What is your policy on refunds?
You are entitled to a refund until 1 day after your workshop commences. We may grant refunds in other situations, at our discretion - get in touch to discuss your circumstances.
Do I need any prior experience?
Nope! We have successfully taught people who are hard-pressed to speak in front of a group all the way up to professional working actors. Impro is a specific skill that stands alone, and you will find your own way in. Students have compared it to fencing, playing with their toddler and creative writing – so who knows what you will discover!
“I have never done anything like this before but I was blown away by how much I enjoyed it.” Ian, Level 1 Participant, November 2015
Our general recommendation is that individuals begin with our Learn to improve classes, even if you have some previous impro experience (eg have performed in the schools competition, or have done a beginners course with another company etc). This is because our Learn to improvise class is designed to give an overview of our approach and philosophy of improvisation.
However, if you have significant experience with improvisation, particularly the Keith Johnstone philosophy, then let us know and we will recommend a suitable level of training for you.
How do you teach? What happens in a typical class?
In an ImproMafia class you learn by doing. Classes begin with a warm-up to get your sense of fun and creativity flowing, then break into pair and group exercises and games. After a few weeks in beginners you will begin to perform short scenes in front of your classmates.
“Very engaging and hands-on, I really enjoyed it.” Corporate Workshop Participant, August 2016
How many people will be in my class?
The maximum class size is 16 to enable individual attention as well as the opportunity to learn by watching others.
“The atmosphere of the workshop was always relaxed and comfortable.” Corporate Workshop Participant, August 2016
What is the graduation show like?
The graduation show is the capstone of each course and a chance to put what you have learned into action in front of a warm and supportive audience. You will be in a small team of players from your course playing games and scenes from your classes. Your teacher will host the show and do their best to make it a positive experience for you. Feel the fear and do it anyway!
“It was very enjoyable, I was so scared beforehand but then so happy I did it!” – Sandy, Level 1 Participant, November 2015
Why do people take impro classes?
- For personal development - to get out of their head and stop overthinking things
- To improve presentation skills at work in a wide range of fields including teaching, academia, personal training and business
- To improve confidence and build skills for stand-up comedy and acting, modelling and other auditions
- To develop a fun and social hobby
- They did Theatresports at high school and loved it
“I was surprised at how much I took away from the class and used in my day to day life!” Level 1 Participant, September 2016
What about performance opportunities?
We encourage all of our students to take part in their graduation show which generally takes places a few weeks after their final class.
We do not guarantee performance opportunities on completion of our classes. We do regularly hold auditions and casting opportunities throughout the year and we encourage our students to try out. At the same time, we do not require people to have taken our classes in order to perform in our shows (we do not believe in pay-to-play).
Our classes are designed to provide students with skills that are applicable to daily life and to other theatrical and artistic pursuits.
Will I learn how to be funnier?
Many stand-up comedians have taken our beginners classes and have found them valuable for improving stage presence, confidence, thinking on their feet and developing a playful attitude to their work. Most of the shows ImproMafia does are comedy, and improvised work does end up being pretty funny. If you work with others in comedy, impro skills are invaluable, too, as the focus on agreement and building on ideas is the cornerstone of comedic work.
However, the classes are not comedy-specific: they don't explicitly focus on how to be funny. We do improvised theatre and that can be comedic or dramatic. More advanced classes generally focus on improvised theatre skills: physical theatre, voice training, musical improvisation, character work, MCing etc. which can all be really funny, or moving in other ways. The Level 1 class is an introduction to the skill of improvisation - where you take it from there is up to you.
How old is a typical student?
Our classes are open to anyone over 18. We have taught impro to people fresh out of high school all the way to people in their late 70s. There is normally a mix of ages in classes.
Do I need to reserve a spot?
It is recommended that you book at least a week before the start of classes, as places do sell out.
What if I have to miss some classes?
Each of the eight weeks of the course covers a key aspect of improvisation. The material covered in the course is cumulative, and each class builds on the previous classes, so we highly recommend committing to the full eight weeks. Generally, we don’t recommend you proceed to the next level of training if you miss more than two classes out of the eight week session. That said, each week our teachers review material covered in the previous week, so missing one or two classes is generally not a huge problem.
What should I bring?
Wear clothes that are comfortable to move around in, and make sure you bring a bottle of water. There is normally a 10 minute break midway through the class, so you might like to bring a snack.
What is parking like?
Street parking is almost always available at our venues.
What can I do next?
Many of our students continue on to our Level 2 (and 3) classes to further develop their skills!
“Sooooooo much fun!” Level 1 Participant, September 2016