Fridley Community Education

Join us for a beginner AND advanced-friendly improv and storytelling workshop with Fridley High School Class of 2004 graduate Michael Sielaff—a Los Angeles–based actor and teacher originally from Fridley. In this 3-hour workshop, you’ll build confidence, increase your ability for connection, and express your own individual creativity through short and long form improv and storytelling. Whether you're an actor or simply someone looking for a creative outlet, we got you covered. We’ll practice listening, going with your gut, developing characters, collaboration, and making bold choices through short form improv games. Building off of that, we will shift to long form improv and learn how to perform an Armando - a format that uses first-person stories to inspire scenes. Expect lots of movement, laughter, and support in a welcoming environment for all experience levels. What we’ll cover:

• Improv Foundations: agreement, listening, empathy, bring a brick not a cathedral
• Short Form Games: New Choice, Genre Replay, My Movie, Freeze Tag, & More!
• Long Form Exercises + The Armando - a long form format
• Storytelling Tools
• Good Actor/Improviser Habits: support, risk-taking, delighting in "mistakes"

Details

• Date/Time: Saturday, January 3 • 1:00–4:00 PM
• Location: Fridley District Auditorium
• Ages: 11 and older
• Cost: FREE (registration encouraged)

Support Fridley Community Theatre (optional): Donations are welcome through the Fridley Schools Foundation to support theatre in Fridley.

Michael graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in 2008 and moved out to Los Angeles in 2009. With 100+ film, TV, and commercial credits (Code 3, Barry, Pepsi), he performs regularly with Comedy Sportz LA, duo improv teams Future Ancestors and WASP, and is the founder of Rogue- an improv, storytelling, and artivism community. He also hosted the Facebook Live show Fridley Fridays during the pandemic where he interviewed past and present community members. Grab a bite with him after class at Perkins!