Congrats you gorgeous babes! You have completed 8 weeks of level 2 improv classes and it has come to THIS. Fly high, beautiful birds.
The Level 2 Improv Students open follows the TNM NOLA Mashup – $5 for both shows.
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6:00p Level 1 Improv (week 2)
Level 1: Introduction to Improv $150
Our introductory level of improv familiarizes students with the fundamentals and vocabulary of long form improvisation. We believe that students best learn by experience and by example. Therefore, we begin playing on stage on day one of classes. Our students learn specific skills to help them make the most fun and interesting choices at the top of the scene. All students are encouraged to attend TNM shows and events (all shows free for students!) and see for themselves what we mean when we say “if we treat each other like rock stars or geniuses on stage, that’s what we’ll be.”
11:00p Level Five Graduation Recital
Such a joyous celebration! A grand total of 5 levels of training, countless hours at shows, and so many multiples of 7 things all culminating in this one night. After this, they are out of the TNM nest, quietly pecking out the eyes of whoever they see fit. In all seriousness, this is a wonderful occasion. If the math is correct, it has been something like 10 months of dedication and commitment. In that 10 months friendships have been made and breakthroughs broken. Dry eyes are welcome but not encouraged. This show will be packed so get there early.
11:00p.
$5
Tension + Silence with Milo
Everyone needs to work on mastering silence and tension on stage. It’s a skill we don’t focus on enough as improvisers. We’re always going going going so fast through our scenes we sometime get off stage and are all like “….wait….what were we doing in those scenes…?”
This month’s improv workshop series is all about using silence and tension for heartier laughs. Get them at the edge of their seat and delight them with what you say next. Give your words and actions more power and significance than you ever thought possible! Meet Milo at RLM for three Thursdays on 14th, 21st, and 28th to explore this rarely used and powerful tool.
$10 per class, space limited – email nelson DOT tami AT gmail DOT com to save your spot.
Fanatic Feature: Vanessa Heightens
Imagine this: You’re driving down that comfortable road called life, the windows rolled down, cool breeze running through your hair- everything seems to be on the right track. And then suddenly-BOOM! Improv hits you and you don’t know how it happened. Vanessa Gonzalez, comic veteran and TNM all-star, had a similar “run in” with improv and all its wonder, starting with the Megaphone Show, which quickly led her to jump into improv headfirst with classes at TNM. Her super funny troupe, HandBomb, is set to tear up Austin’s stage all July long, and with a future of improv on the horizon, it’s hard to pin Vanessa down. Let’s meet the improviser!
How did you first get involved with The New Movement?
Dan Grimm asked Danu Uribe, Javier Smith and I to be the monologists in the Megaphone Show on Cinco de Mayo. I knew very little about The New Movement, all I knew was that I had to show up and tell some stories about being Mexican. I was completely blown away by that Megaphone Show cast and how funny and playful they were together. I thought to myself, “Fuck! I wanna do that.” It wasn’t even a week later, I emailed Danu and Javier saying, “I’m taking improv classes. Who’s with me?” And the rest, as they say, is history.
What classes are you currently taking at TNM?
I am a proud TNM alum.
When can we see you next at TNM?
You can see me every Wednesday night in TNM’s Megaphone Show @ 9:30p and Hand Bomb will hold the residency slot every Thursday night in July.
What is your favorite scene you’ve seen at TNM?
One scene that I’ve never forgotten is a scene from TNM’s 2nd ever Level 5 Graduation Show. It was a scene with J.P.R. and Alex Berry. J.P.R. was a chicken that was tired of living on a farm and wanted to move to the big city to peruse his dreams. Alex was J.P.R.’s Momma Hen and convinced that his big city dreams were just foolishness. What was most funny about this scene was their physicality and how committed they were to becoming these chickens. It still makes me laugh when I think about it.
Do you have an improv motto?
If you feel like a badass on stage, you will be a badass on stage. Own it.
Also, ”Heighten or die!” -Shyla Ray. Love that.
“Chris and Tami live and breathe the art form and have built their own language of improv, a style characteristic of The New Movement.” – The Austin-American Statesman