LEELA YOUTH IMPROV · FALL 2026 ENROLLMENT
Where confidence grows through play.
After-school improv for grades 3–12 at Leela Improv Theatre. Weekly classes that help students speak up, loosen up, and find their people in a screen-free, joy-filled room.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Trusted by 33,000+ students over 23 years · San Francisco & Raleigh
First Class Promise
We want every child to find a place where they truly belong. If your child doesn’t look forward to coming back after their first class, email us within 24 hours and we’ll refund your first month’s tuition in full. New students only.
WHY PARENTS CHOOSE LEELA
More than acting classes.
For more than 23 years, Leela has helped over 33,000 students discover confidence through improvisation in San Francisco and Raleigh.
Children don’t come to Leela simply to perform. They come to discover their voice.
Every class helps students become more confident, more creative, better listeners, stronger collaborators, and more comfortable being themselves — all through the simple magic of joyful play.
These are skills that travel far beyond the classroom. Students carry them into friendships, into school, and into the rest of their lives.
YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Jill Eickmann
CO-FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR · LEELA IMPROV THEATRE
Jill Eickmann has taught hundreds of students through Leela’s improv training programs in both Raleigh and San Francisco. Her teaching style emphasizes emotional safety, creativity, ensemble connection, and helping students build confidence at their own pace.
Leela’s approach is rooted in truthful artistic play — creating environments where students feel supported enough to take creative risks, trust their ideas, and connect with others.
Youth classes are co-facilitated with trained instructors to help maintain small, supported, well-supervised groups.
“Every student participates at their own pace. No one is pressured to perform before they feel ready.”
FALL 2026 SCHEDULE
Three tracks. One ensemble spirit.
All classes meet weekly at Leela Improv Theatre — 309 N Boylan Ave, Raleigh (Glenwood South / North Boylan area). Free nearby street parking and easy parent drop-off.
WHAT STUDENTS BUILD
Real skills through joyful play.
Theatre skills and life skills — practiced through games, scenes, and ensemble work students actually look forward to each week.
★
Students practice speaking up, taking creative risks, and trusting their own ideas in a supportive environment.
◎
Improv teaches listening, cooperation, empathy, flexibility, and positive group interaction through play.
✦
Students explore characters, stories, movement, and spontaneous imagination through ensemble work.
⟡
Mistakes become part of the game. Students learn to recover, adapt, and keep going with support from the group.
♡
Every class is ensemble-based. Students discover that their voice matters — and so does everyone else’s.
◈
Older students develop storytelling, character work, and natural presence that carries beyond the stage.
WHY IMPROV?
Life skills in a form they actually enjoy.
In every class, students practice skills that serve them on the stage and off it.
- Listening before responding
- Making bold choices
- Taking turns leading
- Recovering from mistakes
- Speaking in front of others
- Reading social cues
- Trusting imagination
- Building stories together
THE LEELA PHILOSOPHY
The goal is not to turn every child into a performer.
The goal is to help every child feel more confident being themselves.
At Leela, classes are warm, structured, and beginner-friendly. We do not use embarrassment, competition, or “gotcha” comedy as teaching tools.
Students are invited to grow at their own pace while learning how to be brave, kind, creative collaborators.
We take the work seriously so students can experience the joy freely.
A BETTER AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITY
Is Leela right for your child?
Youth improv works beautifully for students who are:
WHAT A CLASS FEELS LIKE
Active. Supportive. Full of laughter.
Students begin with warm-ups and ensemble games that help everyone feel comfortable — especially first-timers.
From there, classes move into age-appropriate improv exercises, storytelling, characters, scenes, movement, and group play.
The deeper work is trust. Students learn that they don’t have to be perfect to participate — just present, curious, and willing to play.
Many students begin nervous. That is completely normal. We meet them where they are.