Josh Nicols
Improv Utopia EVOLVE 2025
Josh Nicols presents
Education Systems
Building, Managing and Maintaining Education and Training Programs
Class 1: Building a Curriculum
A focus on curating a path of learning towards you and your student's goals. From exercise to exercise, session to session, level to level and from class to stage. Bring your goals with you and we can work through solutions for your obstacles together.
Josh has created classes and levels for multiple theaters including Rise Comedy and city, school and youth improv programs. He's also created leveled programs for short form, long form, and genre/narrative. As well as building experiences for professional training as well as roleplaying for management training.
Class 2: Running an Education Department (Schedule, Structure, Administration)
The big back end of improv. We will cover how to schedule your terms, teachers and showcases as well as student communication habits that lead to results in enrollment. When it comes to the infrastructure of comedy classes we all face challenges both unique and universal.
Josh has a variety of experiences of running comedy classes under a myriad of circumstances and challenges, which leave him well positioned to help lead a discussion of potential pathways through your back end challenges.
Class 3: Difficult Moments: Before, During & After
Difficult moments in class are a matter of when and not if. The best way to avoid or mitigate the impact of these moments is to be prepared for them. We will cover how to establish processes and expectations that will provide more clarity and safety. We will also discuss the moments themselves, how to see outside your perspective to spot harm, methods that will help protect those who might be harmed and also ways to get the class back on track after the harm has been appropriately addressed. Then finally, how to handle the aftermath of these incidents to help find the most successful path forward for all involved. We will also cover followthrough of these policies and how to have the tough conversations.
Josh started in improv leadership in high school 30 years ago and he is still at it today, in that time he's accrued many lessons both through specific training and personal experiences of dealing with difficult moments in classes. He's helped create and administer multiple policies and processes designed to help create a healthy arts space for students. Since there are always lessons to learn, please bring your moments for us to discuss as a group and walk away more well equipped to find a successful results the next time we have a difficult moment in class.
Class 4: Coming Soon
About Josh Nicols
Josh Nicols is the Education Director and co-owner of RISE Comedy. Josh has been a professional improv teacher, producer and performer for 20 years. He has studied under instructors from iO West & Chicago, The Annoyance Theater, Groundlings, UCB, and Second City. He has performed and taught all around the country and abroad. Josh was the improv teacher at Mater Dei High School as well as working with Long Beach Poly Highschool, He also served as the Training Center Director at the Westside Comedy Theater, prior to that he was the Artistic Director/ Co-Owner of Spectacles Improv Engine in Fullerton Ca. He created and directed 7 years of The Orange County Improv Festival and is a founder and former director of The Improv Cup. He is a member of the teams Community Theater 3000, Tapestry, Laugh Track and A Bad Play Done Terribly. He has also directed full length improvised plays, which included The Awkward Party, Post Apocalyptic Bunker Comedy and Prentendessee Williams, with the Awkward Party receiving the accolade “Best Play of the Year” from the OC Weekly.
