Calendar | List
Classes and workshops 🍏
Classes and workshops 🍏
The Elysian’s mission to foster artists-in-process and promote bold experimentation in live performance extends to our guest workshops and classes. Like the performers who take the stage of the Elysian Theater every night, we want to help artists build the skills and stamina to create their own work, and to be self-empowered creators and performers.
All levels of experience welcome.
COME PLAY!
Chekhov in L.A.: Two Week Masterclass with Anya Saffir
A scene study class designed to immerse performers in the tragicomedic world of Anton Chekhov's plays, breathing the text into wild life with laughter, tears, and unabashed spontaneity. A chance to study Chekhov's deeply moving and incredibly funny vision of the human comedy with master acting teacher Anya Saffir, who has taught Chekhov for twenty-five years in NYC and across the globe, and directed productions at the Moscow Art Theater, NYU/Tisch, Harvard/American Repertory Theater, the Atlantic Theater Company, and beyond.
Language of Nonsense w/ Chad Damiani (2-Day)
A two-day intensive from the creator/director of STAND UP AND CLOWN, CLOWN ZOO and co-creator of RORY AND CHAD WIN COMEDY TONIGHT! Chad Damiani (aka "Clown Boss") offers this intro class for veterans and newcomers, looking to explore how clowns connect and play with audiences through joy and nonsense.
How can we get a roomful of strangers to not only go along with our joyfully dumb ideas, but also become our eager co-conspirators? A deep exploration of primal communication. It’s also a chance to be live directed by Chad in a class show!
BOUFFON 1 (4-Day)
A Satiric Ensemble of Mocking Madness and Mayhem!The World laughs at the Clown, but the Bouffons laugh at the World! Unleash your inner Bouffon in an explosion of fun and comedy gold.Imagine a wild-eyed pack of Players, ecstatic to mock anything and everything. Ridiculous, confronting and poetic, this Satyric chorus teeters on the seesaw of fun and uncomfortable truth. To begin this journey, we focus on the role of “The Player”.
MOVEMENT FOR COMEDIANS, CLOWNS & IMPROVISERS (2-Day)
Critically acclaimed, award-winning Clown & Bouffon, Eric Davis leads you through a masterclass of movement to help you create dynamic comedy.
Rooted in Play, Lecoq Technique and Laban/ Bartenieff fundamentals, this class will
Get you laughing, sweating and give you greater awareness of your body as well as a theatrical language to articulate your comedy on stage.
The Simple Clown (3 Days)
The simple clown is simply you without all the know-how and wherewithal, left only with hope and an unrelenting pursuit of play amidst the unknowns of the audience, and the world around you.
2025 Edinburgh Fringe Festival Info Session with John Norris
Curious about Fringe? Do you have a show and want to see if it’s a good idea to bring it over? Why does it seem like everyone is doing their shows in Scotland for a month? What’s the point? Is costs HOW MUCH?!
If you're thinking about bringing your work to Edinburgh in 2025 or 2026, NOW is the time to start planning and making some decisions.
John Norris (creator of Fringe hits Mr. Chonkers and Underground Monk Show and youngest child of three) leads an info session that will explain what Fringe is, what to expect, detailing the pros and cons, and some best practices on what makes someone have a successful Fringe experience. Followed by a Q+A
Entrances and Exits: Led by Corey Podell and John Norris (2-Day)
Frequent collaborators John Norris and Corey Podell will share tools and methods from their language of collaboration, helping you translate ideas and impulses into character and story, and direct and shape material. A clown/performance workshop with an emphasis on lots of stage time, exploring creation, presence, and connection.
Drama for Comedians
A dramatic scene study class focused on the craft of storytelling for funny people yearning to sink their teeth into a dramatic theater role.
Language of Nonsense w/ Chad Damiani (2-Day)
A two-day intensive from the creator/director of STAND UP AND CLOWN, CLOWN ZOO and co-creator of RORY AND CHAD WIN COMEDY TONIGHT! Chad Damiani (aka "Clown Boss") offers this intro class for veterans and newcomers, looking to explore how clowns connect and play with audiences through joy and nonsense.
How can we get a roomful of strangers to not only go along with our joyfully dumb ideas, but also become our eager co-conspirators? A deep exploration of primal communication. It’s also a chance to be live directed by Chad in a class show!
LAST CHANCE TO STUDY WITH THE CLOWN BOSS!
BOUFFON 1 (3-Day)
A Satiric Ensemble of Mocking Madness and Mayhem!The World laughs at the Clown, but the Bouffons laugh at the World! Unleash your inner Bouffon in an explosion of fun and comedy gold.Imagine a wild-eyed pack of Players, ecstatic to mock anything and everything. Ridiculous, confronting and poetic, this Satyric chorus teeters on the seesaw of fun and uncomfortable truth. To begin this journey, we focus on the role of “The Player”.
CLOWN RITUALS: THE PLAN & THE PLAY (4-Day)
Develop Clown Relationships and create pieces through mindfulness, looping and Ambushes- from Creator of Red Bastard and multiple Cirque du Soleil Shows.
