The Mopco
Improv Theatre School
“You were wild once, don’t let them tame you” - Isadora Duncan
Monday Night Workout
Curious? Looking to jump back in to improv? Want to hone your skills? Monday nights, Mopco offers an affordable drop in improv class for any and all levels of experience. Basic tenets of improv are covered to benefit newcomer and experienced players alike. Each Workout night is different, but the class follows a general pattern: Intro and warmup, then group games, pairs games, and finally a half hour of open stage, where participants can try doing scenes on stage.
There’s always time for debriefs, where participants can share and learn from each other. No one is ever pressured to do any of the games or exercises, but most find themselves jumping in!
Improv 101
This fun and accessible four session class teaches the basics of good improv through play.
01
Listening
Great improvisers listen to their partner with keen attention. This is not as easy as it might sound: Our mental chatter can draw us away from our partner and cause us to miss important offers.
03
Spontaneity
Improv isn’t about being clever or funny. It’s about responding to this now, this moment, and blurting out a genuine response without worrying about “is it funny?” This involves calming down our inner judge, who is often very busily telling us “no!” or demanding that we “say something cleverer!”
02
Yes, And
We call anything our partner says or does an offer. That’s what we have to build with. Recognizing, accepting, and building with offers is what improvisers call “yes, and.”
04
Delight/work with your partner!
In an improv scene, we don’t have a script, or sets or costumes. No director tells us where to stand or what to do. What do we have? Our partner, of course! Keeping our focus on our partner and seeking to delight them as well as ourselves is perhaps the most important skill of good improv.
Improv Fundamentals
Improv Fundamentals 1
The fundamentals of improv are deceptively simple. You can learn them in a few hours. (But we warn you, it can take a lifetime to master them.) Improv is a practice that you can engage in on stage and off.
Support your partner. Listen. Blurt! Weave a fresh, engaging story out of thin air. Is improv comedy? Sometimes, sure. But more importantly, it’s connection.
For actors, writers, performers, and folks who have never performed.
Prerequisite: Improv 101 or equivalent (talk to us if you aren’t sure.)This class consists of a combination of games and scene-work, with debriefs that enhance your personal experience.
Improv Fundamentals 2
Continue the journey. Work with your partner to find the game. Find the characters, relationships, and stories that make great improvised scenes happen. Get out of your head and into the where!
Prerequisite: Improv 101 or equivalent (talk to us if you aren’t sure.)This class consists of a combination of games and scene-work, with debriefs that enhance your personal experience.
Build skills, make friends, and become a stronger performer on and off stage with a combination of games, exercises, and performance formats. Each six week session ends with a showcase performance, usually on a Saturday at 7 PM, before our main stage show.
Take these classes again and again — every session is different, so there's always more to discover.
Special Classes
Short, focused classes that dig into one skillset at a time — Narrative & Story, Physical / Where work, Scene Work, Long Form, and Group Development. We also host guest artists: master teachers from around the country and the world.
These spring up throughout the year — keep an eye on the class schedule — and see the the Acting class for Fall 2026 listed below!
For Groups
Bring Mopco to your group
Our classes make great icebreakers and team-building events at your school, business, or organization. For targeted needs, we work with the pros at our consultancy, Koppett, to craft custom workshops and courses.
Special Class Fall 2026: Acting Class With Patrick White at the Mopco Theater! A Harbinger Theatre Class
Class is filled with a great mix of veteran local actors, first timers, retirees who have been waiting to get on stage and young people busting to contribute to the Capital Region theater scene. Class consists of warmups, exercises, games, audition prep and scene work looking to make you a stronger, more confident actor who is able to leave class, bag roles and have the best time creating on stages throughout the Capital Region.
To learn more visit this page on the Harbinger Theatre site.
Saturdays: 10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24, 10/31, 11/7, 11/14, 11/21, 12/5, 12/12
Scene Night: will be Sunday, 12/13 or Tuesday, 12/15
HOW WE KEEP IT SAFE
Green, Yellow, Red
Improv means blurting — and once in a while a blurt lands wrong. Every activity at Mopco runs on a simple signal so everyone can play freely. It's rarely needed, but it's always on hand, like a first aid kit.
Green
Everything's cool. Feeling comfortable and ready to play.
Yellow
Something's making me uncomfortable. I might not even name it, but it feels off.
Red
Full stop. This crosses my boundaries. When someone calls red, everyone stops.
Student Testimonials
Frequently asked questions
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Not at all! Our Level 1 class is designed for complete beginners—no stage experience required.
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There are so many! First of all, improv is FUN! It's also a great way to meet people. Improv builds confidence, creativity, listening skills, teamwork, and spontaneity. Many people find it useful for public speaking and everyday life, not just performing.There are so many! First of all, improv is FUN! It's also a great way to meet people. Improv builds confidence, creativity, listening skills, teamwork, and spontaneity. Many people find it useful for public speaking and everyday life, not just performing.
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Most classes run once a week for either 4 (Improv 101) or 6 weeks. Each session lasts about two hours. We also offer speciall one or two night Level Three classes.
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Yes! We partner with Koppett, our organizational development consultancy, to provide a wide range of services to organizations large and small, locally, regionally, and globally! Check out koppett.com for more info. Our applied improv workshops help teams communicate better, build trust, and embrace creativity.
🎩 Come Play With Us
Grab a spot in an upcoming class, or just show up to a Monday Workout Night and see how it feels.