The Awkward Dinner Party: A 2-Hour Intro to Improv

This 2-hour drop-in is an easy, welcoming way to try it out. No experience needed, no pressure to perform, and no need to be “funny” on command.

This session is loosely inspired by the chaos of awkward dinner parties: bad first dates, uncomfortable family dinners, weird coworker conversations, surprise guests, over-sharers, under-sharers, and the tiny social moments that somehow become very funny.

We’ll use those ideas as playful prompts for beginner-friendly improv games and light scene work. You do not need to prepare anything, act anything out perfectly, or have any performance experience.

No homework. No memorizing lines. No pressure.

This isn’t theater school. It’s improv as a playful, social, presence-building after-work experience.

You’ll be guided through a series of beginner-friendly exercises that build throughout the session. We’ll start with low-stakes warm-ups and gradually move into short-form games and light scene work inspired by familiar social situations.

Along the way, you’ll:

• Get comfortable speaking and reacting in the moment
• Practice “Yes, And” through interactive exercises, not lectures
• Build quick decision-making, commitment, and confidence
• Play with characters, conversations, and awkward social dynamics
• Jump into short, low-pressure scenes to experience what improv actually feels like

The focus is on doing, reacting, and being present without overthinking.

• A welcoming, inclusive environment
• Light, social, after-work energy
• A small group setting
• A mix of structure and fun without it feeling like a formal class
• Beginner-friendly exercises with an experienced instructor
• A playful theme that gives us an easy starting point for scenes and games

This workshop is for complete beginners, curious first-timers, and anyone looking for a fun, low-pressure way to get out of their head and into a room with other people.

It’s also a great fit for:

• People looking to meet others locally
• Anyone craving something more interesting than another midweek happy hour
• People curious about improv, comedy, creativity, or trying something new
• Actors, comedians, or performers looking to stay playful
• Anyone who has taken improv before and wants to practice with a new group

After registration, we may send a quick interest poll about a casual optional dinner nearby after the workshop.

If there’s enough interest, we’ll coordinate a simple group dinner within walking distance. Dinner would be completely optional, self-pay, and separate from the workshop ticket.

📅 Date: Wednesday, June 17

⏰ Time: 6:00 – 8:00 PM

📍 Location: Symposia Community Bookstore, 510 Washington Street, Hoboken

💵 Price: $30 per person

👥 Limited spots available

Advance registration required.

Please note: Any post-workshop dinner, if coordinated, would be optional and not included in the ticket price.

Bianca Casusol

This workshop is led by Bianca Casusol, an improv teacher and performer with over a decade of experience teaching across the U.S. and internationally.

Bianca has been a resident teacher and Megawatt house team director at The Magnet Theater in NYC, and currently teaches at Second City New York. She has also taught at festivals and theaters across the country, including The PIT, Dirty South Improv, and more.

Bianca was a founding member of Kiss:Punch:Poem, a genre-blending show praised by Time Out Chicago. Her work has been featured in Reductress, The Risk Podcast, Hot Mic with Dan Savage, Bust Magazine and more.

In addition to her stage and teaching work, Bianca is a longtime performer with Story Pirates, where she adapts children’s stories into live comedy and sketches, bringing a uniquely playful and creative perspective into her teaching.

Known for creating an inclusive, energizing learning environment, Bianca focuses on helping students get out of their heads, trust their instincts, and access what’s already naturally funny and compelling about them. Her teaching blends strong technical fundamentals with a supportive, confidence-building approach that meets people exactly where they are.

Fun fact: Bianca mixes jam with matcha for a surprisingly great drink. She would also absolutely love to see pictures of your pets.

“I have worked with many coaches in nearly 15 years of improv and Bianca remains my favorite. She brings such joy and energy to her practices that it's impossible not to believe in yourself. I would recommend Bianca to any player or team who wants to get better and have a lot of fun doing it.”

“I was fortunate enough to have Bianca as a coach for three months…and she was one of the only teachers/coaches who really encouraged me to just be naturally funny…”

“I have done several workshops with Bianca, and even had the pleasure of performing alongside her at the New Zealand Improv Festival in Wellington a couple of years ago. Bianca is professional, respectful, fun, funny… Her coaching, in both group classes and private duo coaching sessions, is personal, adaptive and it really is a challenge to walk away without having learned something of immense value…”

If you enjoy the session, Jersey Improv Lab also offers 4-week Intro to Improv workshops in Downtown Hoboken.

All registrations are final, but if you can’t attend, you may transfer your registration to someone else by emailing [email protected].

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