Virginia Stage Company and Armed Services Arts Partnership are excited to announce five Free Summer Theatre Workshops for Veterans and Active Duty Service Members.

Improv #1 - Thursday, July 16th at 6:30pm
Shakespeare 101 - Saturday, July 18th at 10am
Improv #2 - Thursday, July 23rd at 6:30pm
Character Development - Saturday, August 1st at 10am
Freeing Your Voice - Thursday, August 6th at 6:30

All Workshops will be held at The Wells Theatre. 108 E Tazewell St . Downtown Norfolk

Scroll down for more information on each session.

RSVP

Intro to Improv

with Brad McMurran & Sean Devereux
Thursday, July 16th at 6:30pm (90min)

Warning: This Workshop May Cause Confidence, Creativity, and Unexpected Laughter.

Spend a few hours discovering why millions of people (from comedians and actors to teachers, business leaders, and everyday humans) swear by improv.

In this fast-paced, beginner-friendly workshop, you'll learn the foundations of improvisation: saying "Yes, And," listening with intention, and making your scene partner look like a genius. The result? Better communication, quicker thinking, stronger connections, and a whole lot of fun.

Whether you're curious about our Improv 101 course, looking to build confidence, or simply searching for a unique way to spend a couple of hours... this workshop offers a fun, low-pressure introduction to the world of improv.

Come see what happens when you stop worrying about being perfect and start having fun instead.
Bradford McMurran is the co-creator of the Push Comedy Theater. McMurran studied acting at Old Dominion University and trained in improv at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater (NYC). He has also trained with members of the Second City, Improv Olympic, and Annoyance Theaters. Brad is the creator of The Pushers Sketch and Improv Comedy Group and the head writer of the Off-Broadway hit, Cuff Me: The 50 Shades of Gray Musical Parody.

As the co-artistic director of the Push Comedy Theater, McMurran helped create Date Night, The Unusual Suspects: The Improvised Murder Mystery and The 666 Project: A Horror Anthology, and Tales from the Campfire: The Improv Ghost Story. He is currently the head of the Push Comedy Theater’s Corporate Improv Training Program.

Brad has been writing, teaching, and performing comedy for nearly 20 years. He is a producer of the film, How to Ruin the Holidays.

He calls Portsmouth, VA aka God’s Country his home. On a personal note, he enjoys history, murder mysteries, and especially lasagna.

Sean Devereux is an Emmy Award-winning writer, performer, and producer. He is a founding member of the Pushers Sketch and Improv Comedy Troupe as well as the co-founder and co-owner of the Push Comedy Theater. Sean studied improv at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater (NYC) and with members of the Second City, Improv Olympic, and Annoyance Theaters. Devereux also trained with Kevin McDonald of the famed Kids in the Hall comedy group.

Sean is a co-writer of Cuff Me: The 50 Shades of Gray Musical Parody which played Off-Broadway in New York City for nearly 3 years. He is also a producer on How to Ruin the Holidays starring Colin Mochrie, Amber Nash, and Aisha Tyler.

Sean teaches improv and sketch comedy at the Push Comedy Theater. At the Push he co-created the hit shows, Pushing Dragons: An Improvised Dungeons & Dragons Adventure, The 666 Project: A Horror Anthology, Tales from the Campfire: The Improvised Ghost Story, and Panties in a Twist (the largest all-female sketch comedy show in the country).

Shakespeare 101

with Tom Quaintance
Saturday, July 18th at 10am (2hrs)

Step into the world of Shakespeare through an engaging, hands-on exploration of his language with VSC Perry Producing Artistic Director Tom Quaintance. This workshop will guide participants through the process of bringing Shakespeare's words to life, beginning with strategies for breaking down and understanding the text.
The workshop will introduce the fundamentals of iambic pentameter and scansion, with a focus on recognizing and working with how rhythm, stress, and verse structure can open up a character’s intention. Participants will learn to discover the clues Shakespeare has poured into the language, and how to avoid the traps that make it sound old timey instead of action packed.
The session will culminate in a short ensemble performance, giving participants the opportunity to get their new skills into their bones. Whether new to Shakespeare or looking to strengthen existing experience, folks will leave with greater confidence, stronger text analysis tools, and a deeper appreciation for the power and accessibility of Shakespeare's work.
TOM QUAINTANCE is the Perry Producing Artistic Director at Virginia Stage Company. When he directed his first Shakespeare play as a graduate student at the University of California, San Diego, he knew he would continue working with the Bard for the rest of his life. As the founder of FreightTrain Shakespeare in Los Angeles, he earned a Drama-Logue Award for his direction of Pericles, and has worked on over 20 Shakespeare plays as a director, an actor and an intern.

