When I moved to Long Beach I attended one of Held2Gether's Last Laught Saturday's at Hot Java and, frankly, left there with my stomach hurting from all the laughter. Â A few weeks later I got enough nerve to take a half day Improv Workshop with Darren to get my feet wet in the world of improv. Â It was a blast!
I left there wanting more. Â In October 2012 I started taking Improv Classes with Held2Gether and never looked back! Â The instructors are supportive, knowledgable, and a lot of fun. Â Darren and Sonnjea do a great job of creating a family in each class.
In fact, through Held2Gether I made some pretty amazing friends from class. Â Being new to Long Beach it was a great way to meet some fun, creative, and super nice people! Â As well, many of the skills I've learned through taking improv with Darren and Sonnjea are easily applied to my daily professional life.
So, if you're looking for an excuse to play each week, want to make new friends, or gain some valuable skills that translate into the professional environment I highly recommend checking out one of the Improv Classes offered by Held2Gether!
YEPPERS! Â
When I started taking Level 1 class about 2 years ago - I was just HOOKED IMMEDIATELY!
 I felt like I had gone to heaven!  I love taking "breaks from brutal reality" (just call me the "Escapist Queen") as much as I can - AND I LOVE to have FUN...so going to these classes felt like going to a blast party every week!  And after about 2 years of classes - -  I STILL feel that way!  I was SO HAPPY to discover the other students who-  looking like " ordinary drone workers" from the outside - quickly revealed their  'inner'  child who is insane, clever, fun loving and exuberant.   Finally! I had met other kindred alien life forms!  I realized I had entered a Fabulous Mind Set taught in class.
I find these classes nurture an 'interactive social creativity'  by teaching the group improv comedic "Tools and  Rules'  - - where I learned to get  "plugged in" to a collective "Improv Comedy Higher Consciousness' . Whew! See what I mean?
 I've been an addict ever since day one- under the tutelage of  "Darren" (whom I call the "Group Improv Guru") He is incredibly knowledgable, kind and has really HIGH ENERGY!  He gives INDIVIDUAL quick critiques  after each exercise vignette  Unlike many instructors, Darren has the gift of positive feedback - he's never a turn off to learning about yourself and your skill level. .I really got to learn  how I 'present' and 'communicate' without getting all hung up and shut down.
I encourage ANYONE OF ANY AGE to take these classes. Â I am not a professional actor nor have I ever been interested in this type of performance work. Â And it doesn't matter!
The classes are SHEER enjoyment, lots of laughter and learning AND its right here in Long Beach!! Â And you meet the coolest people around!!
Taking Improv classes with Darren and Sonnjea has and continues to be fun and funnier.They provide a  positive,encouraging environment.You do not néed to be an actor.Try the 4 hour intro  class and you will not be disappointed.
If your looking to just meet people and make friends the Improv shows are in Long Beach and have a great connection to the community.
I promise you will LOL the whole time.What is better than that?
I took a Saturday 6 week beginner improv class to improve my public speaking skills and also have fun and try something different. I had a fantastic experience! Sonnjea Blackwell was the course instructor and she was extremely supportive and encouraging on how she taught the class. The environment is safe and non-intimidating, so being a newbie I felt comfortable practicing in front of strangers. I really recommend taking this class if you want to improve your professional communication skills and have a great time doing it!
Review Source:I am not a professional actress/performer and I am not planning to be one. Â I took this class to help my fear of public speaking. It was in between toastmasters and improv class and this sounded more fun! I was very intimidated walking into the first class because I was not professionally trained. Â However Darren (the instructor) was very welcoming and the attendees all came for different reasons and at different skill levels. Â
The exercises started out simple and doable for someone like myself who considers herself shy in large groups of people. Â Darren created a very supportive culture in class for learning, making mistakes and stepping outside comfort zones. I was truly surprised that by the end of the six week course I was performing spoken word about a item of clothing, singing pop songs. and making sounds to imitate a machine.
Take this class to get over stage fright, to improve your acting skills or just to have fun!
My husband Dan recently completed the Held2gether intro 6 week improv class. Â He really enjoyed it! Â He had this to say about his experience:
Darren is a wonderful and talented instructor. He did an excellent job of explaining and demonstrating what he wanted us to do. Â Then after each student performed, he took the time to evaluate and give us feedback. He was always extremely gracious and positive in his reviews, and this really helped to make the class more fun and enjoyable.
I highly recommend this class!
