Improv Comedy
Naked & Scriptless
Spontaneity and imagination is where every creative work begins, so why does improvising terrify so many of the industry’s top practitioners? Students will learn to embrace the fear and freedom of acting without a script, how to trust their instincts and find the comedy, tension and game of a scene with their fellow performers. This class will focus on storytelling, characterisation and grounded techniques that can be applied to improvised scenes and beyond, all taught by Lori and Leona.
TUTOR: LORI DUNGEY
Lori has been an actor, tutor and writer and for over 30 years, specializing in improvisation. She came to Wellington 20 years ago from Canada for an International Theatresports Tournament and never left. Based in Auckland, she works as an actor, tutor and Creative Director with ConArtists. She’s a 2-time World Theatresports champion and has performed in Canada, Singapore, Fiji, Australia, Germany, and all over NZ, including a successful season at the Adelaide Fringe Festival and the Hamilton Rose Festival with ‘Austen Found – The Undiscovered Musicals of Jane Austen’. Lori has performed in the Comedy Festival with ConArtists and at the Herald Theatre in Auckland for the Stamp season. Most recently she performed with ConArtists in their Enid Untold: Five Go Mad on Improv – an Enid Blyton themed play. Before the current global glitch, Lori travelled to Germany each year to attend Ring Co. Lori is also and experienced screen actor with acting roles in both film and television including Lord of the Rings films and the television series Xena and Hercules.
TUTOR: LEONA REVELL
Leona is a founding member and co-director of SpontaneoUS, the resident improv company for Centrepoint Theatre. With SpontaneoUS she is a two time National Theatresports Champion. Leona is a familiar face on stages around Manawatū as a multiple Regional Theatre Award winner, MCing multiple community events such as the Palmerston North City Council Christmas concerts and a judge at various Performing Arts competitions in the region. Recent credits include Gabriel in “An Act of God and Jeanie in “That Bloody Woman” at Centrepoint Theatre, Performer as part of the Lola and Friends ensemble and writing and performing in FWB – Friends with Boundaries with Regan Taylor. Leona is passionate about Theatre and making it accessible to the wider community, which fits in well with her role as Centrepoint’s Outreach Coordinator where she creates inclusive and wide-ranging community performance projects. Leona has experience tutoring adults and youth, neurodiverse and people with disabilities. When Leona has spare time, she embraces the Crazy Cat Lady within and fosters kittens for the SPCA and likes to craft up a storm.