Language of Nonsense w/ Chad Damiani (2-Day)
A two-day intensive from the creator/director of STAND UP AND CLOWN, CLOWN ZOO and co-creator of RORY AND CHAD WIN COMEDY TONIGHT! Chad Damiani (aka "Clown Boss") offers this intro class for veterans and newcomers, looking to explore how clowns connect and play with audiences through joy and nonsense.
How can we get a roomful of strangers to not only go along with our joyfully dumb ideas, but also become our eager co-conspirators? A deep exploration of primal communication. It’s also a chance to be live directed by Chad in a class show!
MOVEMENT FOR COMEDIANS, CLOWNS & IMPROVISERS (1-Day)
Critically acclaimed, award-winning Clown & Bouffon, Eric Davis leads you through a masterclass of movement to help you create dynamic comedy.
Rooted in Play, Lecoq Technique and Laban/ Bartenieff fundamentals, this class will
Get you laughing, sweating and give you greater awareness of your body as well as a theatrical language to articulate your comedy on stage.
Save The Show: Intro To Clown w/ Chad Damiani (2-Day)
A two-day intensive culminating in a class show, that explores the basic principles and psychology of clown work. Students will leave this class having learned how to be less verbal and more physical, to commit to their most joyful impulses, embrace failure and play with the audience, instead of for them.
For students at all levels – from experienced performers looking to sharpen their fundamentals, to newcomers interested in being more playful and free.
CLASS SHOW: Wednesday 8/21 at 7:30PM - Get tickets here!
Language of Nonsense w/ Chad Damiani (2-Day)
A new intensive from Chad Damiani — the creator/director of STAND UP AND CLOWN and CLOWN ZOO! Clowns do more than just connect with audiences. They invite them to become part of the show. But how can we get a roomful of strangers to not only go along with our joyfully dumb ideas, but also become our eager co-conspirators?
BOUFFON 1 (4-Week)
A Satiric Ensemble of mocking madness and mayhem! Students will learn the attitudes and drives of Bouffons- outsiders who love to mock anything and everything. Discover the indulgent pleasure of these anti-clowns through complicity and play and ecstatic mocking. Led by Eric Davis (Red Bastard).
Chekhov in L.A.: Two Week Masterclass with Anya Saffir
A scene study class designed to immerse performers in the tragicomedic world of Anton Chekhov's plays, breathing the text into wild life with laughter, tears, and unabashed spontaneity. A chance to study Chekhov's deeply moving and incredibly funny vision of the human comedy with master acting teacher Anya Saffir, who has taught Chekhov for twenty-five years in NYC and across the globe, and directed productions at the Moscow Art Theater, NYU/Tisch, Harvard/American Repertory Theater, the Atlantic Theater Company, and beyond.
Being Bad with piotr Sikora (2-Day)
We all want to fit to the standard of being "someone." Being Bad is a course in reverse - a course in which you discover who you are, not what you are supposed to be. The workshop aims to learn how to better make friends with our lack of being perfect, the part of us that is completely unfunny and funny, and learn to play with this imperfection, to use failure as a beautiful gift from the world. Be bad. Led by Polish clown Piotr Sikora, who is in L.A. for a limited time with his new show FURIOZO: Man Looking for Trouble
Language of Nonsense w/ Chad Damiani (2-Day)
A new intensive from Chad Damiani — the creator/director of STAND UP AND CLOWN and CLOWN ZOO! Clowns do more than just connect with audiences. They invite them to become part of the show. But how can we get a roomful of strangers to not only go along with our joyfully dumb ideas, but also become our eager co-conspirators?
Language of Nonsense w/ Chad Damiani (2-Day)
A new intensive from Chad Damiani — the creator/director of STAND UP AND CLOWN and CLOWN ZOO! Clowns do more than just connect with audiences. They invite them to become part of the show. But how can we get a roomful of strangers to not only go along with our joyfully dumb ideas, but also become our eager co-conspirators?
Language of Nonsense w/ Chad Damiani (2-Day)
A new intensive from Chad Damiani — the creator/director of STAND UP AND CLOWN and CLOWN ZOO! Clowns do more than just connect with audiences. They invite them to become part of the show. But how can we get a roomful of strangers to not only go along with our joyfully dumb ideas, but also become our eager co-conspirators?
What’s So Funny? (4-Week)
Trying to be funny isn’t very funny. But oh my word is it funny to be authentic. The clown, above all, seeks to be one hundred percent purely, authentically (even overly and embarrassingly) committed to the truth in the moment. And hence, the ha-ha.
In this 4-week workshop, explore how chasing beauty, depth and vulnerability on stage can lead to comedy on a level that hits harder than you could have ever imagined. Find the funny through the not-so-funny and be amazed by the hilarity in truth.
BOUFFON 1 (4-Week)
A Satiric Ensemble of mocking madness and mayhem! Students will learn the attitudes and drives of Bouffons- outsiders who love to mock anything and everything. Discover the indulgent pleasure of these anti-clowns through complicity and play and ecstatic mocking.
