Micah Philbrook: Playing Faster and Stronger

This course consists of two halves that build on each other. The first section is on quick scene creation, and the second is on quick but rich character development.  In a lot of today's improvised theatre offerings, fast paced montage formats are very common. A misconception is that faster play equals weaker or less "longform-y" improv. pH productions specializes in fast paced long form improv, and we believe that faster does not equal weaker just as slower does not equal better. Instead, both are viable playing styles with their own strengths and weaknesses. This workshop is designed to give improvisors the tools needed to excel at faster scene play. In part one, improvisors learn the pH production method of quick scene creation, Platform Tilt Resolution. Using this technique, performers can quickly get to the "what" of a scene, allowing more time to explore and heighten, thereby having more discoveries, while still serving as a quality scene in a faster paced show format. In part two, performers will learn the Attribute Trinity method of character generation, focusing on aspects of body, mind, and voice, to create strong, engaging, believable characters on the fly. At the end of the workshop, improvisors will be able to play faster, with more confidence in their content creation as well as their character generation, leading to stronger more developed scene work.

raised in the deep south of baton rouge, louisiana, micah has studied theatre since the tender age of ten. he moved to chicago in late ninety nine to pursue the art of improvisational theatre, where he completed the training centers at the improv Olympic, the Annoyance, and the Second City Conservatory. micah can be seen regularly with the harold team Athens, intermittently with the independent quintet The New American All-Stars, and rarely with the internationally acclaimed duo !ATTENÇION! most importantly, micah is a founding member of pH Productions and is proud to play with the best crew in town, pH.