Ensemble Lab is TNT's flagship – a small, committed group that spends ten weeks originating new work together. We don't start from a script or a format, and we don't sort the room into actors and improvisers. Everyone starts from the same place: listening.
Over ten weeks, the ensemble moves through five phases—Listening, Excavation, Collision, Form-Finding, and Showing—culminating in a live presentation.
Schedule: Wednesdays, 7:00–9:30 PM
10 weeks
Starts January 13
ENSEMBLE LAB
Wednesdays, 7:00-9:30om
Starts January 13th, 2027
Say something. Then make it bigger.
Satire starts with a point of view. Before you can skewer something, you have to see it clearly and mean what you say about it. In this class, we take the world as seriously as we take imaginary circumstances. We find what's true, what's absurd, and what's broken, then heighten it until the audience can't look away. You aren't performing an opinion; you're originating material from one.
- Finding Your Point of View
- Truth, Then Heightening
- Building Original Pieces
Schedule: Tuesdays, 7:00–9:30 PM · 8 weeks · Starts January 12, 2027
Your Instructor
Patrick McCartney
For more than two decades, Patrick has taught improvisation, acting, and storytelling to everyone from complete beginners to professional performers. His approach blends acting technique with improvisation, emphasizing deep listening, emotional honesty, strong ensemble work, and taking imaginary circumstances seriously rather than chasing jokes.
He has performed with Second City, UCB and The PIT and his film and television credits include: Anchorman, Elf, Law & Order, Saturday Night Live Digital Shorts, and Conan.