[Academy] Elective Class: Horror Improv

Have you ever wondered what lurks in the shadows where comedy and horror collide? This exclusive four-week course in destination invites you to find out. Guided by Boom Chicago cast member Simon Lukacs, director of the horror-inspired team Uncanny Valley, and technical director Emil Struijker-Boudier, you will embark on a creative journey into the art of scary-funny improv. Over four intensive classes, you and a small group of just ten students will explore the thrilling intersection of laughter and fear. This is your chance to learn from masters of the craft and unlock a completely new dimension of performance, transforming the stage into a playground for the delightfully macabre. Throughout this workshop, you will move beyond simple jump scares and into the psychology of suspense. You will learn to masterfully control pace, tone, and staging to build an unnervingly tense atmosphere from the ground up. Discover how to unearth weird and sinister games hidden within seemingly normal scenes, pushing them to their hilarious and horrifying limits. We will explore how to embody huge, heightened characters at 200 percent intensity, and equally important, develop the instinct for when quiet subtlety is far more chilling. You will also learn to collaborate with the unseen forces of the theater, using dynamic lighting and evocative music cues to inspire bold choices and craft truly unforgettable moments of improvised horror comedy.