Click2Daily: Intro to improvisation

HOUSTON – What is improvisation?

In this edition of Click2Daily, we will teach you how to create theater on the spot without a script.

"Improvisation, specifically as it pertains to theater, is a method of developing original theater," said Steven Saltsman, conservatory director and instructor at Station Theater. "We take the creative process, we've broken it down so that you can do it live in front of people."

The experts at Station Theater, Houston's destination for long-form improv, teach classes on how to warm up, how to start a scene, how to find game, how to build comedic beats and more. They also teach the different devices and techniques one can use to make it seem like a scene is scripted.

Can anyone get involved?

"Absolutely," said Jessica Brown, Station Theater's director of marketing and corporate training. "Zero experience in theater whatsoever."

KPRC 2 reporters Jake Reiner and Chip Brewster are among the hundreds of students who have gone through months and months of improv classes at Station. Reiner graduated from the program in February, and Brewster is in Level 2. There are five levels of classes where students learn new techniques, devices, and forms over the course of eight weeks per level.

"I've always wanted to do it, like comedy or acting," said John Mayo, a student taking classes at Station Theater. "So I said let's do it because, why not? I think I got really lucky and I have an awesome group, it's just like a random group of people that got put together. Just the level of support that we give each other is just incredible and it makes me happy. I'm really glad I did it."

Is it always supposed to be funny?

"Not necessarily, no, some of our best performances are considered improvised theater as opposed to improv comedy," said Brown.

Station also offers corporate training. So if your company or business wants to focus on team building and camaraderie, Brown and a team of experienced improvisers will come to your place of work and teach you improv.

There are shows every week at the theater, located at 1230 Houston Avenue, Thursday-Saturday nights and sometimes Sundays.

The video above shows what it's like to take a class and perform an improv set. The performers you'll see in the video and the multiple Facebook lives are Brenda Valdivia, Ben Griesinger, Angela Mayans Lee, Monica Marcha, John Mayo, Neil DuRoss, Rachel Spector, Jessica Brown, Steven Saltsman and Jake Reiner.

For more information visit StationTheater.com.