Dan
I took the six week Improv I class on a lark. Thought it might be good fun and a change of pace from my everyday routine. BINGO. The class exceeded my fondest expectations. It allows you to exploit your natural ability to be genuinely funny. You learn to let it all hang out, think on your feet, and sometimes go beyond your usual level of comfort in a non-judgmental, safe and supportive environment. Darren's infectious, fun loving personality pervades the room, and is almost magically passed on to all of the class participants. Even if you don't plan on giving up your day job, taking one of the Held2gether: Improv for Life classes is an opportunity that you shouldn't pass by. Last Tuesday was the final class session, Â and I had so much fun that I had to sign up for another round!
Review Source:I've taken a 6-week intro workshop and participated in a 1/2 day workshop. Â Both experiences have been amazing! Â
Darren and Sonnjea, the co-instructors, are great instructors! Â They treat everyone the same, whether you're a total newbie like me or a professional actor. Â
The thought of Improv can be very intimidating but the instructors' approach make everything seem easy and fun.
In the 6- week intro workshop, you get to do a lot of activities and exercises that will teach you valuable tips to use on the stage. Â You also get really great feedback from the instructors and your fellow students. Â If you don't have a lot of time but are interested in Improv, the 1/2 day workshop is right up your alley - but after that you'll be left with wanting more. Â
I highly recommend Held2Gether. Â It'll put you out of comfort zone in non-scary way and you'll be laughing your heart out.
I started taking Darren's Level 2 class after going to Groundlings Basic. Living in Long Beach I wanted to keep playing but didn't feel like driving up to WeHo to do improv.
What I discovered right off the bat is that everyone is very supportive! VERY! When you put yourself out there like that its really nice to be with a group you can trust because then everyone gets better. This is definitely the case here.
I also enjoyed the fact that each class is a challenge. Darren truly knows your strengths and weaknesses and helps you play better with each. You increase your strengths and bring up those weaknesses to make you a very well rounded improviser.
Now...lets just say you are on the fence about this. My recommendation is to commit to trying it out. Most people say "oh I could never do that" or "what will I use that for?" First, yes you can do that. Second, you can use this in life. Increased self confidence, better communication, learning teamwork, or even just a silly release to help deal with stress. All benefits of letting go and just improvising.
First step: get into a Level 1 class or take a weekend workshop (thats where I started which is a good way to see if this is your "thing") then just go for it!
Second step: become an Improv MASTER! Ok, maybe that was a big jump but you get it...See you in class!
I needed to break out of my very busy, "serious" mindset.  I was having difficulty tapping my creative energies.  I also found it hard to stay in the moment no matter what I was doing.  So when I saw this discount coupon offered through one of the online services I knew I had to try this class. I was especially happy to see the website promoting "everyday" people doing improv, as in the past I mostly tried improv with actors who were usually fantastic at this art.  Trying improv with other beginners made the experience way less intimidating for me so that all I could do was get lost in play and have fun.  I'm remarkably - unfunny.  I 'kept  forgetting the "rules" of the game (yes improv has rules!).  Sometimes I dropped the ball, altogether.  But I was so excited I continued to try, and the process of growth was always as fun as it was challenging. And I took the class again!  In both classes, the mates were always supportive.  That's because the instructor, Darren Held, was very professional and radiated a sense of fun and positivity.  It is a great feeling to forget everything and play - to laugh, and I have felt the effects of this class in my day to day life.  This class is therapeutic, only far far cheaper than therapy. Thank you, Darren, for having a positive vision and allowing your talents and passion for improv to work wonders in people.
Review Source:I've been working with Darren for about six months on various projects for my company. Darren worked with our entire company during an annual training event and was the highlight of the whole event. He and Viet were amazing - they created fantastic energy for our event, and did a great job helping our team translate the fun they were having into real, practical everyday skills that they use in their jobs. Darren is currently partnering with us on developing curriculum that will become part of our basic training program. He is helping us transform the way we teach skills like listening, building rapport and trust, and creativity that are notoriously difficult to teach. I can't recommend Darren highly enough!
Review Source:If you want to "let go" but just can't see yourself doing that, and if you like to laugh, this is the class to take. Â Darren's class a very warm and safe environment to let go and be yourself with nothing but fun "games" and lots of laughter. Â It is never the same (except for the laughter and fun) and each week you grow with the new challenges.
Darren is a very warm and supportive instructor. Â This is a not to miss class!! Â
This class deserves 5 stars, but in the class, you are a star!!
Expand your horizons, meet nice people and spend an evening laughing. This is truly a little gem. I came across by accident here on Yelp looking for things to do in Long Beach. I came back for a second session because I enjoyed the first one so much. Darren is a great instructor, warm, encouraging and just an all around nice person.
Review Source:I attended Darren's Improv class through the City of Long Beach this summer. I can honestly say that it's one of the best classes I've ever taken! Â (And with a PhD education under my belt I've taken a LOT of classes!)
