"Acting is behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances." — Sanford Meisner
Whether you’re an improviser who struggles to stay emotionally grounded and committed to the integrity of a scene, or an actor who struggles to come up with content on the spot, this course develops all aspects of the actor-improviser! Most acting methods aren't geared toward writing and dramaturgy as well, but as improvisers it's all on us. We'll be learning to recognize and play with the tenets of Viewpoints for organic content creation via the wisdom of both Mindfulness and the Meisner acting technique.
Registration is open to performers from both acting and improv backgrounds. You will get the most out of this course if you have an existing level of comfort onstage and are prepared to be present and focused while in class.
“Oliver’s course is one of the most rich and rewarding programs I have taken. From start to finish, you learn practical ways to improvise organically and stay out of your head. I found that the exercises are amazing tools to bring authentic parts of myself into my scenes, which is an incredible and liberating feeling. ”
— Luke Hayes
“Even after one class performance, I can see improvement. Bringing in more depth and variety into my performance and not having it come from a place of invention is huge.”
— Chris Nyugen
“Oliver is an amazing teacher who puts support and joy at the center of his teaching. Oliver’s class is a refreshing take that brings back the magic of theater onto the stage, inviting every performer to surprise themselves first, so that we can carry that joy of play throughout our scenes effortlessly. I wholeheartedly recommend taking Oliver’s classes for everyone who wants to carry their theater inspiration to louder and brighter limits.”
— Fatma Ozbek
“Oliver created a safe and supportive space to be silly, connect with my classmates, and experiment. He reduced big concepts into bite sized chunks that made it easier for me to grasp and use right away in my scenes.”
— Damian Waithe
“Oliver is a fantastic and dedicated teacher, performer and person, and I would highly recommend this class to any performer.”
— Allison Mah
CLASS DETAILS
Course Dates: April 4 - May 9, 2026
Day & Time: Saturdays, 12:00pm - 2:30pm
Tuition: $250 + HST
About Oliver:
Oliver Georgiou is passionate about unscripted theatre and the cross-section that exists between acting and improvisation. He runs SODA Impro through which he produces Played Out, a three-act unscripted play with an emphasis on emotionally grounded, character-driven scenes. He is also one-half of Jan & George with Reid Janisse. Specialty course offerings in Toronto, Detroit, and Los Angeles have included: Viewpoints, Mindfulness, and Meisner for the Actor Improviser; Make it Meaningful; Stanislavski and Scene Dynamics; Impulse, Insight, and Emotion; The Game In Narrative; and Intro to Viewpoints for Improvisation. He's the regular coach for Duck Confetti, and an occasional guest coach for HinProv and other troupes around Toronto. This past year he was a featured guest instructor at the Dramatic Improv Festival in Chicago, Le Grand Yes And in Montreal, and the Snow Day Improv Marathon in Detroit. This year he's delighted to be teaching at Camp Improv Utopia East.
The award-winning Vampire Zombies... From Space! just completed a limited theatre run in cities across North America and will be available for streaming later this year. He's delighted to have worked so closely with Bygone Theatre in the past few years on live stage productions of The Rear Window, The Birds, and Wayne & Shuster, Live! He also helped develop the roles of Edwin in Kristen Da Silva's The Bluff (Theatre Orangeville) and Mr. Gordon in Vishesh Abeyratne's workshop of Blood Offering (Alma Matter Productions). Oliver returns to Detroit biannually for the Snow Day Improvised Marathon for local cancer charities and the Detroit Improv Festival. He's an alumnus of Second City Toronto House Co, and can be found sporting a horrible pseudo-Irish accent in the Canadian Podcast Award-winning series Caverns & Comedians.