Stand Up for Improvisers Workshop

Ages 17+: Stand-Up for Improvisers is designed specifically for improvisers interested in dipping their toe into the world of stand-up comedy, using skills they already have. 

This two hour workshop will focus on utilizing the improviser’s sense of game, patterns, heightening, and point-of-view to perform stand-up on the spot, creating comedy that is spontaneous and genuine. Participants will learn crowd-work skills that toast the audience instead of roasting them, finding ways to make special connections that get the crowd on their side. Additionally, students will learn methods to use these skills in their writing to create material that feels conversational and honest. 

Students will take part in a combination of practical, on-your-feet exercises and writing s designed to help take improvised material and turn it into a polished, structured set.

All students participating in this workshop will get practical experience performing in front of an audience in the Tirade Tournament - an improvised rant competition taking place at  Shenanigan’s the same evening as the workshop.

About the Instructor:
Jamie Campbell has been improvising and performing stand-up comedy for more than fifteen years, beginning his journey in Chicago’s world famous comedy scene where he trained at The Second CIty, iO, The Annoyance, and ComedySportz.

Since then, he has gone on to tour the U.S. as a comedian, releasing a #1 charting stand-up album, Tell Me You’re Proud of Me, and an award-winning comedy special Big Dad Energy.  He recently recorded a special for Dry Bar Comedy that is slated for a release later in 2026.

You may recognize Jamie from appearances on NBC’s Chicago Fire, PopTV’s Hollywood Darlings, or from his co-starring spot in a Super Bowl commercial alongside Kristin Chenoweth.