Acting coach Chris Biewer leaves Hollywood to lead workshops in the UAE
Do you want to learn how to create sketches, improvisation and comedy, or simply be more spontaneous? American acting coach, comedian, actor, writer and producer Chris Biewer is leading a series of adult, teen and kid’s improv classes, together with Miranda Davidson, the lead coach at UAE-based casting agency Miranda Davidson Studios.
The workshops are aimed at both actors and people who simply want to improve their social skills, and will start from the basics of improvisation and comedy: learning to be in the moment.
Casting directors and film directors, Chris explains, don’t want to see actors work, so improv can teach them to be real and spontaneous. But improv can also help non-actors be a better team worker and respond to negative situations by coming up with unique, positive ideas.
Different countries have a different sense of humour, but improv goes beyond that.
“When people interact on a real level, as opposed to trying to be funny, it will create interactions that are universal,” says Chris. “A wife and husband talking, co-workers having an issue, everyone can relate to these situations.
“Improv is a slice-of-life moment; scenes are typically three to five minutes long, and revolve around relationships. Three of my students – a 20-year-old from France, a 19-year-old Emirati and a Palestinian-American in his 40s – had to do a sketch together. They decided to be friends going on a road trip, and they found funny things to do and say despite having different cultural backgrounds, as they used things they knew about friendship.”
Chris’ career spans over 16 years, as he wrote and starred in several films and TV shows. One of his projects in pre-production is a pilot for a series directed by Joel Murray who plays Freddy Rumsen in American period drama Mad Men. He also coached Hollywood names such as Zoë Bell – Django Unchained, Oblivion, Lost – and performed with the likes of Ed Asner, Keith David, Olivia Munn and Bill Burr.
Laura Volpi
Details
When: 27th-28th March.
Places are limited, advanced booking is recommended. Teens and kids 1.30pm-5.30pm, adults 5.30pm-8.30pm.
Location: Argo Tea, Al Wahda Mall, Hazza Bin Zayed Street (11th)
Cost: Kids and teens AED 1,500 advance, AED 1,800 from 1st March; adults AED 1,000.
Contact: 056 442 1266
[email protected]
