Good for What Ails You

Eva Segovia, an anesthesiologist from Laguna Beach, wears a standard-issue mask during surgery, as you’d expect. But when she’s getting kicky in improvisation classes at South Coasts Repertory, this otherwise professional’s professional has been known to fashion one from toilet paper.

Call it a little goofy self-expression. This is Segovia’s fourth course at the Costa Mesa theater. She’s given up aspirations to be an actress (“It’s much easier to make money in medicine”), but she refuses to stop fooling around. In the three-hour workshop, Segovia routinely pretends to be a dozen or more people of different ages, cultures and political sensibilities.

“Your brain works a lot faster,” says Segovia, 40, describing the 10 seconds she and her classmates are given to set up a scene before they act it out. “You go through your Rolodex of emotions and figure out if you should be funny or sad. Acting is a way not to be yourself.

“You can be a grown-up and still play a lot. The thing that keeps you young is keeping your brain agile.”

About half of the players in Greg Atkins’ class are actors with strong credentials. The others are regular folks, like Segovia, trying to find a play life that’s opposite their work. In that respect, participants say, improvisation is great occupational therapy.

Besides improv, SCR is offering courses on basic and more advanced acting, playwriting and a Shakespeare workshop called “No Feare Shakespeare.”

For more information on the nine-week session of classes, call (714) 708-5577.