Philly Improv Theater

A Full Day of Musical Improv with Casey Watts and Brian Young!

In the morning, learn to sing as an improv a cappella group, and in the afternoon, explore lyrics for every holiday you can imagine. Each workshop compliments the other, but they also offer unique challenges and tools.

We’ll send you home with a copy of all of the games and exercises, so you have the tools to keep practicing and exploring your creativity after the event.

Musical improv is accessible to everyone! No prior experience is needed. Through a series of engaging exercises that build on each other, you’ll grasp the core principles of improv: the essential “yes, and.” Additionally, you’ll learn the fundamentals of crafting lyrics, understanding rhythm, and developing pitch, ensuring you feel confident and ready to create music.

If you already have improv experience, this is the place to practice commitment and play with making characters and worlds. 

Take both workshops to help use spend the day building a community with a shared language, making it easy to keep practicing together after the day.  Create a strong foundation for practicing and collaborating with others beyond this event. making it easier to continue your musical journey together after the day is over.

In the morning, you will learn how to sing as part of an a cappella improv group. You will work together with others to create music, harmonize, and try out different sounds. This is a great chance to make new friends and feel included.

In the afternoon, you will improvise your own holiday songs. You can get ideas from any holiday you like, whether it's Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s, or even silly holidays like Pi Day!

 Extra Perk! Register for both workshops and save $75 compared to signing up for each separately!

Please note: All sales are final. No refunds. No credit for future sessions. No transfers. Please consider your schedule carefully before you register.

Day: Saturday

Dates: December 14th 2024

Time:10:00 AM - 1:00 PM  break 1 PM - 2:30 PM  2:30 PM - 5:30 PM

Room: TBD

Theater Location: Hamilton Family Arts Center 62 N 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106

About the Instructors:

Brian and Casey have been teaching musical improv together for many years with the nonprofit Baltimore Musical Improv Meetup. They make improvised musicals together in the Baltimore-based musical improv group Bad Karaoke Experience (BKE). In a given show, you’ll see them both alternating between singing on stage and doing back-line instrumental accompaniment (Brian on piano, Casey on accordion). BKE has played in DC's Improvapolooza, the New York City Musical Improv Festival, and the Baltimore Improv Festival (BIG).

Brian is also a member of other Baltimore improv teams, including A++  (an all-Asian-American comedy group), and Ready Set No (a D.A.R.E.-style school assembly satire duo). Brian and the cast of Belle! An Improvised Tennessee Williams Play created a series of unique one-act shows at the 2019 Charm City Fringe Festival with encores at BIG in early 2020. Brian holds a BA in Piano Performance from Bowie State University.

Casey is a long-time teacher, including: musical improv, dancing, web development, and technical skills. Casey can play Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance on at least 15 instruments — and he owns an instrument in every color of the rainbow. Imagine someone walking down the street singing, dancing, and blowing bubbles - that’s Casey!