Theatre Classes & Workshops

Company of Fools continually strives to engage community members (adults and teens) in the theatre arts by offering a wide variety of dynamic arts-in-education programming. Classes are offered periodically and include everything from short “Creative Jump-in experiences to intensive weeklong workshops on topics such as improvisation, set design and movement.


Upcoming Theatre Classes & Workshops

COMPANY OF FOOLS INTENSIVES 3-DAY WORKSHOP SERIES: Improvisational Comedy with Andrew Beck of No Filter Improv

Thursday, March 12, 6:00 pm

This workshop is an introduction to group and team improvisational comedy, covering spontaneity, group focus, ensemble building, narrative skills and how to identify and exploit patterns and connections between ideas that help create brilliant and hilarious improv comedy. Participants will learn basic and int...

COMPANY OF FOOLS INTENSIVES 3-DAY WORKSHOP SERIES: Restoration Comedy: Acting Styles with Scott Palmer

Friday, November 8, 6:00 pm

During his career, CoF’s Producing Artistic Director has directed more than a dozen Restoration-era comedies. As a physical acting style, Restoration Comedy is a challenging, intellectual, and hyper-stylized approach to movement, interaction, tension, character, and comedy. In this workshop, participants wi...

COMPANY OF FOOLS INTENSIVES 3-DAY WORKSHOP SERIES: Shakespearean Analysis For Actors with Scott Palmer

Friday, August 23, 6:00 pm

CoF’s new Producing Artistic Director Scott Palmer has more than 20 years’ experience with classical text, heightened language, and Shakespearean verse. In this workshop, participants will be asked to analyze 20 lines of Shakespearean iambic pentameter to mine the Bard’s verse for hints, clues, and expl...

COMPANY OF FOOLS: Workshop Intensives: Migration Theory

Friday, April 12, 6:30 pm

As part of Company of Fools commitment to the craft of theatre, we are proud to present the first in a series of skill building workshops for performers, artists, theatre practitioners, actors, and those with a passion for live theatre. Company of Fools Intensives will bring experts and trainers from across t...

TEEN WORKSHOP: Don’t Eat that Food! Creating Theatre Props

Saturday, January 28, 12:00 pm

This two-day prop making workshop will explore the magic of designing and creating a world of theatrical make-believe. Designed especially for teens, workshop participants will learn the secrets of making realistic props for the stage and use a variety of methods and materials to create their own large and...

Set Design: Into the Set, Into the Woods with Joe Lavigne

Tuesday, October 28, 6:30 pm

The Center is pleased to present a special opportunity to learn about set design with Company of Fools Production Manager Joe Lavigne as part of its larger multidisciplinary project – Forests, Foraging and Fire. Lavigne, who has designed sets for Company of Fools since 2006, will lead students through the d...

Set Design: Into the Woods, Into the Set, with Joe Lavigne

Tuesday, October 21, 6:00 pm

The Center is pleased to present a special opportunity to learn about set design with Company of Fools Production Manager Joe Lavigne as part of its BIG IDEA multidisciplinary project – Forests, Foraging and Fire. Lavigne, who has designed sets for Company of Fools since 2006, will lead students through the...

Creative Jump In with the Fools: The Magic of Saying “Yes, and…” with Scott Creighton

Monday, July 21, 6:30 pm

Fifteen years as a professional improviser in Seattle taught me, and my fellow improvisers, that saying “yes” on stage was the key to creating spontaneous theater. “Yes, and…” is the motto of improvisers around the world. It is the spark that ignites fun, energizing, and wonderfully humorous theatri...

Creative Jump In with the Fools: Hot Fun in the Summertime Improv Jam with Andrew Alburger

Monday, July 14, 1:00 pm

This 2 day JUMP-IN! is a Summer Improvisation Smorgasbord.  We've got games, stories, scenes, characters, freezes, emotions, everything from a to z, including the game A to Z! Guaranteed to laugh while you Learn. Andrew Alburger has worked as both an actor and teacher with Company of Fools since 2001. He ...

Creative Jump-in with the Fools: Voice Acting with Irene Ziegler

Monday, July 7, 1:00 pm

This class will introduce you to the many types of voiceover opportunities available, get you comfortable behind a microphone, and help you put together a demo in a diverse range of voiceover styles, from announcers to characters. Irene Ziegler has been in the voiceover business for thirty years, and was m...

Springtime for Improv in Idaho

Monday, April 7, 6:30 pm

Spring is coming - a time when birds are singing, flowers are blooming, and your creative juices are flowing. What better time for Andrew's Springtime Improv Class? A 6 week tour of improvisation: games, scenes, characters, stories, freezes, quick thinking, bell ringing, and things we make up on the spot.  T...

Creating a Scene: An Introduction to Set Design with Joe Lavigne from Company of Fools (part 4)

Thursday, November 14, 6:00 pm

This class will explore the design process for creating a set on a theatre stage. By using the play The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams as the basis, students will explore through visual research, script analysis and imagination, the process of scenic design culminating in the creation of either a set m...

