Blue film photo of Mary looking off camera with a smile. Overlay text BIPOC Improv and the number 1
BIPOC Intro to Improv Comedy
PRICE: FREE to accepted applicants
DAY/TIME: Sundays, 11am - 1pm (2 hours)
DATE RANGE: 8 weeks. 4/9, 4/16, 4/23, 4/30, 5/7, 5/14, 5/21, 6/4 (*skip Memorial Day 5/27)
LOCATION: 6118 SE Belmont Portland, OR 97215
PREREQUISITE: None Required
CLASS DESCRIPTION:
This intro to improv comedy class is exclusive to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) students! Over 8 weeks you’ll learn the foundations of the Kickstand improv philosophy like how to listen, how to “yes and” your classmates’ ideas, and how to identify and hone your comedic voice--all in a fun and nonjudgmental space. Whether you have years of acting experience or have never cracked a joke, whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert, all backgrounds are welcome. This class is a space for you to blow off steam, meet new people, stretch yourself creatively, and learn a new skill!
Apply by Monday 3/20/2023.
Instructor:
Mary C. Parker is a performer, applied theater facilitator, and independent international scholar. As a performer, Mary has performed improv comedy on Portland, OR, London, UK, and Pittsburgh, PA teams in 175+ in-person shows including the Improv Festivus (Richmond, VA), Edinburgh Improv Festival (Scotland), Pittsburgh Comedy Festival (Pittsburgh, PA), and 2nd Best Fest (Richmond, VA). Her online improv has reached global audiences with over 6,300 views.
In her applied theater work, Mary employs humor to deepen humility and disrupt fragility, one laugh at a time using a praxis of applied improvisation, playback theater, and theatre of the oppressed. As an international scholar, Mary has been on Faculty at Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama and Point Park Conservatory of Performing Arts and has researched and published on identity, comedy, and structural racism. In 2022 she was awarded a Frank-Ratchye Fund For Art @ the Frontier Grant to document and research the history of Black improv.
Mary earned an MA in Applied Theatre, is a credentialed International Coach Federation (ICF) Professional Coach, and is soon to be a Certified Humor Professional (CHP) through the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor (AATH). More at www.marycparker.com