How to manage nerves before an improv class?

by Jules Munns, Director of Studies I like telling this story to new improvisers because it often surprises them: I started doing improv because I hated improv. Well, not quite hated it. Friday mornings at drama school, we had improv classes with a gentle…

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Does Improv Help with Pitching?

  Does Improv Help with Pitching? Short answer: YES. This week, I’ve found myself in one of the most surreal situations. I’m currently working on a pitch for AndAlso at the Create South East Showcase while simultaneously running a high-level training program for a company whose staff needs…

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Psychological Safety in Teams & Improvisation Training

Psychological Safety in Teams & Improvisation Training On the face of it, improvisation might seem like it’s all about recklessness and risk-taking. Yes, we practice getting comfortable with failure, celebrate mistakes, and embrace uncertainty, but lately, I’ve been reflecting on what safety and improvisation have in common. This idea first…

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Fighting is fun: Conflict in Improv

Stay positive, don’t argue, be nice to each other. If you have ever been to an improv class, you will have heard some version of that. Justifications vary, but the stay-positive instruction is so often repeated, it is worth examining.  And when I say ‘examining’, I…

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How to MC an Improv Show: A Guide to Hosting with Confidence

How to MC an Improv Show: A Guide to Hosting with Confidence It is often said that the tech crew are the most underappreciated people involved in an improv show. Don’t get me wrong, I worship my lights, sound, and musical directors, but I’ve come to the conclusion lately that…

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Forget Trust Falls – Improv is the New Way to Build High-Performing Teams

Improv Training for Executive Teams: The Secret to High-Performing Leadership Several years ago, my comedy troupe, The Maydays, were asked to perform in a ‘high-performing teams’ showcase for a large corporate event. The lineup of high-performing teams included us, a shadow gymnastics group, a jazz trio, and Britain’s Got…

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The History of Improv in the UK

The History of Improv The History of improv is hard to pin down. Like folk music, improv is often passed down through generations by oral tradition rather than through written or recorded formats. Games in particular can vary wildly between how they are played and what they are…

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How to Prepare for your first improv class

How to Prepare for your first improv class People often ask us what they need to do to prepare for their first improv class. The genuine truth is nothing. You just turn up, as you, and experience it. This should be a reassuring thing, but I…

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The Secret to Sex Appeal? How Improv Makes you Attractive

How improv makes you attractive  That certain ‘je ne sais quoi.’ Effortless Charisma. Radiant Charm. That feeling that certain people give off that just makes you want to be around them. What is the thing that makes someone smoking hot (or not)?    According to clinical…

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The Problem with Improv: Bullshit

“All our words from loose using have lost their edge” – Hemmingway Bullshit is an easy word to throw around. Being foul mouthed, in the past week I have used it to refer to slow traffic, my daughter’s inability to sleep, a narrative turn in a…

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How to be Creative? Just be Obvious

How to be creative? The answer is obvious How to be creative? We all want to know the answer. And so, what a funny word obvious is. It can mean clarity, but is often used with criticism. I certainly have associations with being on the wrong…

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No but or Yes and: Playing with Contrast

Compare and Contrast Contrast is the theme of our classes this week over at AndAlso. Contrast may seem like an odd choice of theme in an artform that is all about agreement and building, but this is precisely the reason that…

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