Women’s Improv Drop-in

Why are we running these workshops?

We know from experience that mixed spaces can feel limiting, off-putting, or even unsafe for some women. We live in a society that often prioritises men’s experiences by default, including in theatre arts, expects women to adapt to be accommodating or nurturing, and is prone to sexist biases such as over-estimating how much women speak compared to men. These and other social pressures can make it harder - or feel like there is too high a cost - for some women to put themselves forward, or even feel safe, in mixed gender improv spaces.

A note on eligibility

The Bristol Improv Theatre aims to be a trans-inclusive space, and so we use the word “women” inclusively of trans women in our day-to-day running of the space. This also applies to the Women’s Improv Drop-in.

The Women’s Improv Drop-in is open to women who also identify as non-binary or agender, however it is not a space created specifically for non-binary people. Non-binary people are welcome to attend the LGBTQ+ Improv Drop-ins.

It is worth noting that these workshops will be framed to allow discussion of the lived experience of being a woman and experiencing sexism, misogyny or social pressure in relation to gender and that this framing would not preclude discussion of lived experience relating to sex as well as gender. We want to mention this as it could feel alienating for some trans women depending on their own confidence levels in, and experiences of, such spaces.

An example of what we’re getting at here when we say relating to sex as well as gender: content or discussions about periods or pregnancy. These topics are not the main purpose of the workshops but may arise as people bring their lived experience into their improvisation.

As our code of conduct states, we have a zero tolerance policy towards discrimination and hate speech and that explicitly includes transphobia.



This drop-in is part of Improv Together, BIT's project aimed at making improv accessible for the whole community. Improv Together is supported by more than 100 generous donors as part of The Big Give's 2026 Arts for Impact campaign. If you’d like to help BIT make improv accessible for everyone, consider making a donation to our Yes And Fund.