I love the amazing Laughing Stock program that Bay Area Theatre Sports runs in San Francisco. I was a little hesitant about going and meeting a group of people, but I was immediately welcomed and put at easy. We were encouraged to relax, do what we felt comfortable with and the made to feel safe. The best buy product of that besides laughter, was forgetting about the life altering illnesses we were all dealing with and just be free, happy and released for a few minutes or the time the group met that day. Each week it is a different form of improv so it never gets boring and it is challenging in the best of ways. I even sang out loud during the Improv Singing though I hate to sing in front of others. I fully believe in and support this program, because we all know that "Laughter is the best medicine".
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- EIN 94-3062113
- (415) 474-6776
- 2 Marina Blvd Bldg B San Francisco CA 94123-1284 USA
- www.improv.org
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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Arts & Culture, Theater
Mission: As the leading center for improvisational theatre on the west coast, our mission is to:- perform, teach, develop, and promote improvisational theatre- be loose and have fun- create phenomenal improv- run fast to help audience, students, and clients- create strong and exciting improvisers- entertain and surprise audiences and ourselves- and give generously to others
Programs: School: the bats school of improv teaches workshops for both actors and non-actors, teaching such skills as active listening, making one's partner look good, failing good-naturedly, and taking risks. In fy2017 the bats school of improv offered more than 170 classes which served more than 2,000 students, including introductory classes, our core curriculum of foundation, studio scenework, and performance classes, plus genre specialty, youth classes, unique summer intensives, and a new improv for lawyers class. Bats' laughing stock program provides free improvisation classes to people living with hiv, aids, hepatitis c, cancer, and other chronic, life-threatening illnesses (partners and caregivers are also welcome).
corporate: through its improv@work training and entertainment program, bats brings events to the workplace-or coworkers to our theater-to immerse them in fun activities that contribute to better collaboration and communication. This year, the improv@work program reached clients in a variety of business sectors and conducted over 100 distinct improv@work sessions.
shows: bats performers create over 100 completely improvised shows every year for over 9,000 audience members. In fy2017, the bats company developed a wide range of new show formats to perform alongside old favorites, including improvised tales of the arabian nights, improvised shakespeare, the naked stage, theatresports, and full length improvised musicals. Bats also welcomed guests to join us on stage, including det andre teatret from oslo norway, the aswat middle-eastern music ensemble, and impro theatre, our sister company in los angeles. Bats also performed at other venues and festivals during fy2017, including the sf sketch fest and the san francisco improv festival.