What an amazing workshop series! Write On Your Feet: Using Improv to Develop and Encourage Story, the program presented by the improv comedy group, The Lighthouse Troupe, was a fun and inspiring experience. Ten students, ages 10–14, came into this interactive, collaborative workshop with open minds and an admirable willingness to try something new. What was being asked of them was no small thing—working with at least three other students, make up story ideas that you can then perform for the rest of the class. Despite some personal anxiety, every single participant not only lived up to but surpassed all expectations. One student in particular told me that after the first class she went home and reported the evening’s activities to her mom. Her mother was pleasantly surprised (“You did that!?”) upon hearing that her shy daughter was playing a movie heroine and an octopus without so much as a self-conscious giggle.

I personally can’t wait to teach another workshop at 826 Valencia. The staff is dedicated, the kids are amazingly talented, what more could I ask for?


-Carolina Rojas Moretti, Artistic Director, The Lighthouse Troupe


Below is a excerpt from a transcription one of the improvised scenes entitled Tentacles by Nick Bloise, Kai Leshne, Branduin Stroud and Nicholas Tom.


THE SETTING: A ship out at sea. Three friends work to exhaustion at the hands of their unsympathetic leader, Captain Kai.


CAPTAIN KAI Alright you lazy bums—trim the sails.
NICK We’re trimming. We’re trimming.
CAPTAIN KAI Okay, now swab the deck.
NICHOLAS But…
CAPTAIN KAI No buts—I said swab!
KAREN Okay, okay.
NICK Haven’t we been working long enough? It’s time for a break!
CAPTAIN KAI Alright, then. Take your break if you must.
(They sit down on the deck)
KAREN Hey guys. What do you want to do on break?
NICHOLAS I don’t know.
NICK Yea.
KAREN Well…we could…search for buried treasure?
NICK No. There’s nothing around here. We’re just wasting our time.
NICHOLAS Yea. (Pause) We could have a breath holding contest.
KAREN You’re just saying that because you always win.
NICK And I don’t want to faint again. (Pause) We can…go hunting for sea creatures.
NICHOLAS We haven’t done that yet…
KAREN Alright. What should we hunt for? (No one has any ideas.) How about…oysters! They come with pearls inside.
NICHOLAS Hmmmm…
NICK That’d be fun.
NICHOLAS What about tuna. It’s good food.
KAREN Yea, I’m hungry.
NICK Too small. How about an octopus?
KAREN Those things are dangerous!
NICHOLAS They have those suction cup things. (Makes a cup with his hand and motions to his head.)
KAREN They are like…huge and…mean
NICHOLAS Yea.
KAREN And…
NICHOLAS Giant.
NICK But it’ll bring a little excitement into our lives.
KAREN It is a little boring around here, that’s true. (Pause) But no, uh-uh. Oyster.
NICHOLAS Tuna.
NICK Octopus.
KAREN Oyster!
NICHOLAS Tuna!
NICK Octopus!
CAPTAIN KAI Pipe down!
(Whispering)
NICHOLAS Tuna.
NICK Octopus.
KAREN Oysters.
NICHOLAS Tuna.
NICK Octopus.