You might expect that people who do improv are very confident, but this is not always the case! Many people come to improv for confidence, self-esteem improv, and personal development. They come because they are shy, quiet, or introverted. They come to improv not to get rid of this part of themselves but to learn how to be confident when it matters. I started doing improv at drama school because we had improv classes, and I hated them. They made me terrified and panicky. I often couldn’t sleep the night before. So when another student started an improv group, I joined to see what I could learn about myself.

Improv confidence is about being in unstable situations where (and this is the important bit) there are no real stakes. If an improv scene goes well or badly, it has no long-term consequences on your life. You improve your confidence, with no real risk. Win-win! That doesn’t mean you will never feel pressure, but a lack of real consequences means you can practice how you respond to it.

Because doing improv well is not about being loud, funny, or taking control. It’s about being comfortable doing none of those things. Improv is about being quietly confident. It’s about being comfortable in your own skin, taking in and processing information, and standing by the choices that you make. Knowing your choices are never perfect, but being curious to see what happens next. Embracing that leads to confidence. Indeed, that’s pretty much the title of our Level 1 class—’Let’s just see what happens‘.