Workshops
Swear Jar Jamboree is offering an exciting variety of workshops this year. Each one of the offerings will host a maximum of 15 students to be sure that each student is able to get the most instruction time possible. Our workshops are offered in two different locations this year: The Proscenium Theater at the Drake and Plays and Player Theater. Click enroll on any of these courses to see the workshop details page or to sign up for that workshop.
Brian James O’Connell ・Los Angeles, CA
POSITION PLAY
Saturday July 11th 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM
The Proscenium Theatre at The Drake
Brian James O'Connell teaches you the skills you need to find your "position" in the scene and then play it to the hilt.
Position Play was invented by Miles Stroth (Del Close's "Warchief", Founder, Owner & Operator of The Pack Theater in Los Angeles) as a way to understand and execute the "scene dynamics" of the Four Basic Scene Types: Logical/Absurd, Character Driven, Alternate Reality and Realistic. If you are able to understand the few tools & techniques needed to play these individual scenes, every other choice you make on stage will be from a place of renewed confidence and successful fun!
Topics include: "Thing. Concept. Idea.", "The Five Scenes Everyone Tells You NOT To Do But Darn It They Come Up On Stage Anyway", "Playing Archetypes", "Mapping Characters" and many, many more.
This workshop is dedicated to giving the student “practical applications of improv” and providing replicable good habits/behavior on stage. The goal is to be able to take this workshop during the day and be able to execute the practice immediately on stage that night!
About the Instructor
Brian James O’Connell is a working actor, writer, director, filmmaker and teacher in Los Angeles. After selling his feature film debut as a writer/director, KILLER VIEW (the only film shot on disposable video), he followed it up by directing the 35mm Southern indie comedy ANGRY WHITE MAN starring Matt Berry, Scoot McNairy, Steve Agee and Mary Birdsong.
BOC (as his friends call him) is part of the improv powerhouse & comedy collective Dr. God, who delivered their first feature film project BLOODSUCKING BASTARDS in 2015, starring Fran Kranz, Pedro Pascal, Joey Kern, Joel Murray, and Emma Fitzpatrick, which O’Connell directed as well as co-writing the script with Dr. God. The film was the Opening Night Premiere at Slamdance in 2015 and is available now on Amazon Prime after its 15 city theatrical run along with a two year run on Showtime.
Seasons 1 & 2 of Dr. God's new animated series HELL DEN is currently available on SYFY Channel where they serve as the Creator, Executive Producers, Producers, Directors and Writers. (He voices GIANTIC, a frost giant represented only as a large bare foot.)
With multiple projects in development, BOC is currently pitching his pilot THE ANARCHIST COOKBOOK (based on the book of the same name) under Executive Producer Emmet McDermott (60 Second Docs, Netflix’s WHITE HOT: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch).
Brian travels the world teaching his expertise in The Deconstruction as part of his ALL IMPROV courses and as a founding board member of Camp Improv Utopia. A main stage performer, beloved bar manager, coach & teacher until the very end at iOWest (RIP), O’Connell is also proud to be a Co-Founder of The Pack Theater, LA Weekly’s BEST OF LA Pick for “Best Theater Company” two years in a row, a founding board member of Camp Improv Utopia and recently celebrated his one year anniversary joining the board of Baltimore’s Highwire Improv.
Clown As Autobiography
In the words of your Instructor:
“In my experience, clown practice has three core elements: centering, play, and complicité. This workshop invites participants to explore those elements and build a practice rooted in their own skills, comfort, physical abilities, and personal history. Through shared exercises and experimentation, we will begin creating clown practices that feel personal, sustainable, and alive”
About the Instructor
Kento Morita (he/they) is a Japanese American clown, comedian, actor, and facilitator based in New York. His work combines clown, autobiography, and devised theater, with a focus on play, presence, and personal history. He trained at École Philippe Gaulier, Celebration Barn, The Second City New York, UCB, and The Barrow Group. His credits include Marty Supreme (A24), Get Jiro! (Warner Bros. Animation), and Rise of the Ronin (PlayStation), and he is currently developing Japanese Grandma Funeral for the Edinburgh Fringe.
Kento Morita ・New York, NY
Saturday July 11th 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
The Proscenium Theatre at The Drake