No Shame in Game

In this workshop, we explore the game of the scene by first: breaking it down into its components of stimulus, emotional response and mechanism. Learning how each part comes together to form the pattern that is born from the scene’s own reality and will be recognized by the audience and your scene partner.

Secondly: How to communicate the game to your scene partner through the mechanism while communicating the game to your audience through the negative space within the pattern, and Third: How to follow the game by knowing what side of the game to heighten, what player to tag and what player to follow. Do we still want grounded scene work? Hell yes! Do we still want strong relationships? You know it! You can have all that! Just remember – there’s no shame in game!

BIO:Originally from Texas, Pepper Berry started doing stand-up while in college before moving to Los Angeles to study screenwriting at UCLA. Being a fan of SCTV he began studying at The Second City Hollywood where he quickly fell in love with improv and dove headfirst into graduating from The Second City, iO West, Upright Citizens Brigade, The Nerdist, Comedy Sportz LA, The Second City Directing program as well as studying at The Groundlings. He is a cast member of The Rockin’ Awesome Improv Show, voted Best Kid’s Comedy Show by LA Magazine. Having toured the country with his improv duo Virginia Slims playing comedy festivals and teaching workshops, he has continued to teach and direct at Second City for over a decade now.

Pepper directed the house sketch ensembles for 3 years as well as writing and directing scripted and process shows for the Second City. His musical, “What Rhymes with Orange?”, was the first premium kids show at The Second City. He currently is a teacher and director at The Second City as well as the Youth Academy of Dramatic Arts and SAG AFTRA Conservatory.