The Soft Clown (2-Day)
Unlock your most authentic comedic voice. The SOFT CLOWN is unapologetically centered around sensitivity and earnesty, thoughtfully exploring our creativity in order to experience more exciting and inspired choices in front of an audience. Aim for artistic excellence and land among profound absurdity.
Language of Nonsense w/ Chad Damiani (2-Day)
A new intensive from Chad Damiani — the creator/director of STAND UP AND CLOWN and CLOWN ZOO! Clowns do more than just connect with audiences. They invite them to become part of the show. But how can we get a roomful of strangers to not only go along with our joyfully dumb ideas, but also become our eager co-conspirators?
Ready? (A Workshop in Readiness) (2-Day)
Are you ready to be the most ready performer on stage? And what does it mean to be ready within collaborative performance? We will explore these questions and discover your own "ready!" through ensemble work, active listening, group connection, improvisational flexibility, and courageous ease as we venture into the unknown onstage.
Ian Farley will be your "READY?" workshop guide through a series of fun exercises and group scenes, taking you into a next level of awareness and confidence when taking the stage as comedic performers in an ensemble. Are you ready for "READY?"
Intro To Nonsense w/ Chad Damiani (2-Day)
A new intensive from Chad Damiani — the creator/director of STAND UP AND CLOWN and CLOWN ZOO! Clowns do more than just connect with audiences. They invite them to become part of the show. But how can we get a roomful of strangers to not only go along with our joyfully dumb ideas, but also become our eager co-conspirators?
The Soft Clown: A 2-Day Workshop w/ Natasha Mercado
The SOFT CLOWN is a two-day clown performance workshop facilitated by Natasha Mercado on 12/8 & 12/9 from 6:00pm to 10pm. Natasha Mercado has 10+ years of experience as an actor and teacher.
This workshop gives participants a chance to deeply connect with their most authentic comedic voice. The SOFT CLOWN is unapologetically centered around sensitivity and earnesty. The aim is to thoughtfully explore our creativity in order to experience more exciting and inspired choices in front of an audience. Aim for artistic excellence and land among profound absurdity.
The Soft Clown: A 2-Day Workshop w/ Natasha Mercado
The SOFT CLOWN is a two-day clown performance workshop facilitated by Natasha Mercado on 11/20 & 11/21 from 11:30am to 3:30pm. Natasha Mercado has 10+ years of experience as an actor and teacher.
This workshop gives participants a chance to deeply connect with their most authentic comedic voice. The SOFT CLOWN is unapologetically centered around sensitivity and earnesty. The aim is to thoughtfully explore our creativity in order to experience more exciting and inspired choices in front of an audience. Aim for artistic excellence and land among profound absurdity.
Intro Bouffon Workshop w/ Eric Davis
Intro Bouffon Workshop w/ Eric Davis.
BOUFFON: A Satiric Ensemble of Anti-Clowns!
Unleash your inner Bouffon in an explosion of fun and comedy gold.
Imagine a wild-eyed pack of Players, ecstatic to mock anything and everything. Ridiculous, confronting and poetic, this Satyric chorus teeters on the edge of fun and uncomfortable truth.
How is Bouffon related to Clown?
The World laughs at the Clown, but the Bouffons laugh at the World!
Suitable for actors, clowns, comedians, improvisers, dancers, devisors and anyone investigating pleasure, play and fun.
ROMANCING THE MUSE: A DEVISING WORKSHOP W/ GEMMA SOLDATI (2 Day)
Romancing the Muse
A devising workshop for clowns and comedic performers with Gemma Soldati
Drama for Comedians: A dramatic scene study class
Drama for Comedians is a workshop focused on the craft of storytelling for actors and performers used to funny business, who yearn to sink their teeth into a dramatic theater role. With a strong emphasis on script analysis, intention-driven practical technique, and improvisational moment work, we will focus on how to fall deeply in love with the material, make vivid and nuanced choices, and bring the most dynamic range of expressivity to our work, so that characters we play reflect the multitudes that we contain.
Save The Show: Intro To Clown w/ Chad Damiani (2-Day)
A two-day intensive, on 10/28 & 10/29 from 10am-2pm culminating in a class show, that explores the basic principles and psychology of clown work. Students will leave this class having learned how to be less verbal and more physical, to commit to their most joyful impulses, embrace failure and play with the audience, instead of for them.
For students at all levels – from experienced performers looking to sharpen their fundamentals, to newcomers interested in being more playful and free.
The Soft Clown: A 2-Day Workshop w/ Natasha Mercado
The SOFT CLOWN is a two-day clown performance workshop facilitated by Natasha Mercado on 10/20 & 10/27 from 11:30am to 3:30pm. Natasha Mercado has 10+ years of experience as an actor and teacher.
This workshop gives participants a chance to deeply connect with their most authentic comedic voice. The SOFT CLOWN is unapologetically centered around sensitivity and earnesty. The aim is to thoughtfully explore our creativity in order to experience more exciting and inspired choices in front of an audience. Aim for artistic excellence and land among profound absurdity.