(640) 229-3200 Jwood@CreatAbilityUS.org Improv & creative arts · New Jersey

The classes

What we teach, and what it is actually like in the room.

We offer both group and private sessions. In a group, you get better at being with other people by being with other people, on your feet, with something at stake and nothing to lose. Private sessions focus on your own goals, building the life skills and the artistic goals you want to reach.

The two class formats

Group classes

A room, a suggestion, and each other

The core program. A group that meets regularly, works through improv games and scenes together, and gets to know each other over a term. These same principles apply in all of the creative arts programs we offer.

What it builds:

  • Being unscripted and flexible when the plan changes
  • Accepting and building on someone else’s idea, the “Yes, and” habit
  • Listening, responding, and contributing rather than waiting for a turn
  • Starting an interaction with a peer instead of waiting to be approached
  • Working with a group toward something none of you planned
Private sessions

Slower, closer, and aimed at one thing

For people who want to work on one specific skill, using improvisation to get there. This is also for people who need a quieter room before a group room makes sense. Plenty of people take both, a group class and private sessions for specific needs.

Our private sessions include:

  • Voice over for television, commercials and animation
  • Acting
  • Creative writing
  • Songwriting
  • Singing
  • Navigating the workplace

Coming soon: visual arts (sketching, drawing and painting), graphic design, the ABC’s of dating, and money management. Call us for more information!

What it builds:

  • Perspective taking: what does this look like from where they are standing
  • Conversational skills, including how to end one
  • Active listening
  • Interpersonal skills in a one-on-one setting
  • Reading and using nonverbal communication
  • Problem solving in the moment

The programs

Seven classes. Improv is the method underneath all of them.

Four meet on Zoom and three meet in person, which is how we can serve families in all 21 counties. More creative arts classes are being added as we grow.

On Zoom · Mondays, 4:30 to 6:00pm

Communication and Collaboration through Improvisation

Social and communication skills building, using techniques that have helped people develop listening, communication and creative skills for decades. Taught in a safe, fun, positive environment without judgement. Students explore their creative side to build self-confidence, support independent thinking, discover potential hidden talents and develop their sense of humor, while connecting with peers, parents and teachers in a more meaningful way.

In person · Tuesdays, 4:00 to 5:30pm

Expanding Communication and Improv

More advanced skills building, for students ready to apply improvisational theater technique to daily life. Students become more focused listeners, communicators and innovators, explore their own creativity and build a positive self-image, alongside the skills that make meaningful friendships and relationships possible. There is a performance at the end of the season.

In person · Wednesdays, 3:30 to 5:00pm

Acting Class

Theater games including improvisation, developing a character from the inside out, line memorization technique, physical acting, movement, monologues and scene study. Taught by our founder, a professional actor for more than forty years. There is a performance at the end of the year, and the goal is a standing theater group that performs a few times a year.

On Zoom · Thursdays, 4:30 to 6:00pm

Song on the Spot

Songwriting and musical growth, solo or as a group. Students learn every part of writing a song, from the lyrics through the music, and build confidence by working collaboratively. This class has written more than 30 songs and recorded 22 of them in a state-of-the-art studio. They are on Spotify and other streaming services.

On Zoom · Thursdays, 6:30 to 8:00pm

Workplace Communication

Aimed at workforce readiness, and at people already working who want to be more productive. Real workplace challenges are set up and discussed, then improvised with a partner. Students come away with a more relaxed and focused approach to whatever comes up in the career they have chosen.

On Zoom · Fridays, 4:00 to 5:30pm

Creative Writing and Storytelling

Stories, plays, poems and storytelling, built the same improvisational way. Students develop ideas and collaborate to write them together, building on each other’s ideas. It sharpens listening, innovation and collaboration while building confidence. The class is putting together a book of short stories, which will be published.

In person · Saturdays, 3:30 to 5:00pm

Comedy Improv and Acting

Starts with the basic techniques and games, then moves into detailed work: the confidence to explore a character, comedic timing, give and take with a partner, and listening. Trust in the people on stage with you, and in the people around you in life. A fun, non-judgmental, energized class that has everybody laughing. The class performs for audiences as their skills develop.

“CreatAbility’s classes are some of the most effective and enjoyable communication experiences my daughter has taken part in. No matter what mood she is in at the start of each session, Jody and his team always draw her attention into the moment and she engages quickly with the socializing skills of each workshop. It has helped with listening to her peers, paying attention to verbal and non-verbal cues, cooperating with story building, conversing on topics that are of interest to others, and not adhering just to those that preoccupy her mind. I am very thankful to Jody and his team for the joy my daughter gets from the program.”

Minal P. · Parent

A typical class

Nobody is put on the spot cold.

The order matters as much as the content. By the time anyone has to do something difficult, the room is already warm and everybody in it has already broken down barriers. The sequence is CreatAbility’s own curriculum, written in house rather than taken off a shelf.

  1. Circle up

    Names, a check-in, and a game that requires no skill at all. Everyone participates. No one needs to worry about being bad at it. That is the levelling.

  2. Warm-up games

    Everyone on their feet if they are able, and ready to break down the barriers that can stand in the way of being our most creative and confident. Our instructors are trained to ease you into this almost effortlessly. Passing energy around a circle, word association, mirroring a partner. This builds confidence, which leads to bravery in the room and lets everyone be themselves. That’s where it starts: with you being you!

  3. Scenes in pairs and small groups

    We create short scenarios and work on them in pairs or in groups, starting from a suggestion by a coach or a participant. With the “Yes, and” mindset, we see where the scene goes. This builds trust, camaraderie and personal growth. Improv is also practice for life situations that seem difficult, at home, at work, at school, or anywhere social. Everybody gets multiple turns, and nobody has to carry a whole scene alone.

  4. Close the circle

    What worked, what somebody else did that you liked. The last thing that happens in the room is praise from a peer.

Two CreatAbility participants working together at a table in the studio by a sunny window.
Two students working together in the studio.
A group of adults smiling during a movement class.
Adults taking part in a movement activity.

Schedule

When classes run

Something runs six days a week. Zoom classes you can join from anywhere in New Jersey.

  • Monday, 4:30 to 6:00pm. Communication and Collaboration through Improvisation, on Zoom
  • Tuesday, 4:00 to 5:30pm. Expanding Communication and Improv, in person
  • Wednesday, 3:30 to 5:00pm. Acting Class, in person
  • Thursday, 4:30 to 6:00pm. Song on the Spot, on Zoom
  • Thursday, 6:30 to 8:00pm. Workplace Communication, on Zoom
  • Friday, 4:00 to 5:30pm. Creative Writing and Storytelling, on Zoom
  • Saturday, 3:30 to 5:00pm. Comedy Improv and Acting, in person

Term dates

Fall term: September 8 to December 19, 2026.
Winter and spring term: January 5 to June 19, 2027.

We also offer 6 week summer programs. Call us for details!

Classes run every week right through a term, with short breaks around the holidays. If the schedule above ever looks out of date, call Jody Wood on (640) 229-3200 and he will put you right.

Where the in-person classes meet

Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday classes meet in person, in Pennington, in Mercer County. The other four are on Zoom, and you can take those from anywhere in the state.

Every place we teach in person is step-free, with an accessible restroom and parking.

We send you the exact address, which door to use and where to park once your place is booked. We keep it off the public site on purpose, because a lot of our families would rather it was not published.

Starting partway through

You can join at any time. Anyone can start partway through a term. You do not have to wait for the next one to begin.

There is no fixed number of weeks to sign up for. Classes are ongoing, week by week, so you start in the week that suits you.