Low Concept
Improvisational comedy in the ‘classic’ style,
Without any high concept genres, themes, or existing I.P.
Registration to participate in Low Concept is now closed.
Please hit the “Contact Us” button below to receive the email blast when we promote our shows in October ’23
Our focus is a fun, high quality show, centered around strong, scenic improvisation.
We’ll develop this show in ~10 workshop sessions.
Followed by a month-long run of one-hour shows.
In-person rehearsals and shows take place in Midtown Manhattan.
We’re casting the show based on three simple points:
IF you want to develop and play in a run of improvised performances,
AND you can attend ~80% of the scheduled rehearsals and shows,
AND you’re ready for a collaborative, team atmosphere of respect and support:
THEN you are invited to play with us in Low Concept.
Big Details:
What’s the Schedule?
We have a Manhattan space booked on Tuesday evenings starting on 8/29, through 11/7 (Halloween is TBD).
8/29 through 10/10 we’ll have in-person rehearsals on Tuesdays 6:30p-9:30p
We’ll add a few additional zoom meetings for workshopping specific skills. Nights and timing will be based on the company’s availability and preference.
These zoom meetings will be scheduled with company input.
10/17-11/7 Tuesday Night Improv Shows open to the public!
What’s the commitment?
We have 10 rehearsals scheduled, an interested player should be able to commit to at least 7 of them.
We have 4 performances scheduled, an interested player should be able to commit to at least 3 of them.
Is this a production or a workshop or a class?
It’s a bit of a hybrid. The focus is on producing a quality show, but the process includes developing skills and focusing on the positive experience of the company in the way a workshop or class might. Players with little or no experience are encouraged to join, as are old salts.
What’s a Reverse Audition?
Everyone at the reverse-audition is already invited into the project, it’s up to you to choose if you want to join us.
You’re not coming on 8/29 to impress anyone or prove yourself or show off or win!
You’re just coming to work and play and to subsequently decide if you think you’ll get anything out of our version of that process.
The thesis being that a committed team with a shared focus and logistical alignment is better able to produce a quality show than a group assembled based merely on similar training, experience levels, or audition-skill.
We’ll run this first meeting as a relatively typical workshop/rehearsal session, giving you a solid taste of our process, style, and vibe.
Some of y’all will love our style, some will accept it, and some won’t be into it at all.
Those of you in the last group get to breathe a sigh of relief that you haven’t committed to a whole production! It’s just the reverse audition.
What about money?
Sorry.
This production/workshop is running with no budget,
and there’s no pay/no fee for participating.
Everyone working on this is volunteering, nobody is making any money.
In the most optimistic of scenarios there might be a small profit from ticket sales after expenses (finances will be transparent), but at best this will resemble a small travel stipend. So it’s best to just think of this as a pure community gig.
Who should join?
- Actors who want to beef up their improv skills.
- Musicians who want to beef up their acting skills.
- Musicians who want to play music with improv theater.
- Dancers who want to beef up their acting skills.
- Improvisers who want to develop a show from scratch.
- Improvisers who want to play a full-run of full-length performances.
- Improvisers who want to focus on the WORK without politics or off-stage drama.
- “Civilians” who haven’t done any of the above, but want to!
For players seeking a less intense,
drop-in-and-out vibe, we strongly recommend
Artistic New Directions’ PWYW Improv Classes.
It’s also on Tuesdays
It’s also in Midtown
It’s also run by a >30 year veteran of improvisation and theater.
(Scotty Watson is also the nicest guy EVER and a great improviser.
We taught together ages ago at Second City)
Tell them Rob from Amnesia Wars sent you.
Some players want every possible piece of info they can get before considering a project and others just want the basics.
If you’re one of the latter group, don’t stress about feeling responsible for any of the info below this line.
Make sure you’ve seen the SCHEDULE and COMMITMENT sections above and everything else is gravy.
Finer Details & FAQ:
What’s “Classic Improv” vs … not classic?
For the past few years Amnesia Wars has been focused on Avant Prov performances and art installations.
Avant Prov is an unorthodox improvisational style focused on aesthetics and emotional interaction; we make little or no attempt to create scenes or conventional characters like we might in “classic” improvisation.
Avant Prov is also known for heavily incorporating music, movement, visual arts, and theatrical production elements as equal contributions to the event.
“Classic” improvisation is what we’re calling the more widely known longform and shortform styles based in character interaction and scenework.
What will the development process & shows be like?
We will be training heavily in basic improvisational scenework, Harold based longform, and games.
(It’s kind of an intensely advanced Level I Class!)
Players new to this sort of work will be guided into it step by step.
More experienced improvisers might not gain much new information from this process, but this is about the experience of working together.
A mass of information has never made anyone a better artist.
The performances will be full ~hour-long shows. The exact structure is TBD based on what we develop together.
The run will be 4 weeks (plus two previews) of performances, open to the public and supported by Amnesia Wars’ press agent.
What if I don’t know what Harold / longform / shortform mean?
These are names for styles and structures of theatrical improvisation. If you’re not already familiar with those terms it’s fine.
You will be.
you
WILL BE!
What experience do I need?
NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE IS NEEDED!
Veterans of any performance style are very welcome but no specific background is required.
We ask you to bring a desire to learn (especially for vets) and an ability to commit to the schedule.
Even Finer Details
What happens next?
Click on the “JOIN US“ button above and put your name on the list.
We will hold an informational zoom meeting for interested players in mid-August.
Then Tuesday evening 8/29 will be a sort of reverse-audition, where we’ll run a fairly typical workshop. At that point people who like our style and vibe will be invited into the rest of the process, those who don’t will self-eliminate.
I would like to try it, but I’m not quick on my feet.
OR: I’m afraid of being stuck and not knowing what to say.
This is a natural concern since much improvisation seems to be based totally upon quick-clever repartee.
While speed is indeed a valuable tool in our kits, it’s not what our style is based on. Cleverness is not a goal for us. Our training will give everyone the tools to organically build scenes, characters, relationships, and worlds on stage.
It’s a little work and a lot of fun.
Will the audience see a character on the stage or just me saying silly things?
Probably a little of both! In a this “classic” style, it’s most common for each performer to play one or several characters through the course of a set, and also contribute moments of pure silliness.
Why cross level training?
Our participants are a mix of beginning, intermediate, and experienced improvisers, all learning from each others’ work with familiar and new exercises, techniques, and theories.
At Amnesia Wars we believe it’s counterproductive to separate experienced players from new ones. Veterans can learn a great deal from seeing a rookie attack a challenge with new eyes, and of course it’s a benefit for new players to work with seasoned pros.
Who’s running this show?
Rob Reese is a New York based Teacher, Director, and Playwright working in improvisation, plays, musicals, opera and performance art. He originally studied improvisation at Chicago’s Second City, Improv Olympic, and Annoyance theaters under Del Close, Mick Napier, Martin DeMaat, and all the other famous names. He was subsequently a faculty member of the Second City Training Center in New York, as well as The education director for The Treehouse Theater and Amnesia Wars Productions. Rob has taught and mounted theater in a score of countries on five continents, and is a member of the Indie Theater Hall of Fame.
Reese’s most recent project was Experiments in Opera’s Anthony Braxton Theater Improvisations. Read the NYTimes Review here.