Hone Your Comedy Skills At New Hampshire Theatre Project This Spring

New Hampshire Theatre Project offers opportunities to improvise, write, and perform comedy for all ages this Spring. Adult and youth workshops allow professionals and community members alike the chance to develop skills, explore creative passions, and build lasting connections to their peers.

On Saturday March 9 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm, NHTP Associate Artistic Director Catherine Stewart and Teaching Artist Stephanie Lazenby will lead a Writing and Performing a Comic Speech workshop. "The secret to a funny story is constructing the story well, knowing where the laugh lines are and how to work with the audience," explains Catherine. This workshop will introduce various tips and techniques for writing comedic speeches for a variety of settings. Those who want to work on a specific talk, presentation or speech are encouraged to bring ideas, and from there work to shape the text into a meaningful script. Using techniques in diction, tone and timing the participants will rehearse and perform their speeches.

To dig a little deeper, adults can register for NHTP's new performance training program, Couch to Mic. This three week session runs Tuesdays April 2 - 16, 7.30 - 9:00 pm at NHTP's home at 959 Islington Street, Portsmouth. "Whether you were in a comedy group in college, or have never graced the stage, in just three weeks you will improvise, workshop, and write three minutes of comedy," says the program's creator Stephanie Lazenby. "It could be stand up, news commentary like a correspondent on The Daily Show or maybe a short sketch. It's your choice." The program culminates on April 30th when the doors to the theatre will open to the public for The Open Mic, a night of comedy presented by the class and local comedic talent.

Adults are not the only ones who can practice their comedic timing this Spring as New Hampshire Theatre Project will also be home to a teen Sketch Comedy Group. Classes meet on Tuesdays, 5:00-7:00 pm, beginning March 26 and running through May 28 with final performances taking place May 30 - June 2. For teens whose second language is sarcasm, or who spend their evenings binge watching new comedy on Netflix it's time to stop watching and start writing and performing their own comedy! In Sketch Comedy Group, 12-17 year olds will work as a group to write and perform their own original skits and characters to be showcased in front of a live audience.

These new comedy offerings are brought to you by New Hampshire Theatre Project's newest teaching artist Stephanie Lazenby, a writer and performer based in Portsmouth, NH. Stephanie began her comedy journey by memorizing the entire movie Airplane! as a teenager and has put those skills to work ever since. She was a member of Emerson Comedy Workshop at Emerson College and continued writing and performing original shows and short films in her hometown of New York City. Since moving to the Seacoast in 2003 her writing has been published locally, including a monthly column in The Portsmouth Herald, Mom's in the City as well as nationally, in publications such as Redbook and stage productions, Listen To Your Mother. From 2016 to 2018 she was the host of Pecha Kucha, which is held seasonally at 3S Artspace, and TEDx Portsmouth 2017.

For more information visit www.nhtheatreproject.org/education or info@nhtheatreproject.org or (603) 431-6644.

Courtesy Photo: Stephany Lazenby

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