying longform show. We will start with the basic tenets of a great two-person scene: making specific choices, listening hard for opportunities to react hard, speaking and behaving like human beings, bringing more of our own beliefs and experiences to the stage, knowing your character's point of view, discovering how the characters relate to each other, and playing with emotion.

Then we will tackle how to play multiple characters to heighten the stakes and drive reactions, playing your scene partner's characters by making and recognizing clear physical and emotional choices, making and recognizing internal edits, and heightening and exploring all the true things we have to drive towards a clear and satisfying end to your show. Attendees will receive loads of personal feedback as well as the experience of working long scenes and doing mini shows with notes.

The

Recipe

The Recipe

It feels like there are so many rules in improv: “Listen and React,” “Heighten and Explore,” “Don’t Ask Questions”! It's like you’re trying to juggle 18 things at once up there. Impossible, right?! This workshop will give you Jason’s “recipe” for easier improv scenes. It’s a simple step-by-step process to give you something to focus on as you and your partner build the scene together.

CORPORATE TRAINING

If you're interested in sharpening a particular skillset at your place of business, or you're just looking to change things up and try something new, I can help you. Some of the workshops I have presented to a variety of clients have focused on:

Team Building & Interpersonal Relationships
Deeper Listening & Heightened Agreement (Yes, And)
Identifying and Eliminating Personal Defense Mechanisms

I can also cater a workshop to your specific needs. Contact me for rates and availability.