Creating a Scene: An Introduction to Set Design with Joe Lavigne from Company of Fools (part 3)

Tuesday, November 12, 6:00 pm

This class will explore the design process for creating a set on a theatre stage. By using the play The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams as the basis, students will explore through visual research, script analysis and imagination, the process of scenic design culminating in the creation of either a set m...

Creating a Scene: An Introduction to Set Design with Joe Lavigne from Company of Fools (part 2)

Thursday, November 7, 6:00 pm

This class will explore the design process for creating a set on a theatre stage. By using the play The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams as the basis, students will explore through visual research, script analysis and imagination, the process of scenic design culminating in the creation of either a set m...

Creating a Scene: An Introduction to Set Design with Joe Lavigne from Company of Fools (part 1)

Tuesday, November 5, 6:00 pm

This class will explore the design process for creating a set on a theatre stage. By using the play The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams as the basis, students will explore through visual research, script analysis and imagination, the process of scenic design culminating in the creation of either a set m...

Creative Jump-IN!: Creative Listening

Thursday, July 25, 1:00 pm

One of the secrets of acting is “active listening.”  In this class we will explore a diverse and fun array of improvisational games that will heighten your listening skills. There’s no need to worry about what you’re going to say on stage because listening is the key!  This class is active, engagin...

Creative Jump-IN!: Learning Your “5-6-7-8s” and Your “Do-Re-Mis”, Day 2

Wednesday, July 24, 1:00 pm

No need to fear the audition, the first music rehearsal, or the choreographer! This two-day class takes you into the rehearsal hall to prepare an actual song. R.L. and Melodie will use the practical preparation of songs with choreography to demonstrate the techniques and attitudes needed to quiet the noise an...

Creative Jump-IN!: Learning Your “5-6-7-8s” and Your “Do-Re-Mis”, Day 1

Tuesday, July 23, 1:00 pm

No need to fear the audition, the first music rehearsal, or the choreographer! This two-day class takes you into the rehearsal hall to prepare an actual song. R.L. and Melodie will use the practical preparation of songs with choreography to demonstrate the techniques and attitudes needed to quiet the noise an...

Creative Jump-IN: The Audition

Monday, July 22, 1:00 pm

This class is a 2-hour mock audition. We’ll use assigned sides, monologues you prepare, and other text to work through various real-world audition scenarios. You’ll learn to focus on the work instead of “what they think of you.” You’ll bring characters to life, freely and with joy, while casting peo...

Creative Jump-IN!: Putting it Together: Moving as You’re Singing

Wednesday, July 17, 1:00 pm

Love to dance but afraid to sing? Love to sing but don’t know what to do with your feet? Never done either but think it might be fun? Join R.L. and Melodie for a quick “down and dirty” session on music and dance. Explore your hidden talents! We’ll sing, dance, and laugh a lot. Teachers:  R.L. Rows...

Creative Jump-IN!: If a Tree Falls Down in the Forest…

Monday, July 15, 1:00 pm

You’ve heard the age-old question—if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound? In this class we will explore the creative process and when art truly becomes… art. If no one sees it or hears it, is it still art? Teacher:  Jana Arnold Creative Jump-IN!s...

Creative Jump-IN!: Creating Your Own Monologue

Friday, July 12, 1:00 pm

Do you have a story to tell? Together we’ll find your voice and get it onto the page. In this class you will explore writing and performing your very own monologue. We will focus on various writing strategies and performance techniques to create a piece that is truly one-of-a-kind. Teacher:  Joel Vilin...

TRUE LIES: Monologues Unmasked, Day 3

Friday, June 28, 1:00 pm

This three-day workshop seeks to introduce actors to a more personal approach to text—the monologue (one person talking to another person, or group). Participants will choose a monologue they feel connected with from a play, story, or novel. It should be familiar, but it does not need to be memorized. Pleas...

TRUE LIES: Monologues Unmasked, Day 2

Thursday, June 27, 1:00 pm

This three-day workshop seeks to introduce actors to a more personal approach to text—the monologue (one person talking to another person, or group). Participants will choose a monologue they feel connected with from a play, story, or novel. It should be familiar, but it does not need to be memorized. Pleas...

TRUE LIES: Monologues Unmasked, Day 1

Wednesday, June 26, 1:00 pm

This three-day workshop seeks to introduce actors to a more personal approach to text—the monologue (one person talking to another person, or group). Participants will choose a monologue they feel connected with from a play, story, or novel. It should be familiar, but it does not need to be memorized. Pleas...

Creative Jump-IN!: Character Building Blocks

Monday, June 24, 1:00 pm

This class will explore fun ways to help build a character. Delving into the details that create who we are as individuals is a process of exciting discovery. Using text and a variety of exercises, we will play with different ways to find and build a character. Teacher:  Claudia McCain Creative Jump-IN...

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