Our Courses

Name: Discovering Improv
Start: 2025-01-07T19:00:00+00:00
End: 2025-01-07T21:30:00+00:00
Location: The Bristol Improv Theatre

Here at the Bristol Improv Theatre, we believe that learning should be fun, inclusive and holistic. We appreciate that people find Improv from many different avenues and so we have created a training programme that is as flexible as it is extensive.

While our courses are designed for progressive skill building, there is no mandatory path through or a set A to B. You will get to chart your own map. So, if you are a complete beginner it means that once you are off the starting blocks with our tasters or our Discovering course there are no hurdles to jump before you can move on. You will work with our instructors who will support you to find your best next steps. You can follow your favourite content upwards and beyond, retrace steps if you feel you wish to revisit the basics or spring into higher levels of content that you feel comfortable with from previous learning.

All in all our Theatre School courses aim to give everyone a total immersion into the world of improv. Our regular courses are the bones of what we do, they are also heaps of fun; they can offer personal growth and the forging of new friendships.

Discovering Improv

Discovering Improv is a six-week course that introduces you to the fundamentals of improvisation. It isn't a course about performance - you won't be asked to entertain the group with your quick wit, or produce side-splitting comedy out of thin air - instead focusing on improvisation as the skill of working without having planned in advance, responding in the moment, and collaborating with a team.

Emphasis is placed on reflection and discussing your experiences with the group - improvisation can be deeply personal and individual, and it's important to recognise that everyone experiences it differently.

This course is the very first improv course we developed and taught - it's where we began and is the best place for anyone new to improvisation to start their journey (or just find out what improv is).

Each session lasts 2.5 hours (usually 7:00pm-9:30pm), and will be taught by two of our experienced facilitators. Places are capped at 16.

Intro to Performing

Intro to Performing Improv is a six-week course that bridges the gap between Discovering Improv and our performance-focused courses. It builds on the basic principles of improvisation to guide students on their first steps into the world of performance.

This course aims to give new improvisers who might not have performance experience tools to navigate the pressures of working in front of an audience, and a chance to try performing in a supportive and friendly environment.

Each session lasts 2.5 hours (usually 7:00pm-9:30pm), and will be taught by two of our experienced facilitators. Places are capped at 16.

Performing Improv Level 1

Performing Improv Level 1 is a series of 4 seven-week courses, each focusing on a different topic: Scenes, Stories, Songs, and Characters. The 7th week includes a showcase performance to a supportive audience of friends, family, and fellow students.

Together, these courses offer the budding improviser a thorough grounding in the tools and techniques of improvised performance, but each will also stand alone for those who are more closely interested in a specific topic.

Each session lasts 2.5 hours (usually 7:00pm-9:30pm), and will be taught by two of our experienced facilitators. Places are capped at 12.

Performing Improv Level 2

Performing Improv Level 2 is a series of seven-week courses that examine the topics of Level 1 in greater depth, covering more advanced techniques and placing greater emphasis on constructive critique of students' work. As with Level 1, the seventh week of each course includes a showcase performance to a supportive audience.

You don't need to have completed the corresponding level 1 course to sign up, or have any specific level of previous experience, but level 2 courses are somewhat more challenging.

Each session lasts 2.5 hours (usually 7:00pm-9:30pm), and will be taught by two of our experienced facilitators. Places are capped at 12.

Our Courses

Discovering Improv

Discovering Improv

Intro to Performing Improv

Performing Improv Level 1: Making a Scene

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