The Art of Dread: Improvised Horror with Tim Harahan, Starting 9/8

About this event

A four-week improv class exploring how to build suspense, dread, atmosphere, and genuine fear through character-driven narrative improv Over four weeks, we’ll explore the core elements of improvised horror, beginning with the Dread Triangle and techniques for quickly creating characters and relationships that audiences care about. From there, we’ll build suspense through escalation, anticipation, uncertainty, and the sense that things may not end well. You’ll also learn how editing, timing, juxtaposition, and withholding information can heighten tension and keep an audience leaning forward. Finally, you’ll bring everything together in longer scenes and sequences that use care, dread, editing, and genre choices to create horror that feels stronger, sharper, and dramatically complete. Whether you love slashers, psychological horror, supernatural stories, creature features, folk horror, cosmic terror, or something entirely your own, this class will give you tools to make the scary stuff matter. Come ready to create characters we care about, put them in terrible situations, and discover just how much fun dread can be. Perfect for improvisers gearing up for October, this class is a chance to sharpen your horror storytelling skills before stepping into Halloween shows, haunted attractions, and other spooky-season performances.