Darren does an amazing job of making each member of the class feel safe and valued. We're encouraged to take risks and are supported if we "mess up." Darren is a fun instructor who has a great personality, a fantastic sense of humor, and a solid understanding of the elements of improv. Not only did I have fun, but I also left the class with a greater knowledge of improv, and increased self confidence (which is pretty hard to do since I already think I'm rockin' awesome).
If you get a chance to see Held2Gether or to take one of Darren's classes, do it. It's a blast!
OK so when i signed up for Darren's class, i was pretty nervous even though for me it was just for fun. i love humor. Â I love comedy. love the idea of acting, but even being a grown adult still terrified of public speaking or being on any sort of stage. Â I was pretty intimidated when i first signed up and still nervous walking up....
I'm glad i went because it was AMAZING. nothing like i had feared, no pretentious actor cliques or anything my imagination had whipped up. Â It was just a room full of people just like me wanting to do something different, or get out of the house, or improve their public speaking skills or try acting. The range of people was really neat. Â We all shared somewhat of the common vein of "i love comedy and Improv, but have never really thought of doing it, so what the hell" Even the experienced Darren veterans were amazing (Hi Jaye!), and welcoming, and merely excited to be a part of Darren's teachings.
The class is super fun, you meet great people of all ages and backgrounds, and this wouldn't be such a special place without it being led by Darren. Â He makes the vibe what it is, comfortable, warm, light hearted, and manages to still give you great direction and moves you forward into acting, or just simply being comfortable in front of a crowd! It was so fun and beneficial for me i took Darren's class twice in 6 months, and trying to do one in September. Â i would suggest this to anyone, really. Thanks Darren for all you do!
This is only a review of their free performance I attended at Hot Java some months ago--I'm not a student of the workshop.
The best way to describe this show would be something like Who's LIne Is It Anyway, where the improv performers are given certain parameters (often supplied by the audience) to perform a skit. I was amazed at the performers' abilities to think so quickly on their feet and at all the hilarious scenarios that ensued from the oftentimes ludicrous setup. Some of the performers were pros, and others weren't, but I was able to find something to appreciate about all of them. The packed house also supplied a lot of energy to motivate the performers and the audience does almost become one of the cast members by the end of the show. The workshop's instructor and emcee, Darren Held, keeps the show moving along nicely. The show, at over 2 hours and being FREE, is a great entertainment value. Certain situations can get a bit "adult" so I wouldn't say it's really kid-friendly, fyi (maybe a PG-13?). My friends and I had a blast and I look forward to the next time I get to see another show. Bravo, Held2gether!
Now that I'm living up in NoCal, one of the things I miss the most from LA is Darren Held's improv classes and improv comedy shows. (No, he didn't pay me to say that, but I bet he'd buy me a latte if I asked nicely.)
I found Darren's intro to improv comedy class in the spring of 2009, while in the throes of boredom from too much time on my hands. I always wanted to try out improv, as I'm a huge fan of Improv Everywhere, improv comedy troupes, Christopher Guest and his posse, etc. It turned out to be one of the best investments I ever made. Darren loves to laugh and loves to teach people how to let go and laugh harder, louder, BETTER than you ever have in your life. My face would hurt when I'd come home from class because I had been laughing and smiling for hours. Being in physical pain because you laughed incredibly hard is one of the best feelings in the world.
Fast forward to this summer, and now our boy Darren has a Long Beach improv troupe doing shows around town and spreading mirth throughout the Southland. I love that, and I love that my need to be a starf**ker could be easily met just by going to a Held2Gether show and seeing my former classmates kiss serious improv ass. Nothing like being able to say to other audience members, "I KNOW them, they are my friends. I have Darren's cell phone number, do YOU?" Yeah, I can be like that.
So if you're in the LBC or vicinity and looking for something to stretch you beyond your normal level of funny, or perhaps you're a writer needing motivation, go sign up for his class. No, seriously. Go sign up. I'll wait until you come back.
Yes Woo Hoo! Â I've been taking class from Darren for at least a couple of years now. Â It's not only fun, but you meet nice people. Â
You don't even need to be funny to take this class. Â Just come and have fun! Â Being funny just comes naturally in this class. Â Darren makes everyone feel comfortable and the class is a very good atmosphere for experimenting with your "wild side".
It's a class that's definitely for adults.
What else can I say but....Darren's Improv classes are life changing!!!! Meet new great friends and celebrate all the little details of life while learning Improv comedy!!!
If you have ever thought you were funny or just love hearing people laugh at your jokes and sense of humor, I highly recommend these classes as a start to learning the basics and of course having a heck of a good time while learning.
Darren is a fantastic teacher!! He is so nice, professional and creates an amazingly comfortable environment to grow in.
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