Pan Theater

I passed a poster on Piedmont Avenue announcing Open Auditions at Pan Theater and thought, "huh, I should take a picture of that for my husband John. I bet he would like it." Somehow, John convinced me that we should both audition. This is not usually my kind of thing, but it was Covid and any distraction from the monotony of the times was welcome.Now we are both all-in! Pan Theater Company is a courageous, generous, honest, challenging community. Everyone comes to improv without the baggage of the rest of their lives and they play together - with characters and storylines and emotions.I always come away from Pan Theater feeling lighter.I love this place!

This was my first improv class and I had an amazing experience!Doing it online had its own challenges, but David was extremely helpful and patient in teaching us the learning techniques. The class starts off with some relaxation drills and then we jumped on to improvisations. I loved the fact that it was a gradual progression from simple exercises to ease your nerves and then on to improv scenes. I'm no where near close to being an expert in improv yet, but I will definitely try this again!!

Okay....This place is GREAT! Birthday Surprise Success!!! Didn't let anyone know where they were going beforehand. (Made sure we all met up at a bar to have a few cocktails) Everything and everyone from the very beginning were so helpful, knowledgable, engaging and entertaining! I had the absolute best time, as did the guests of my birthday party.David the host is absolutely fabulous. He is very responsive, accommodating and knows what he is doing. Whether you are young or seasoned, this is a great experience for any and every one to try at least one time!

giving the theater a high review because of David. i took a 3-week Improv for the Heart class and instantly liked his way of teaching. David is definitely knowledgeable in the subject matter and explains well. He coaches you based on your skill level. You can feel the undivided attention he gives to the students.i highly recommend his courses, which are happening in October 2019.

I am so grateful that I've had the opportunity to join a team at Pan theater! Although most of my experience has been online, the actual theater is a very comfortable, intimate space to play and watch improv. The improvisers at Pan theater are wonderful, an excellent mix of young and older actors, some with decades of experience and others brand new to improv. Everyone is super nice. I cannot say enough great things about David, the director at Pan theater. David is a very gifted director, he really understands people and his feedback is so specific to each actor, he really sees us and seems to know exactly when, where and how to push. This is not easy. I also love that he is teaching acting for improv. We are coached for real, for drama, for meaningful relationships and difficult, life changing moments. Not coached for "funny". Comedy stems from reality and David is brilliant ant coaching us for this. I highly recommend!

I thought it would be fun to catch some Improv, so I purchased 2 tickets from Goldstar, and another friend got two more. So, this was completely my idea for a fun Saturday Night.Doors were at 8 and the show started at 8:05. There was one other woman in the audience besides my party of 4, and she clearly knew the actors. Since improve requires audience suggestions - it was all up to us.It was odd that the audience was so small. The improv itself was slow and at times drawn out. Maybe it's the social climate these days, but the comics seemed afraid to say or do anything funny or edgy. Also, they sold water but no alcohol. Long story short; because of this experience, my friends never want to go to Improv again which is sad. There's so much good comedy out there, but Awkward Face fell short of the mark.

I've been taking classes at Pan Theatre since the pandemic began and I have grown so much as a performer. I eventually ended up auditioning for and joining one of the house troupes. It is an excellent school and an excellent theatre and I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in learning improv or improving their skills in general as a stage performer.

PAN Theater is a wonderful place both to watch and get involved in improv. I just finished up the Level 1 troupe with two successful shows this weekend. The experience was a ton of fun and by the end of just a few months, I was totally comfortable up on stage. I've seen a few shows there, from the Level One troupe playing short improv games (Blind Freeze Tag, Story Story Die, Tag Out, etc) to the higher level troupes performing long form, which can be funny or not, but are one act plays about 45 minutes long, totally improvised. David is a wonderful director, very supportive of all the participants and helpful in improving our skills. For performing or just for seeing some improv, I highly recommend PAN Theater!

Really bummed I couldn't continue with Pan Theatre. Great place to learn how to get back to having fun with awesome people! I loved the experience and hope to one day return! Check out a show you definitely won't be disappointed. Improv is so much fun to watch and be a part of. The theatre is small which makes it great because the audience ends up becoming part of the show!

What a gem! Oakland's oldest improv theater, with fun classes and great shows! I started taking classes at Pan during lockdowns, so we were rehearsing and doing shows by Zoom. Surprisingly, it worked really well! Now, we're back in person in Frank Ogawa Plaza, and a recent fundraiser put new lights and fresh paint on the walls. As other theaters all over the Bay are closing, Pan is still going strong!Audiences: you will enjoy a mix of long- and short-form improv. Yes, they make it all up on the spot! The theater is just steps from BART and with plenty of bars and restaurants within walking distance, this is an ideal date night. Look for tickets on Eventbrite and get your tickets early to save a few bucks.Performers: improv makes you a better actor, and a better person. Starting all the way at the beginning, you'll practice 'yes, and'... and then some. Learn to make your partner look good, practice trusting your gut, expand your character repertoire. If you've been curious about connecting with other very alive humans and growing as a performer, consider auditioning! Face your fears, fire those neurons, clear out cobwebs, and be the optimistic, creative person the world needs you to be!