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Detour Workshops -- We Have History: Discovering Character Point of View
by
Back to Detour: Improv Theater Festival
Fri, Mar 13, 2026
5 PM – 8 PM EDT (GMT-4)
Wean Hall, 4625
5000 Forbes Avenue, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States
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Details
Our characters carry a past, we just have to discover it. This workshop will teach you how to build a coherent inner history for your character based on what emerges naturally in scenes and sets: a reaction, a relationship, a throwaway line. Rather than inventing a backstory, you'll learn to let details accumulate and discover something that feels real and lived-in. Whether you're just starting out or looking to build more grounded characters, this workshop is useful to improvisers of all levels.
Topic: Character Point of View
Please arrive at least 5 minutes early and check in with the NPP representative in front of the workshop location. If you can't make it, please cancel your reservation to allow others to register due to limited space. Thank you!
Dress Casual (jeans ok)
Speakers
Gretchen Eng
Gretchen Enghas worked in the Chicago comedy community since her salad days in the Second City Teen Ensemble. Following a brief stint studying classical voice and doing sketch comedy at Vassar College, she has been a producer and performer at iO for ten years, specifically with Devil's Daughter, The Armando Diaz Experience, and in her duo Jaymes Gretchky. She is a professor in Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts, teaches all levels of the training center at iO, coaches, and designs curricula for an array of corporate, non-profit, and educational organizations as the Director of Professional Development and Partnerships for the theater.