Back-to-school season has arrived. To me, a childless adult, this means more traffic and a tinge of jealousy toward the kids. Days full of arts and crafts, science projects, reading books and lunchtime with friends? Sounds kind of wonderful!
Middle school me would cringe reading this, but present-day Caitlin feels nostalgic for her youth—at least the fun parts, like volleyball practice and drama club rehearsal. Thankfully, Miami has plenty of creative workshops and adult learning courses, so it’s easy to get back to class and learn something new.
To test this theory, I rolled up my high school musical sleeves for the Level 1 improv class at Villain Theater in Little Haiti. Here’s how it went.
Setting the scene
Founded in 2015, Villain Theater is a local theater company and cozy black box theater located on Second Avenue near the Little Haiti Cultural Complex. I pulled up on a rainy Wednesday night for VT-1: Improv Foundations, an introductory course to the art of improv acting.
It’s been a while since I belted “Seasons of Love” on stage. As it turned out, that didn’t matter. My group had a woman in cyber security, a casino manager and a Pilates instructor, among others—we were all different ages and backgrounds, and no one had any improv experience. One student enrolled to “bring more zing” to her public speaking. Another wanted “a form for more fun and laughter.” Mostly, we were all there to let loose and have fun.
Class started with breathwork to quiet our minds and center our attention. Then we played eye contact games to practice picking up cues and carrying on a scene. “Improv is a team sport,” explained our instructor, Naomi Davis. “We have to trust that the person on stage has our back.”
A Miami Beach native and New World School of the Arts graduate, Naomi led class like a pro. Whenever we had questions or moments of self-doubt, Naomi offered positive reinforcement and kept us engaged and excited, even when it wasn’t our turn on stage.
Here’s where things took a turn to Weird Town: I made out with an imaginary baseball bat.
We moved on to object work, where we built imaginary environments and acted out scenes without any dialogue, just body language. Here’s where things took a turn to Weird Town: I made out with an imaginary baseball bat, planked on the floor to become a table and tormented goldfish at the dentist’s office à la Darla from Finding Nemo. (Typical Wednesday night, am I right?)
Later, Naomi paired us up for two-person character scenes inspired by our day jobs. Discovering what my classmates did in the “real world” was almost as fun as the exercise itself. Watching them on stage, I noticed their confidence had already grown in the short time we spent together. They were quick to react and easy to follow, and stayed in character to “commit to the bit.” It’s amazing what a three-hour class, awesome instructor and welcoming environment can do for the artist’s ego!
To conclude our class, Naomi gathered us on stage and asked everyone to compliment a classmate. Tell them something you liked, something that made you laugh or think. Sadly, no one complimented my imaginary kissing skills. Nonetheless, I left feeling energized and excited by my newfound community. My inner drama club kid was practically beaming.
Join the fun
Whether you’re curious to join an improv class, find a new creative outlet or simply kick back and have a good laugh, Villain Theater is a low-key, high-fun option in Miami. They offer a range of classes and writing workshops for all experience levels, from sketch comedy to stand-up, mostly priced around $300 to $400 for eight weeks of small-group instruction (a price point designed to keep the arts accessible and draw in a mixed bag of student performers). Registration is available online at Villain Theater’s website.
Beyond the proverbial classroom, Villain Theater has a ton of weekly shows and events to keep you entertained. Visit on Tuesdays for free open mics and improv shows by recent grads and company members. Party with the girlies at Karaokiki, a weekly drag show and karaoke night hosted by Miami drag artists, or swing by on Saturdays for Saturday Gigantic, a riotous improv comedy show with audience interactions, movie spoofs and special performances by local queer talent at YAS, Florida’s only LGBTQIA+ improv show.
Also on our radar? Villain Theater’s very first “Miss Dade” pageant, coming to a stage near you this fall. Follow them on Instagram for the latest updates, and go have fun!
