Back by popular demand, Stage 773's Improv with the Masters now open for Spring Registration

After sold out sessions in 2014, Improv with the Masters’ Spring Session kicks off Tuesday, March 24 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont. Known for enriching and uniting Chicago’s theater community, Stage 773 will offer students the rare opportunity to work with eight of Chicago’s leading instructors from renowned comedy institutions every Tuesday night from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., March 24 through May 12. (Registration costs $350).

Throughout the eight-week session, top-notch instructors will share their skills and industry knowledge to students in the three-hour creative and inspirational master classes. From The Second City to iO Chicago, directors, actors, comedians and instructors from every major Chicago comedy establishment will bring their unique skillset and industry perspective each week to give students a rich, all-encompassing, knowledgeable experience.

“This class is a must to take! Each teacher is hand selected and an expert in their craft,” says Stage 773 Creative Director Brian Posen. “A student will get an incredible experience because each teacher will come in with their very best class plan focusing on their expertise and the class plans that excited them the most. The experience is exceptional.”

Master instructors include Rachael Mason, Head of Advanced Improvisation at The Second City; Michael Gellman, senior faculty member at The Second City and Victory Gardens Training Centers; Matt Elwell, President and CEO of ComedySportz of Chicago, Inc.; Dean Evans, actor, comedian, writer and director who was recently named one of NewCity’s top 50 ‘players’; Dave Asher Music Director of The iO since 2006; Ryan Archibald, who has written and performed seven revues for Boom! Chicago in Amsterdam, and teaches and directs at The Second City and iO Theater; Janna Sobel, Acting, Improv and Storytelling instructor at The Second City, The University of Chicago Lab School, Francis Xavier Ward School, The Old Town School of Folk Music, and Mudlark Theater Company; and Jimmy Carrane, host of Improv Nerd and co-author of Improvising Better: A Guide to the Working Improviser.

“Improv with the Masters was a great experience. It taught me to support others by taking care of myself. It also taught me how to let go of those insecurities and fears of doing it wrong. There is no wrong! Just have confidence in yourself. Relax!” says former student Jourdan Bremmer. “I recommend this class to get outside your comfort zone. You learn new tactics for success while you play with new people under the direction of some outstanding teachers!”

Future master class dates are July 14 through August 25 (Summer Session) and October 6 through November 17 (Fall Session). To register for classes, simply visit http://bit.ly/181tJkA or call Amanda Jane Long at 773.929.7367, X110.

About Stage 773

Stage 773 is a four-theater performance and facility anchoring the Belmont Theater District in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. Every year, it brings together more than 75,000 patrons with 5,000 artists in productions that range from low-budget, intimate shows to the largest sketch comedy festival in the nation. Stage 773 presents accessible, affordable, and exceptional entertainment, as well as opportunities for artists to develop through continuing education and programs. As a tenant facility, Stage 773 provides material, technical, organizational, and emotional support to artists and administrators.