Pattern and Game with Nathan

Early bird available until 11th May.

About these classes:

Find the game, find the funny.

You’re onstage with your scene partner. You’ve started a scene. You found a funny thing. Now what? In Pattern & Game, we’ll see how characters, emotions, and repetition can create unique and interesting dynamics - and how we can explore and heighten those dynamics to create compelling, funny scenes. The core concept here is the Upright Citizens Brigade’s notion of a game - a repeated pattern of unusual (but grounded) behaviour within a scene. Pattern & Game also bridges intermediate-level formats like The Montage to advanced formats like The Harold. The term will culminate in a format that combines elements of both.

We require completion of Intro to Improv or an equivalent introductory course before undertaking this class. Our advanced classes are intended to be taken in any order, and we encourage students to learn with different teachers to find which styles and techniques work best for them.

Classes are capped at 16 participants to ensure that everyone gets plenty of time to play.

Only the Human places a high value on community, diversity and inclusion. We endeavour to create a safe space where people can explore comedy without fear of oppression or discrimination. Women, people of colour, non-binary, differently abled and other folx are highly encouraged to take our classes. Learn more about diversity & inclusion at OTH. If you’re unsure whether or not this class is for you, feel free to email us directly at hello@othcomedy.com to discuss your needs.

The details:

Dates: Weekly every Tuesday from 14th of May until 2nd of July, with a graduation performance on the 9th of July.

Times: Classes run for 2 hours, from 6:00 - 8:00pm.

Where: North Perth Lesser Hall (24 View St, North Perth)

Teacher: Nathan Blumenthal.

FAQ:

What can I expect to learn in this series of classes?

The first part of the term focuses on entering scenes with a gift to yourself: an emotion, a physicality or a simple character choice. Then we’ll work on how you and your scene partner can interact to heighten those choices and find the funny through repetition. By following the idea of ‘if this is true, what else is true?’ we can take a scene to absurd heights through small, logical steps. We’ll combine all this into a unique format that combines elements of The Montage and The Harold, and includes callbacks, characters and strong emotional responses.

How do the advanced classes work?

In 2022, we expanded our advanced curriculum so that each senior teacher teaches a unique class.

The advanced classes are intended to be inclusive of both recent Intro to Improv graduates and intermediate improvisers looking to deepen their experience. Players will develop a solid grounding in improvisation by taking an introductory course and any one advanced course. For players who want to go further, they can take additional advanced courses to explore advanced improvisation in more depth. Ultimately, we encourage students to find what works for them by continually learning and experimenting.

A player who has completed several advanced classes will be equipped to tackle more advanced formats like The Harold.

Do I need to have done an introductory class with Only the Human to take an advanced class?

Whilst our introductory and intermediate courses provide the best foundation for our advanced courses, equivalent experience from elsewhere is sufficient. Generally, we recommend that you’ve had at least 20 hours of instruction in improv training. If you’re new to us, make sure you’re fully across our conditions of participation.

Do you offer any payment plans?

If you’d like to register but cannot afford the up front cost, we can register you with a deposit of 50% to be paid upfront, with the remaining balance due by week 5. These plans are offered on a no questions asked basis - just enter the code “PLAN” at checkout and the discount will be applied automatically. We will then email you in Week 4 to seek the remaining payment directly through bank transfer.

Do you offer scholarships?

Each term we offer two partial scholarships to students who face marginalisation, discrimination or financial hardship. These scholarships enable students who are struggling to take the course for half price. These scholarships are offered on a no questions asked basis - just enter the code “HELPPAG” at checkout and the discount will be applied automatically.