【MUKA Training : Acting Workshop】Improvisational Comedy (Intermediate Level)
(Third Class)
Workshop Dates: September 5th to 6th, 2020 (Saturday to Sunday)
Workshop Hours: 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM
Venue: The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre
Language of Instruction: Mandarin
/ Course Overview
Do you love comedy? Do you have comedic talent? Want to become a comedian? Interested in exploring your comedic potential? Want to be both intellectually and emotionally intelligent? Desire to be a highly humorous individual in everyday life? Eager to enhance your on-the-spot improvisational skills? Curious about the secrets of comedic performances? Interested in understanding the differences between advanced and basic comedy? Ready to take on the challenge of a crazy marathon of continuous comedic training? Comedy is harder to perform than tragedy, and cultivating comedic talent is among the most challenging. Poker-faced humorists, joke tellers, expression kings, and exaggerated actions… Which category do you belong to? Want to test your comedic cells? If you’re naturally gifted with comedic cells, please join the class. After all, even talent needs to be refined through performance to shine brightly as a super comedy star in the eyes of others!
This improvisational comedy course is distinct from the typical improvisational performance training as it’s not solely focused on individual improvisational ability. This course is designed by integrating American improvisational comedy training and Stanislavski’s acting system. The training aims to cultivate advanced comedy actors for film and theater performances, mold personalized comedic characters, and unleash actors’ creative instincts.
/ Suitable for
【Age】18 years and above
Ideal for those wanting to test their comedic cells, individuals interested in improvisational comedy performances, and those aspiring to become advanced comedy actors (suitable for both film and theater performance artists).
/ Previous Participants’ Feedback
Improvisational comedy and comedic acting are two completely different categories. Comedians make audiences laugh based on scripts and acting skills, whereas improvisational comedy primarily tests actors’ on-the-spot responsiveness, as well as their own cultivation and knowledge. Within a few seconds, actors must provide responses that adhere to prescribed scenarios, make sense, and propel the plot forward. Every second, the mind is intensely engaged. Improvisation is like a drug. Once you’ve tried it, felt its fun, I believe no actor can resist. Because improvisation repeatedly propels you into the unknown. Only by believing and listening to your partner can you both find an enjoyable path and accomplish the improvisational “comedy” task. As the director said, it helps rediscover the “fire” within, allowing characters to “live” on stage. – 1st Batch Student: Tan Li yang
Participating in the two-day, seven-hour improvisational comedy class not only made me realize my deficiencies in overall abilities but also taught me to embrace risk, face the unknown bravely, enjoy life, and learn to be a better person. It’s like a life philosophy class! When facing the unknown, fear, anxiety, and dread arise. Why? It can be summed up as:
1) Fear of failure/lack of cognitive response patterns;
2) Fear of change/being changed. The improvisational comedy class taught by Director Dr.Deric encourages us to let go of ourselves, accept our partner’s information, add new information, and create new plots, allowing the story to develop. Isn’t this teaching us how to establish effective communication with others? Predetermined ideas can cause problems for each other. Maybe it won’t lead things in the direction you expect, but it can lead to a better direction. This is the charm of improvisational performance. Not striving for perfection, not reinforcing personal will, but rather listening to and trusting others yields unexpected results. – 1st Batch Student: Paige Chan
I am someone who’s easily scared of the unknown. Improvisation is an exploration of the unknown. Only by facing fear can you learn to cope with it. No one knows how a situation will develop, and you’re immediately on stage when you draw a topic. Actors who are accustomed to scripts often become nervous due to a lack of reliance, and can only believe in themselves and their partner. In the moment, actors must employ their various skills to respond to various difficulties, which is quite mentally taxing. Being “stripped” by improvisational performance also makes you feel particularly exposed. Learning improvisational comedy is not just about mastering comedic performance techniques; it’s more about learning how to become an interesting person in life and maintaining that sense of play on stage. I used to think that I was just going to be an interesting person by understanding the nature of a character, but Director Dr.Deric said, “If you think like that, you’re done for.” This was the most frequently uttered phrase during the 16 hours of teaching. Indeed, you can’t just think; you have to think, consider, imagine, create, confirm, practice, and try! – 1st Batch Student: Lernnard Oung
Even though I’m not the organizer, I’m still very happy to see everyone’s transformation—brave and liberated! Just perform! Many people said it wasn’t enough, they wanted more. I think this workshop was very successful! – 1st Batch Student: Koy Han Lian
The director’s training miraculously connected what I’ve previously learned and experienced in an orderly manner. After the first day of class, I realized I was reborn, my eyes were opened. So, that’s what it is. My past experiences and learning haven’t been in vain; they just haven’t been connected yet. – 1st Batch Student: Freeman Chin