LAUGH
THERAPY
in the Annex and Queen West,
Toronto, Ontario
What is Annex Improv?
Annex Improv is a session of Improv classes directed by award-winning Second City alumnus Brian G. Smith.
The weekly classes take place at the Centre for Social Innovation [CSI] Annex. The culture of CSI permeates the class; CSI is an inclusive, positive and fun place to exercise your brain and spirit.
Annex Improv focuses on exercises that promote honest reactions and interactions. The process is deep - promoting better relationships, creative writing, and personal/professional growth. Read below how you could benefit from this popular class!
AT BEST
You Will Grow
You will open up new neural pathways in your mind. These new (or more likely re-newed) brain waves will give you new insight into human interaction and reveal creative genius that you had no idea was inside you. In short: you will become superhuman; a demi-god(ess).
AT LEAST
You Will Explore
You will get out of the house, do something different one night a week. You'll meet some other like-minded people who are getting out of their houses to do something different one night a week. You will be given the opportunity to explore/heighten re-discover your creative side in a safe and caring/structured environment.
LEARN TO PLAY
Release Your Inner Kid
The main idea behind these exercises is to re-learn how to ‘play’.
We all knew how to do this quite naturally as children, but as adults most of us have learned to not ‘goof around’. Allowing ourselves to play is essential to good theatre and to our sanity as humans.
This can be immeasurably helpful when it comes to thinking on your feet at work, speaking in front of others, and generally enjoying life more.
UNLEASH CREATIVITY
Wake up your Right Brain
You may have heard the accepted theory that our brains are divided into two halves. One side is the logical, calculating side of our thinking. The other is the spontaneous, creative side of our mind.
Obviously we need to have both sides to get through life, but most of us have overworked the linear side and let the creative side get soft and lazy. Because many of these exercises depend upon saying the first thing, they exercise our spontaneous brain side.
Elvira Kurt
Standup Weekend Instructor
Lisa Merchant
Performance Level Instructor
DISCOVER THE MOMENT
Sharpen your Instinct
We must learn to allow our instincts (or muse or subconscious or whatever we call it) to carry us through the scenes. When that side gets going, you won’t believe some of the things that you will come up with.
As improvisers, what we are aiming for is to discover the ‘truth’ of the moment on stage and to develop the ability to stay in that moment. By doing this, scripted lines [& speeches] start to sound like they’ve been said for the first time. These exercises are immeasurably helpful in that regard.