The Bird Comedy Theater teaches comedy classes through our Training Center, built on the foundations of improvisation.
Improv is more than comedy — it’s collaboration, creativity, and connection. It’s actors, lawyers, and dungeon masters all playing pretend in the same room. And that’s kind of magical.
Whether you’re diving into a full class or just trying a workshop, there’s a way in.
No experience required. Just show up.
We’ll take it from there.
Tuesday Nights | April 14th – June 9th
Recommended for EVERYONE
In this 8-Week Class, students will learn how to live in the moment, think creatively, and build together towards a common goal, all core tenets of improvised comedy! And it’s not just useful on stage! Whether you’re an aspiring comedian, looking to up your public speaking skills or just have some fun, Intro to Improv is the class for you!
Classes take place Tuesdays from 7pm-9pm, April 14th 2026 – June 9th 2026 (no class 5/5!), with a class performance Thursday, June 4th at Open Thursday.
All at The Bird Comedy Theater in The Crossroads Arts District!
Sunday Nights | April 12th – June 7th
Recommended for Intermediate Improvisers
Completion of Intro to Improv or Teacher Approval Required
In this 8-week class, students will build upon the skills learned in Intro to Improv, with an emphasis on character & scenework.
Learn to how to stay in the moment, be a better scene partner and have some fun!
Classes take place Sundays from 7pm-9pm, April 12th 2026 – June 7th 2026 (No Class April 26th!), with a class performance Thursday, June 4th at Open Thursday.
Sunday Afternoons | April 12th – June 7th
Completion of Intro to Improv encouraged!
Have you ever wanted to write sketch comedy, but don’t know where to start? Hey, this is that place!
Over eight weeks, students will learn how to transform ideas into polished, laugh-out-loud sketches. Discover the art of writing different styles of sketch comedy, and get personalized, one-on-one feedback from your instructor. Plus, you’ll collaborate with classmates to brainstorm, refine drafts, and share plenty of laughs along the way.
Whether you’re completely new to sketch writing or eager to sharpen your skills, this class is the perfect place to unleash your creativity and make comedy magic happen.
Classes take place Sundays from 4pm-6pm, April 12th 2026- June 7th 2026, with a staged reading of select sketches on Thursday, June 4th at Open Thursday.
Next Round Starts August, 2026!
Recommended for Intermediate Improvisers. Completion of Long-Form Improv II or Instructor’s Permission Required to Enroll.
In this 8-week class, students will build upon the skills learned in Intro to Long-Form Improv and Long Form II with an emphasis on story telling and tropes. Students will focus on genre based format, using a familiar base to tell new stories.
Learn to how to stay in the moment, be a better scene partner and have some fun!
Classes take place Sundays at 7pm August 2nd 2026 – September 20th 2026, with a class performance Thursday, September 17th at Open Thursdays. All at The Bird Comedy Theater in The Crossroads Arts District!
Sunday Afternoons | April 12th – June 7th
Completion of Sketch Comedy I: Sketch Writing or Instructor Approval required!
Take your sketch writing from the page to the stage! This immersive 8-week course is designed to guide you through the full creative process—from idea to live performance.
Over the course of 8 weeks, students will pitch ideas, write and revise sketches, cast roles, rehearse, and ultimately perform a 60-minute Sketch Comedy Show on Friday, May 29th 2026. You’ll act in each other’s material, learn the basics of show production, and collaborate as an ensemble to bring your comedy to life.
Whether you’re a writer, performer, or both, this course is your chance to experience the full arc of sketch comedy—from the first laugh in the writers’ room to the final applause on stage.
Classes take place Sundays from 4pm-6pm, April 12th 2026 – June 7th 2026 with a special session Wednesday May 27th at 7pm, and a class performances taking place Friday, May 29th at 9:30pm.
2-Player Improv can feel intimidating. With only two brains on stage, the high-wire act may feel even higher stakes than usual – no breaks, no group games, and no chance of getting help from your teammates on the sidelines. But with time and space to pay extra close attention to our scene partner’s gifts, we find that less really is more!
In this workshop, participants will learn tactics for working with a single partner by prioritizing deep attention and trust. The result: scenework, characters, patterns and moves that are full of fun discoveries and easy to sustain. With specific skills and a mindset focused on making your scene partner look incredible (and making all of their gifts matter), your 2-player improv stays alive, engaging, and never feels like something you’re stuck inside.
About The Instructors
Touch Baseball is an award winning, long-form two-person improv team featuring long-time St. Louis improvisers and teachers, Ryan Myers and Ashley Rube. After playing together on numerous teams for over 3 years, they formed Touch Baseball at the outset of the pandemic to find hope and distraction from the literal end of the world.
Five years later Ryan and Ashley continue to bring what they love most about improv to the stage with Touch Baseball: patient, grounded scene work that is focused on relationship, committed to emotional honesty, and open to discovering what’s funny about life’s hard moments.
Touch Baseball is a mainstay among Improv Shop House Teams (200+ shows). They have also performed and/or taught workshops at Brooklyn Comedy Collective, Out of Bounds Festival (Austin, TX), Nestival (Columbus, OH), Bellingham Improv Festival (Bellingham, WA) Third Coast Comedy (Nashville, TN) Fest, Omaha Comedy Fest, Countdown (Tampa, FL) Grand Rapids Improv Festival, Asheville Improv Fest, Countdown Festival, and Flyover Comedy (St. Louis) Festivals.
Improv is rarely a solo endeavor. This workshop will focus on how you can become the best possible partner your teammates could imagine. Games and exercises showing how to listen to what your partner really wants, and turn them into a rockstar. If we’re all doing this for each other, we’re a team of rockstars and we all win!
About The Instructors
Jill Bernard (she/her) has been performing with ComedySportz-Twin Cities since 1993, and was a founding member of HUGE Theater in Minneapolis. Her one-woman improv piece, Drum Machine, has been featured in over forty improv festivals. She has taught and performed improv in Argentina, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates and in over forty of the United States; and also on an episode of MTV “Made.”
© 2026 The Bird Comedy Theater.
