Dear UCB NY Students,

Every year for the Del Close Marathon, a bunch of the very best UCB teachers from LA truck out to the Big Apple and teach some workshops. However, a lot of you guys don’t know these people and you miss a chance to study with them.

Ok, so here’s some context for you. Use this info at your discretion.

Beyond Group Games with Toni Charline - Thurs, June 25 7pm

Toni is a take-no-shit, super-fun teacher and performer. Oh man, is she funny. It’s annoying. I was sitting with her at a diner two weeks ago and she was showing me her phone to recommend some podcasts when her boyfriend called her which revealed the photo she uses for his number which is a photo of his naked butt and it was one of the funniest things that’s happened to me in real life. She’s on the team Bangarang! which is a high-energy, amazingly committed, hilarious team – one of the all-time greats at UCB-LA. She’s also one of the best teachers I’ve met out here. I bet this class is equal parts “simple/fun” and “unlocking secrets.”

Shut Up and Move with Dave Theune - Thurs, June 25 7pm

Dave Theune is also on Bangarang! He is a very warm and nice former Wisconsin dude who is also lanky scarecrow of befuddlement and comic genius. I bring up Wisconsin because Dave is one of those guys with that particular “midwestern aw shucks” understatement that is incredibly hilarious. He is so dry and funny that he makes Bardia Salimi looks like Freddy Mercury. Not really, I’m exaggerating. I just wanted to drop a NYC reference to show you guys that I’m still in touch. Anyway, I bet this class will be fun and physical and inspiring.



Pretty Flower with Mel Cowan - Wed, June 24 7pm

The Pretty Flower is a big form out in LA. And Mel’s team Sentimental Lady are the masters of it. It’s an odd name, I’m gonna say that. But it’s a brilliant form. It’s a Cagematch-winner, an indie-show saver. I believe they created it; they may as well have. Sentimental Lady is made up of OG folks – the people who built the UCB-LA community. These are the old souls. This class will pass on Official UCB Knowledge from Mel, who is a kind, smart, silly dude. Though I did a 3on3 set with him last night and he ended up giving a BJ to John Carpenter’s The Thing, so, I don’t know, take that into consideration.

Character Philosophy: How To Be Human in Scenes with Deborah Tarica - Fri, June 26 1pm

Deb is such a respected teacher and coach that she got hired when there was nobody getting hired. She’s also a hilarious performer. When she does “Play by Play” we call her “Zero Fucks Deb” because she don’t give a fuck when she’s on stage. She was in a scene and some weird tag run left her in the middle of a job interview which wasn’t defined and in like a half a line she endowed the scene with a who-what-where and demanded the job and then I think made fun of the interviewer. That last part wasn’t great improv but oh my God it was funny.

Pulling the Premise with Todd Fasen - Fri, June 26 1pm

Todd Fasen is part of Convoy, a 3-man improv team which is one of the best improv teams of all time. They are a major part of the foundation of the UCB Theatre. Todd is a master of the initiation and the opening. He is a game samurai. If you want to nail pulling ideas from an opening, this is the one you want. Todd is also for some reason one of the most satisfying people to make fun of. Teachers bust Todd’s chops more than anyone I’ve ever seen. There are at least two practical jokes underway aimed at Todd that I know of right now.

Monologues: How to use them! with Drew Difonzo Marks - Thurs, June 25 7pm

Holy shit, I cannot believe there are spots left in a Drew Difonzo Marks class! Are you fucking kidding me? He is one of the best teachers I’ve ever met and one of the people that other teachers go to for ideas and advice! I mean, he used to be the AD out in LA! Students fight each other to get into his Advanced Studies! Weirdly specific compliment: he is great at miming having tables thrown at him.

Grounded Initiations with David Harris - Thurs, June 25 7pm

David Harris, along with Drew, is a founding member of the team Last Day of School, which was the first ever LA Harold team to get promoted to a weekly run. He gives the best individual notes. He’s a scarily intuitive guy. Maybe don’t take his class because he’ll probably get you figured out in the first five minutes. He also has the best bits at all teacher’s meetings. That won’t factor into this class but I want people to know that about him.

Harold Foundation with Johnny Meeks - Wed, June 24 7pm

Wait a minute, there’s spots in a Johnny MEEKS class? Forget what I said about Drew. Fuck Drew. JOHNNY is the teacher to get. He RUNS THE WHOLE SCHOOL for Pete’s sake. He is KEVIN HINES’s BOSS, you know what I mean? His personality is “fun dad” which is odd because it’s not usual to meet for-real grownups in this game. His comedy chops are good enough that Matt Besser approves of this guy. I mean, *I* want to take this class.

The Baton Harold with Joel Spence - Wed, June 24 7pm

Joel Spence is one of the Sentimental Lady guys which means he teachers a hundred classes a week and everyone punches each other in the face to get in his classes. He’s a smart snarky dude who is constantly bemused, you know? LIke he’d be falling out of a plane and he’d shrug and say something funny about it right before the splat. Man I hope he never falls out of plane or this description is going to come back and haunt me. Anyway, this form is a fun simple one that you will want to use. He’s also bald which makes me like him.

Efficient Improv with Marcy Jarreau - Tues, June 23 6pm

Marcy Jarreau? MARCY JARREAU? There’s spots in THIS CLASS? Marcy is one of the funniest people in the UCB community! She performers on stage with Nicole Byer and steals the show! FROM NICOLE BYER. She’s from New York City, you ungrateful slobs! Did you know there was one a REALITY SHOW for IMPROV at the UCB? There was, and MARCY WON IT! And that was like 10 years ago; she’s only become more powerful. She’s no longer Marcy the Grey she’s Marcy the White you know what I mean? That’s a LOTR reference not a racial supremacy reference.