Weekend Narrative Masterclass with Dan O'Connor

This weekend intensive dives deep into the craft of narrative improvisation, with a particular focus on creating great scenes and using literary style as a tool for discovery.

Description

Great improvisation isn’t just about telling a story—it’s about creating compelling scenes, memorable characters, and theatrical moments.

This weekend intensive dives deep into the craft of narrative improvisation, with a particular focus on creating great scenes and using literary style as a tool for discovery.

We’ll explore the elements that make scenes come alive: strong points of view, specific characters, meaningful relationships, emotional stakes, and the choices that allow a story to develop organically. Through extensive scene work, we’ll focus on creating moments that feel surprising, truthful, and dramatically satisfying.

We’ll also explore how the language, structure, rhythm, and conventions of great literary styles can give improvisers a richer theatrical vocabulary. Rather than simply imitating a genre, we’ll investigate how style can influence character, dialogue, pacing, relationships, and the way a story unfolds.
 
The goal is not to memorize formulas or reproduce existing works. It’s to use literary and theatrical traditions as creative engines—giving you more choices, greater specificity, and a deeper understanding of how style can make an improvised scene more dynamic and theatrical.
Expect lots of scene work, experimentation, direction, and feedback as we put these ideas into practice.
Come ready to play, take risks, and discover how story, character, and style can transform your improv.

About Your Instructor

Dan O’Connor is the founder of Impro Theatre, a Los Angeles based company renowned for creating full-length, unscripted plays in the style of celebrated authors like Shakespeare, Austen, and Chekhov. Under Dan’s artistic direction, Impro has performed at prestigious venues including the Pasadena Playhouse, A Noise Within, the Wallis Annenberg Center, and internationally from Auckland to Dubai.

With over 30 years of experience, Dan’s unscripted theatre workshops range from focused skill-building to exploring entire forms and genres. His teaching blends classical training from London’s Webber Douglas Academy with decades of work alongside improv pioneer Keith Johnstone. He’s dedicated to helping improvisers become stronger actors—and actors become confident improvisers—through experiential, on-your-feet learning.

In television, Dan directed the critically acclaimed ABC hybrid sitcom Sons and Daughters, Campus Ladies (Oxygen), and co-created NBC/PAX’s World Cup Comedy. He also teaches and consults for Disney and DreamWorks Animation, and has helped develop storytelling tools used in major animated features.

With psychiatrist Dr. Jeff Katzman, Dan co-authored two books—Life UnScripted and Ensemble!—about using improvisation to build deeper connection, confidence, and joy in everyday life.

www.danoconnor.net