Schedule: 6 sessions; once a week for six weeks
Class Time/Dates: 7–10pm Wednesdays, May 16, 23, 30 June 76, 13, 20
Class size: 16 students maximum
Class length: 3 hours (18 hours total)
Prerequisite: None

Location: Cubberley Community Center, Palo Alto (4000 Middlefield Rd.)

Attendance at the first session of your course is encouraged - if you think you have to miss the first session of your Foundation 1 class, please notify the office

Are you a seasoned performer or is the stage foreign territory? Do you like to make stuff up or do you get nervous at parties? Do you sing in the shower or do you want to loosen up?

Regardless of your experience, background or training, we think EVERYBODY can benefit from studying improv. This six-session class is a fun intro to the joys and thrills of improvisation and the BATS Improv style.

Students learn improv vocabulary, use practical skills, and perform in a friendly atmosphere. Foundation I is all about unleashing your innate skill. You'll play games and experiment with creating characters and scenes.

Key concepts in Foundation 1 include:

    * Spontaneity
    * Making Offers (blocking and accepting)
    * Storytelling/Narrative
    * Status
    * Endowments
    * Where/Space Objects (creating "props" and "locations" out of thin air)

Some of the lessons of this six-week course: Have fun. Accept the audience's ideas. Make your partner look good. Start positive. Pay attention. Fail "good naturedly." Make eye contact. Avoid asking questions in scenes. Mime as well as you can. "Yes, and..." Dare to be dull. Accept your own ideas. Explore flexible status.

In short, there's plenty to cover. And you'll be amazed at how the lessons apply to your life both on and off stage. Like we said, there's no experience necessary.

At the conclusion, everyone "passes" and can move on to Foundation 2, but you can also take Foundation 1 as many times as you would like and are sure to get something new out of it each time.

(For some folks, this all the improv they could ever want or need!)

**wondering why this class is a bit more expensive than our SF offerings? 

When we give classes outside of our SF home, it costs us a bit more to do it given space rental and travel time for our coaches, who are all based up in the SF area.  So we need to cover our slightly increased costs.  Thanks for understanding!

BATS Improv Class Refund Policy:

Your class tuition includes a 20% non-refundable deposit.

If you have registered for a class and decide you want to drop that class AT LEAST 14 DAYS BEFORE THE FIRST CLASS SESSION, you may choose to receive a refund for the amount of the class minus your non-refundable deposit OR you may choose to reapply your payment IN FULL to another BATS class.

Classes dropped 4-13 days before the start of the class are not eligible for the re-application of full payment to another class. You may either reapply your payment (minus the applicable deposit) or receive a partial refund. This option is not available for those enrolled in summer intensives or youth/teen camps.

Regular classes/workshops dropped within 72 hours of the first class session, or summer intensives and youth/teen camps dropped within two weeks of the first session, are not eligible for either re-application or any refund.