Improv 101: Building the Scene

This introductory class will teach students the fundamentals of improv comedy. Through the use of improv games, group exercises, and scene work, students will be introduced to the core tenets of long-form improv with a focus on building a strong base reality, listening, agreement and playing to the top of your intelligence. These concepts will act as the building blocks for subsequent classes as students learn to develop their comedic voice. Improv comedy is a wonderful tool for performance and for listening to and learning from the people around you. Students will come to see that they and their scene partners are geniuses and poets when they take the stage!

The course is 8 weeks long, culminating in a class show at the Hangar Theatre for a ticketed audience of friends and family. Classes are 2 hours long. Please check all the class and show dates, as we advise you not to miss more than 2 sessions total. Be aware that there is no class on February 22nd.

The class is $300 by Venmo (@ilan-kaplan) or Zelle (ilanjkaplan@gmail.com) and $315 by PayPal (link below). Flexible pricing options available, reach out to Ilan via ilanjkaplan@gmail.com.

Meets Sundays, 10am-12pm, starting February 1, 2026. Class is offered in association with Third Place Theater, and take place at the Hangar Theatre (801 Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca, NY 14850).

Class 1: Sun, Feb 1, 10am-12pm

Class 2: Sun, Feb 8, 10am-12pm

Class 3: Sun, Feb 15, 10am-12pm

WEEK OFF

Class 4: Sun, Mar 1, 10am-12pm

Class 5: Sun, Mar 8, 10am-12pm

Class 6: Sun, Mar 15, 10am-12pm

Class 7: Sun, Mar 22, 10am-12pm

Class 8: Sun, Mar 29, 10am-12pm

Class Show: Sun, Mar 29, 2-3pm, following class

Cost: $300 by Venmo or Zelle (include your name and
email address in the notes)
$315 by Paypal (to account for service fees)

Zelle to ilanjkaplan@gmail.com

PayPal

Meet Your Instructor

Ilan Kaplan is an award winning improviser, teacher, and actor, who trained at the UCB and Magnet Theater in NYC, and has an MFA in acting. He has taught and performed improv to every kind of audience in NYC, Chicago, and Ithaca. He once taught improv to Punkie Johnson (SNL) and improvised a song with Willem Dafoe.

Ilan regularly tours with his improvised show, Undressed: The Musical, which will run at the Kitchen Theatre Company Jan 21-31. You can buy tickets here.

Student Testimonials

  • "I don’t usually like to be vague but I absolutely loved every part of this class."

    Former Student

  • "Ilan did an excellent job at making people feel comfortable being vulnerable.... I was really nervous about taking the class but I had fun right from the beginning."

    Former Student

  • "The whole class was very welcoming, enthusiastic, curious, and fun— I think Ilan really helped set that tone."

    Former Student

  • "I enjoyed the class very much... [Ilan] did a good job of challenging everyone, teaching and reinforcing basic long form improv concepts, and soliciting feedback."

    Former Student

  • "This class eased me into this art form in a way that was easily digestible. The pace of the class worked really well for me. I like how we started out with simple exercises and then built on that every week. It made me feel like I can do this, and I’m so excited to continue developing my skills in improv. Thank you for that!"

    Former Student