Starting scenes requires us to jump into characters, situations and relationships with commitment and energy. It’s the initial “Big Bang” that will propel us throughout the scene. In this class, we’ll look at ways to do this with dynamic physical and vocal energy, and also how to create beginnings by starting in the “middle” or “end.”

TIM ORR has improvised since 1988 with many San Francisco-based groups, including BATS Improv, Rafe Chase’s groundbreaking long form troupe Improv Theatre, the renowned True Fiction Magazine, and with the acclaimed troupe 3 For All. In 2009, he founded a new improv group, the Improv Playhouse of San Francisco. He has appeared in numerous plays in the San Francisco Bay Area, and received critical acclaim for his leading roles in the improvised feature films, Suckerfish and Security. With Stephen Kearin, Tim co-wrote, and originated the role of Dirk Manly in, An Evening with Dirk & Blaine. Tim has performed (and taught) improvisation at the American Conservatory Theatre, BATS Improv, Stanford University, and many other venues nationally (Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Austin, Louisville, Atlanta, etc.) and internationally (Amsterdam, Beirut, Belgium, Helsinki, London, Paris, Saudi Arabia, Stockholm, and Tel Aviv). He has served for many years as the Director of the BATS Improv Long-Form Intensive.