IMPROV YOUR PODOCASTS (FACTUAL OR FICTIONAL)

TENTATIVE

WILL BE UPDATED ONCE PODCAMP TORONTO CONFIRMS THEIR SCHEDULE

Feb 21-23

George Brown College (Downtown Campus)

FREE admission

This two-part workshop will look at the ways theatrical improv games and techniques can be used to bring spontaneous storytelling to your work, be it an interview-based podcast, or a fictional podcast (single narrator or full-cast audio drama).

Lots of interview questions get you factual answers, but are you missing the questions you could be asking that would prompt your guests to tell a far more compelling story? Learn how combining proper preparation with curiosity and a willingness to go off-script can lead to far more memorable interviews. No more start and stop. No more dead-ends. Go deeper and co-create something unexpected with your guests.

For fictional podcast creators: Do you ever feel stuck? Writing feeling “flat”? If you need a creative nudge, this workshop is for you. Using easy-to-learn improv games and very short writing sprints during the workshop you’ll learn how to:

• Start at the beginning (No, it’s not obvious)
• Give your characters character
• Favour imagination over research (at least on the first draft)
• Give your dialogue life by focusing on emotion and intent
• Trust in tangents to find out “what’s next?” in your story
• Generate ideas, plots, and scenarios fast! Silence your Inner Critic and bust through writer’s block.

Both halves of this workshop will give you lots of ideas, whatever form of podcast you work on. Audience participation is encouraged. ABSOLUTELY NO IMPROV EXPERIENCE IS NEEDED. A handout with ideas and more resources is included.

Key Takeaways

1. The power of letting your guest lead the story
2. How to come up with compelling audio fiction
3. Freeing your imagination by learning to trust your instincts
4. The joys and liberation of co-creation
5. “Plan less, play more”