Musical Improv

This workshop is good for anyone from the beginner who doesn't feel comfortable singing to the expert who loves to sing. If your goal is to improve, you will. Exercises cover the range from group sonic explorations to solo songs that rhyme. The focus is on applying the basic long form tools of agreement and group mind to the realm of music. This is a very organic connection. Finding the games of things, making patterns, keeping a rhythm, and supporting your teammate's moves are essential to good improv and become even more relevant when the stakes are heightened to the point that music becomes necessary.

Time: Fridays, 6pm to 8pm, Length: Four weeks long starting 1/23, Cost: $75, 15 students max, Instructor: Dave Asher

Dave Asher graduated with a BA in Drama from Northwestern University in 1999. At Northwestern, he performed in its sketch-improv group The Mee-Ow Show (1999) as well as in The Titanic Players troupe (1996-1997). While in school, he took the iO classes and then performed on the iO house team Valhalla from 1996 to 1999. After graduation in ‘99, he moved to Amsterdam in The Netherlands to perform improv and sketch in Boom! Chicago (1999-2004). In addition to hundreds of shows in the 300 seat home theater, he did Boom! shows at private events, music festivals, universities, and a week on the Second City main stage as part of the Comedy Swap in 2002. Dave returned to Chicago in 2004. He joined the company of Child’s Play Touring Theater and toured the country performing adaptations of stories and poems written by children (2005-2006). Dave has also worked in improv as a musician. He music directed with The Second City National Touring Company (2004) and has been the Music Director of The iO since 2006 (That’s over 2000 Harolds!). As an improv teacher, he has taught classes and workshops at iO since 2006. He coached the harold team The Republic (2007-2008) and is currently the director of the iO musical house team The Del Tones. At Northwestern, he taught improv to theater majors. In Amsterdam, he served as Boom! Chicago’s head improv instructor for two years, training improv hopefuls as well as businessmen and women having their first taste of improv presented as team building.

Call the iO Training Center at 773-880-9993 to register