WHAT IS PLAYGROUNDED?

Playgrounded is New York City’s first improv training program exclusively for kids and teens.

All our classes are taught by Aaron F. Brateman and Jordan Bialik, two friends and improvisers, who have over 20 years of combined improv experience, and 10 years of combined friendship.

Aaron and Jordan have both worked as directors at French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts, a theater camp in upstate New York, where Aaron has spent many years leading the Improv Troupe for teenagers, and Jordan created the Junior Improv Troupe for younger campers.

Playgrounded offers fun, yet challenging classes. Our students learn to take ownership of their improv skills while developing strong relationships with their peers, and having a blast along the way. In addition to its weekend classes, Playgrounded has also run workshops at high schools like Laguardia and Commack High School.

Our style is based around creating grounded, yet playful scenes. In other words, we encourage our students to Playgrounded!

Learn More About Our Classes

Our style is based around creating grounded, yet playful scenes. In other words, we encourage our students to Playgrounded!

WHO WE ARE

AARON F. BRATEMAN

CO-FOUNDER AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Aaron F. Brateman is an actor, director, and teaching artist. He is a graduate of NYU Tisch, where he studied at the Atlantic Acting School and Playwrights Horizons Theater School.

Aaron is a proud member of Actors’ Equity, and as an actor has been seen Off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theater Company, Under-Broadway at 54 Below, away from Broadway in the National Tour of Charlotte's Web with Theatreworks USA, and on Broadway as a pedestrian.

Over the last decade, he has directed over 50 productions with kids of all ages, many of them at French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts.

Aaron has also taught at the Atlantic Acting School, Random Farms Kids Theater, New York City Center, Leap, Inside Broadway, The Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, Play On Studios, Curtain Up Kids, Child's Play NY, P.S. 87 Afterschool, and Actors Technique NY.

He has a great love of improv and has studied at UCB, The Magnet, and the PIT, where he was also a House Team player with The Rockefellers.

Aaron is currently pursuing his Masters degree in Educational Theater at NYU Steinhardt.

Please check out http://www.aaronfbrateman.com for more info!

JORDAN BIALIK

CO-FOUNDER

Jordan Bialik is an actor and teacher. He has studied and performed improv since he was fourteen years old.

Jordan performs regularly with NYU's longest-running improv team, Dangerbox, and has performed improv at The PIT, The Magnet, The UCB Del Close Marathon, the National College Comedy Festival, and the National College Improv Tournament. He has studied with UCB, The Magnet, and The Annoyance NYC.

He is a recent graduate of NYU Tisch’s program in Drama, where he studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting and earned a minor in Educational Theatre.

As a teacher, Jordan has taught and coached improv for children of all ages. In addition to teaching improv at French Woods, Jordan has taught a variety of theater classes, specializing in working with younger students.

Visit http://jordanbialik.com for more.