Comedy for the Live Lit Performer - Wednesday - Feb/March 2020

Comedy for the Live Lit Performer will add to your comedy arsenal - live lit is a form for performed stories and essays, read from the page or "off book". Live lit is more dynamic than an author reading, a visceral way of rendering ideas and stories from your own life. There are dozens of shows around Chicago for storytelling and readings, that all welcome performers with backgrounds in standup, sketch, and improv. This class will help students expand their expressive skills, add to their comedic strategies, and gain confidence as writers able to explore and develop thematic elements of a comedic piece, and the craft of the fiction writer in creating and honing comic narrative. Whether you're an experienced storyteller/live lit performer or a first timer, this class will help you gain and sharpen skills that can serve you well in any form of comedy writing and performance.

The course is founded on the comedy principles of the critically acclaimed Lincoln Lodge, a national leader in cultivating and developing new comedy talent. Join one of Chicago's top writers/performers, Ian Belknap for a course in storytelling offered by the locally and nationally revered Lincoln Lodge, Chicago's top stand-up and variety showcase.

Instructor Ian Belknap is a writer, performer, and producer. He founded WRITE CLUB in 2010 - it's been monthly at the Hideout ever since, and has chapters in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Denver. He's written and performed the full-length solo shows Wide Open Beaver Shot of My Heart: A Comedy With a Body Count; Bring Me the Head of James Franco, That I May Prepare a Savory Goulash in the Narrow and Misshapen Pot of His Skull, and several others, in Chicago and Atlanta. As a stand-up, he's opened for Steven Wright and Dennis Miller. As a live lit performer, he's performed in dozens of shows around town. He's been a regular in the casts of The Paper Machete, The Encyclopedia Show, and the fiction podcast Pleasuretown. His writing has appeared in the Chicago Reader, Chicago Tribune, NewCity Chicago, Crain's Chicago Business, and elsewhere. He coined the phrase "live lit," now in common use in Chicago and elsewhere.

The class requires no previous performance or writing experience and culminates with a presentation of the material developed in class.

Class Schedule is as follows -
Wednesday, February 19th at 7:00 pm
Wednesday, February 26th at 7:00 pm
Wednesday, March 4th at 7:00 pm
Wednesday, March 11th at 7:00 pm
Wednesday, March 18th at 7:00 pm
Presentation - Monday, March 25rd at 8:00 p.m.

REFUND Policy: Full refunds are available any time up to 5 days before the first class commences. Refunds after that time are at the course administrator's discretion.

ROLLOVER Policy: If you are not able to participate in class after registration and the refund window has expired you can potentially roll your registration over to the next course session provided space is available. This is subject to course administrator's discretion and a $40 administration fee. Please note there is NO facility to rollover classes once you have attended ANY classes.