Improv Workshop

Thursday, March 28
6:30-9:00pm

with Watermelon Alligator Theatre Company
Instructors Garrett Olson and Jess Wilson
in the MAC’s Anne Braitmayer Webb Theater

MAC Members: $35, Nonmembers $45

This course is a basic introduction to the art of improvisation. Course work includes beginner games and exercises exploring awareness, relaxation, observation, the senses, voice, and physicality. Students should dress comfortably and be prepared to move during the class, because anything can happen in improv! Students are encouraged to bring any and all questions regarding all aspects of improvisation.

***

About Watermelon Alligator

Garrett Olson (he/him) is a professional working actor, director, screenwriter, film maker, song writer, seasoned fight director/stunt coordinator, intimacy director/choreographer captain and safety/accessibility consultant for stage and screen. He is currently the Technical Director and Associate Artistic Director for the WatermelonAlligator Theatre Company, co-founder and one of the managing/creative producers for Danu Pictures, and is the former Technical Director/acting coach/accessibility consultant for the Boston Zombie Apocalypse. An accomplished teaching artist and combatant instructor, Garrett’s classes in public speaking, acting, staged violence, and improv are crafted for students of all levels and abilities. Classes include adaptive programs to accommodate all abilities creating a truly immersive and inclusive opportunity for learning and growth. Past local classes include; Pembroke elementary schools, Cape Cod Can, Cotuit Center for the Arts, Watermelon Alligator Theater Company, The Zeiterion Theater and Waldorf school of Cape Cod.

As a consultant, teaching artist and professional speaker who travels nationwide Garrett speaks on a wide range of theatre disciplines, inclusion, and leadership topics. Recent appearances include the Kennedy Center’s American College Theater Festival Region 1 Annual Conference (Basics of Inclusive Intimacy Practices, Trauma-Informed Spaces, and Improv Masterclass) and Tilden Arts Center’s Masterclass series (Yes, And…Now What? & So You Wanna Fight?).

Recent industry credits include Fight Director/Armorer (The Way It Is; WATC), Intimacy Captain (Wolf Play; Wellesley College),  Intimacy Captain (Eurydice; Wellesley College), Fight Director and Intimacy Captain (Flyin’ West; Wellesley College), Intimacy Captain (The Lost Weekend; Flying Card Productions), Fight Director and Stunt Coordinator (Above Arkham; Ragnarock Productions) Fight Director and Intimacy Captain (Victor/Victoria; Cotuit Center for the Arts), Director New England premier (Lopsided ; WATC), Fight Director and Intimacy Captain (Magnolia Flowers; Strange Place Productions).

Recent acting credits include Senator Charles Whitmore (Church & State; Marion Art Center), Cane (The Way It Is) Jimmy (Miracle On South Division Street), Narrator 2 (The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon), Senator Charles Whitmore (Church & State), and Martin (Seminar) with WatermelonAlligator Theatre Company at Cotuit Center for the Arts, Officer Frank (Live from Copley Square; Boston Playwrights Platform Festival), Gabriel (Above Arkham; Ragnarock Productions) and Bobby O’Mara (A Difficult Conversation; Inpatient Productions). Notable past performances include Tom (Fat Pig), Scrooge (A Christmas Carol), Leo/Maxine (Leading Ladies).

Jess Wilson (she/they) has extensive experience as an actor, tech, designer, producer, playwright, and director, and is the Artistic and Managing Director of the WatermelonAlligator Theatre Company. An experienced actor-combatant, Jess frequently works as an Intimacy Director, Fight Captain, and Safety Coordinator for stage and film. An adjunct professor in Performing Arts at Cape Cod Community College, Jess is an accomplished author, consultant, executive coach, teaching artist, and professional speaker who travels globally delivering talks on a wide range of theatre disciplines, healthcare, leadership, and humanitarian topics. Recent appearances include the Kennedy Center’s American College Theater Festival Region 1 Annual Conference (Basics of Inclusive Intimacy Practices, Trauma-Informed Spaces, and Improv Masterclass) and Tilden Arts Center’s Masterclass series (Yes, And…Now What? & So You Wanna Fight?).

Recent industry credits include Director and Intimacy Director (The Final Say; O’Neill Festival Of New Works), Director and Intimacy Director (The Way It Is; WATC), Intimacy Director (Eurydice; Wellesley College), Intimacy Director (Flyin’ West; Wellesley College), Intimacy Director (The Lost Weekend; Flying Card Productions), Co-Director (The Brothers Grimm Spectaculation; WATC), Intimacy Director and Fight Captain (Victor/Victoria; Cotuit Center for the Arts), Director (Seminar and Fat Pig; WATC), and Intimacy Director and Fight Captain (Magnolia Flowers; Strange Place Productions). Recent acting credits include Dust Walker (Belles; Marion Art Center), 911 Operator/Dr. Morgan Lewis (Teacher of the Year; Jim Dalglish Productions), Meredith (Comic Book Junkies) and Debra (Far From Perfect: Life Within A Global Pandemic) with IM Filmworks, Ruth (Miracle On South Division Street), Narrator 1 (The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon), Alex (Church & State), and Laurie (Lopsided) with WatermelonAlligator Theatre Company at Cotuit Center for the Arts, Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing; Midsummer Shakespeare/The Glass Horse Project), and Lyn (Broken; Danu Pictures). Notable past performances include Helen (Fat Pig), Macbeth (Macbeth), Prospera (The Tempest), Titania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), M’Lynn (Steel Magnolias), Dogberry (Much Ado About Nothing), and Megan in the world premiere of EA Kafkalas’ Lopsided (CCSC).