Improv 5c: Form and Structures

Weekend Intensive | Adults Only (18+)
Learn and perform long-form improvised theatre structures performed at various improv houses around the country.  Focus will be placed on thematic forms, narrative forms, genres, and theatrical devices.  Long-form structures covered are dependent on the instructor’s experience and training.

Learn and perform the Deconstruction!  According to Miles Stroth, The Deconstruction is an improv form initially developed at iO Chicago by his group The Family, under the direction of Del Close, with the goal of asking the question: how many different ways can performers be inspired by a scene?  The Deconstruction is a journey beginning with an initial scene, to which it returns periodically as improvisors explore and expand the themes they find in it.  The Deconstruction format leads improvisors to explore concepts, performance pace and style, and narrative arc, all in the space of a single performance.  It builds a tool box useful for any long form performance.

At the end of this course students perform together in a student showcase.

⚡Important Details

  • Prerequisite: Improv 4: Top Of Your Intelligence
  • Schedule: 5 sessions (weekend intensive)
  • Session Length: 3 hours per session (15 hours total)
  • Class Size: Limited to 14 students for personalized attention

💰 Tuition

  • Regular Tuition: $297
  • Early Bird Tuition: $267 — Save $30 (10%) when you register at least 2 weeks before the course begins

Your tuition includes:

  • 15 hours of live improv training with a professional instructor
  • Personalized feedback in a supportive, small-group environment
  • A supportive community of creatives and professionals

    (All sales are final. By enrolling, you commit to your growth and engagement in the course. We believe in the value of what we offer — and trust you will too.)

📅 Upcoming “Improv 5c: Form and Structures” intensive:

***Access code from previous instructor needed for registration.***

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Weekend Intensive Schedule: 

  • Friday, March 13, 2026, from 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
  • Saturday, March 14, 2026, from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
  • Saturday, March 14, 2026, from 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM
  • Sunday, March 15, 2026, from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
  • Sunday, March 15, 2026, from 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM

Student Showcase: Sunday, March 15, 2026 | 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Guest Instructor: Brian James O’Connell
Location: Leela Improv Theatre
309 N Boylan Ave, Raleigh, NC 27603

Parking: Free street parking available on N Boylan Ave.

➡️ Please arrive 10 minutes before class begins.

BrianJamesOConnell-Headshot

BRIAN JAMES O’CONNELL is a working actor, writer, director, filmmaker and teacher in Los Angeles.  He taught as part of the Core Faculty at The Pack Theater and at iOWest for over a decade before pursuing his own independent, bespoke & curated student training ALL IMPROV. Brian is the Creator and Executive Producer of Big Yellow Taxi, the Executive Producer and Founder of Long Hard Tuesdays, the Executive Producer and Founder of The Lady Invitational and Executive Producer of Genre Night! at The Pack Theater. Brian is a graduate of the prestigious North Carolina School of the Arts and moved to Los Angeles in 2000 to follow his dreams of a career in filmmaking.

BOC (as his friends call him) is part of the comedy collective Dr. God, who recently completed their first feature film project BLOODSUCKING BASTARDS, starring Fran Kranz, Pedro Pascal, Joey Kern, Joel Murray, and Emma Fitzpatrick, which O’Connell directed (his third feature as a director) 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 DVD and On-Demand after it’s theatrical run.

A regular performer, coach and teacher in Los Angeles, Brian derives most of his approach to improv from The Deconstruction, the form created by iO’s legendary team, The Family. With his internationally touring improv duo Billyhawk and iOWest’s legendary improv group Dr. God, Brian has performed and taught in festivals in Denver, Dublin, Phoenix, Toronto, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Austin, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Mexico City, Cincinnati, Los Angeles and Chapel Hill, NC.

Well-respected as one of Los Angeles’ premier improvisers, Brian is famous for his encyclopedic knowledge of minutiae and his insane recall ability and memory.

In addition to being on the board at Highwire Improv, BOC is a board member for the non-profit Camp Improv Utopia, the premiere improv, acting and training retreat in the country and served as the Director of Camp Outreach for the first 8 years.