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Workshop
BEING EXTRA with Jake

“BEING EXTRA with Jake” is a workshop, created to get you out of your improv comfort zone. You will harness having an over-the-top stage presence, find the use of gimmicks in your character work and explore the power of over-acting. Big emotions, big reactions, big delivery! And who better to help you get there than an international tour de force, performing for audiences of up to 10,000: Jake!

This workshop is designed for experienced improvisors:
- For shy players taking up space and making bold choices can be daunting. We will work on giving you the tools to be bigger on stage!
- For more confident players this workshop will be a workout in heightening your stakes, building extravagant characters and perfecting scene energies.

"BEING EXTRA was exactly what I needed as a “head player”. It taught me so much in just one session, both in practical techniques and in terms of the mental approach to a scene. Jake’s kind, supportive enthusiasm and sass helped open me up and pushed me beyond my imaginary comfort level, revealing I could be much sillier and bigger that I had allowed myself to be. Highly recommended and please make this a recurring or multi-day class.”
 

Wesley

Improv Comedy Trainer

Since 2021 Jake has been teaching at the Boom Chicago Academy in Amsterdam.

The Boom Academy provides improv comedy classes for adult enthusiasts, under the artistic direction of Stacey Smith.
His experience ranges from introduction and taster classes to scene work-, character-, shortform games- and hosting-focused classes.
Jake’s teaching style is active and bold. He likes to provide specific compliments and direct feedback in order to reach his student's full potential.

 

“Jake's enthusiasm, encouragement and empathy make him a great instructor. Jake's energy is infectious and lights up every room he walks into. He makes the students laugh, have fun and feel safe.”

Stacey Smith

Artistic Director Boom Chicago Academy

InterActing Head Coach

InterActing is a non-profit theatre school for young people on the Autism spectrum. These classes focus on dealing with the unexpected, making social connections and having fun together!
In 2021 Jake was given the opportunity by improvisor and instructor Biddy Kemery to assist and teach at InterActing. In 2022 he took over from her as Head Coach. Ever since, he has been expanding the training team and providing the students with fun and encouraging classes. Jake also teaches workshops to parents and caretakers, giving them new insights on how to interact with their children.

“As head trainer for the InterActing program, Jake is incredibly capable to create a safe environment for our youngsters, allowing them to learn new things while having fun. Apart from that, he’s also an inspiring leader for the support staff by giving them tools to work with this target group. He provides clear communication so everyone knows what’s up. Lastly Jake teaches energetic workshops to parents and caretakers, giving them new ways to interact with their children.”

Saskia Maas

CEO Boom Chicago and founder of InterActing

Corporate Workshops

Jake has taught several corporate improv workshops for companies such as L’Oreal, Hogeschool Rotterdam (University) and Wunderman Thompson.
These group workshops provide useful knowledge on team spirit, being agreeable and building creative ideas together as seen through the lens of improvised comedy.

“The workshop, taught by Jake, was amazing. From start to finish the process was smooth, the value/quality very good and Jake did a great job of getting people to break that comfort zone barrier in a positive and creative way. The content was properly curated to the audience, which tied the bow around the entire experience, making it a memorable event.”

Adam Ohayon

Business Consultant eCommerce

Wunderman Thompson

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