Intro to Improv

with Brad McMurran & Sean Devereux
Thursday, July 16th at 6:30pm (90min)

Warning: This Workshop May Cause Confidence, Creativity, and Unexpected Laughter.

Spend a few hours discovering why millions of people (from comedians and actors to teachers, business leaders, and everyday humans) swear by improv.

In this fast-paced, beginner-friendly workshop, you'll learn the foundations of improvisation: saying "Yes, And," listening with intention, and making your scene partner look like a genius. The result? Better communication, quicker thinking, stronger connections, and a whole lot of fun.

Whether you're curious about our Improv 101 course, looking to build confidence, or simply searching for a unique way to spend a couple of hours... this workshop offers a fun, low-pressure introduction to the world of improv.

Come see what happens when you stop worrying about being perfect and start having fun instead.
Bradford McMurran is the co-creator of the Push Comedy Theater. McMurran studied acting at Old Dominion University and trained in improv at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater (NYC). He has also trained with members of the Second City, Improv Olympic, and Annoyance Theaters. Brad is the creator of The Pushers Sketch and Improv Comedy Group and the head writer of the Off-Broadway hit, Cuff Me: The 50 Shades of Gray Musical Parody.

As the co-artistic director of the Push Comedy Theater, McMurran helped create Date Night, The Unusual Suspects: The Improvised Murder Mystery and The 666 Project: A Horror Anthology, and Tales from the Campfire: The Improv Ghost Story. He is currently the head of the Push Comedy Theater’s Corporate Improv Training Program.

Brad has been writing, teaching, and performing comedy for nearly 20 years. He is a producer of the film, How to Ruin the Holidays.

He calls Portsmouth, VA aka God’s Country his home. On a personal note, he enjoys history, murder mysteries, and especially lasagna.

Sean Devereux is an Emmy Award-winning writer, performer, and producer. He is a founding member of the Pushers Sketch and Improv Comedy Troupe as well as the co-founder and co-owner of the Push Comedy Theater. Sean studied improv at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater (NYC) and with members of the Second City, Improv Olympic, and Annoyance Theaters. Devereux also trained with Kevin McDonald of the famed Kids in the Hall comedy group.

Sean is a co-writer of Cuff Me: The 50 Shades of Gray Musical Parody which played Off-Broadway in New York City for nearly 3 years. He is also a producer on How to Ruin the Holidays starring Colin Mochrie, Amber Nash, and Aisha Tyler.

Sean teaches improv and sketch comedy at the Push Comedy Theater. At the Push he co-created the hit shows, Pushing Dragons: An Improvised Dungeons & Dragons Adventure, The 666 Project: A Horror Anthology, Tales from the Campfire: The Improvised Ghost Story, and Panties in a Twist (the largest all-female sketch comedy show in the country).

Character development: Building People, Not Performances

with Leila Stephanie
Saturday, August 1st at 10am (2hrs)

In this interactive workshop, participants will explore techniques for creating authentic, layered characters by examining two different approaches to character development. We’ll explore both internal approaches, such as imagination and psychological exploration, and external approaches, such as vocal and physical transformation.
Through guided exercises, improvisation, and monologue work, participants will discover how different acting techniques can be used to create compelling and believable characters.
Leila Stephanie is a dynamic theatre artist and educator from Newport News, Virginia. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Norfolk State University where she was a member of the NSU Players and NSU Theatre Company.
In 2017, Leila obtained her MFA in Performing Arts from Savannah College of Art & Design. She currently serves as an adjunct professor at Old Dominion University and a teaching artist with Virginia Stage Company, where she works alongside community organizations such as Access Virginia, Arts Connect Virginia, & the Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP). Through her belief in the power of storytelling, Leila prioritizes community building, expanding equity and access, and providing artists with opportunities for artistic and personal development.

Freeing Your Voice

with Leila Stephanie
Thursday, August 6th at 6:30 (2hrs)

In this experiential workshop, participants will explore the voice as a tool for communication and storytelling. Through breath work, vocal exercises, movement, and physical exploration, we’ll investigate how tension impacts the voice and discover techniques for increasing vocal freedom, clarity, and presence.

Participants will develop greater awareness of their vocal habits while building confidence in their ability to communicate with confidence and intention.
Leila Stephanie is a dynamic theatre artist and educator from Newport News, Virginia. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Norfolk State University where she was a member of the NSU Players and NSU Theatre Company. In 2017, Leila obtained her MFA in Performing Arts from Savannah College of Art & Design.

She currently serves as an adjunct professor at Old Dominion University and a teaching artist with Virginia Stage Company, where she works alongside community organizations such as Access Virginia, Arts Connect Virginia, & the Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP). Through her belief in the power of storytelling, Leila prioritizes community building, expanding equity and access, and providing artists with opportunities for artistic and personal development.