Basic Music
in Howden with Tom Hodge
Friendly introduction to improvising songs, the core of musical improv. Mainly group exercises, good energetic start to the day.
You don’t necessarily need a good singing voice, but later on in your musical improv journey it can come in handy. As with all things, it will inevitably get better with practice. For musical improv, however, a strong sense of rhythm and not being afraid of what’s going to come out of your mouth is very important. Best focus on regular improv skills first if you’re at all worried.
Improv Powertools
in Willow with Jon Trevor
OK, so we’ve established who/what/where. Now what? How do we drive a scene along, make it interesting, make it engaging, make it (dare I say it) funny? This will be a chance to learn and practice a handful simple techniques you can pull out any time, anywhere. With these, your scene will never grind to a halt, but instead soar to new heights.
Intro to Clowning
in Meet 5 with Jonathan Jacomb & James Day
Theatrical clowning is the art of embracing vulnerability with absolute seriousness and creating a playful connection with the audience. It can be detailed, complicated and technical.
This workshop will teach participants the 3 fundamental skills of theatrical clowning through scenarios without the technical breakdown and at the end of the class, reveal what those techniques are.
Oops, All Characters!
in Meet 7 with Jet Burnett
This workshop is an improviser’s toolbox for characters! Learn some tips, tricks and techniques to have for making your characters bolder, more distinct, and feel more rounded on stage. Great for absolute beginners to those keen to sharpen their character work. Physical exertion at performers comfort level, and activities could be done seated if needed.
Playing Wants
in Meet 4 with Stuart Moses
Sometimes we can establish the who, what and where of a scene but struggle to give it direction. This workshop explores how clear wants create momentum and purposeful action. Drawing on Stanislavski’s ideas about objectives and tactics, participants will practise communicating wants through behaviour, adapting tactics to obstacles, and recognising deeper wants. We’ll explore how clear objectives can strengthen relationships, raise emotional stakes and drive scenes forward.
Jam: The Slacker
in Maple with Charly Murgatroyd
Also known as “Follow the Leaver”, a Slacker starts with a simple two-person scene, but whenever (whenever!) a character leaves a scene, the scene ends and we follow that character into a new scene elsewhere in the world. This can get silly.