I’ll admit that even the thought of Improv leaves me scared stiff, so, it was no surprise to me that when I arrived at a special Daddy’s Home 2 promotional class at the Groundling’s theatre, Will Farrell’s alma mater, my mind went wild with all the ways that day could blow up in my face.
To my surprise, it turned out to be one of the highlights of my week. Our instructor, Julian Gant, one of the main company members at the theatre, loosened us up with some Improv games at the beginning of the class before having us partner up for two person scenes. We were given some information about where our scene took place, or our characters relationships to each other, and then the rest was up to us. I was actually really impressed by the talent and hilarity my classmates possessed. Every one of them made me laugh so hard, which, admittedly, isn’t very hard to do, that I forgot to continue hiding in the corner of the theatre; a rookie mistake.
When it was my turn to go up, my legs were shaking but I’ll confess, once the scene got going, I had a blast and, dare I say, did a pretty darn good job. If my experience was any indication of the work that regularly goes on behind those theatre doors, than it’s no wonder why so many of their students go on to become the cream of the crop in comedy. “It’s a place where you can go and learn how to embody different characters,” Gant told us. “They’re grounded in character, emotion, and relationship,” which makes sense, considering some of the most memorable characters in recent memory were created by amazing former Groundlings. Notable alumni include Kristen Wiig, Melissa Mccarthy, Lisa Kudrow, John Paragon (aka Pee Wee Herman) and, of course, Will Farrell, who can next be seen starring in Paramount Picture’s Daddy’s Home 2.
It’s pretty clear to me that if you want a fun, safe place to explore the magic of improvisation then look no further than The Groundlings and, if you want to see that Groundlings magic at work, check out Daddy’s Home 2 opening in theatres today.
For more information on The Groundlings or to enroll in classes visit http://groundlings.com
You can get your tickets to see Daddy’s Home 2 at paramount.com/daddyshome2
