What Are Improv Forms? (And Why They’re Really Just Sandboxes)

If you’re new to improv, you might be wondering: what are improv forms?

At their simplest, improv forms are agreed structures for creating a show. They give performers a shared framework,whether that’s a Harold, a Deconstruction, an Armando or a montage, but they’re never meant to be a script. The best improv forms don’t limit creativity; they create the conditions for it.

It’s showcase week here at And Also, which is always a very exciting time. This one feels especially exciting as we move into our new venue at The Works, where you can come and see Shore Thing throughout the autumn every Friday.

But enough of the plug.

I’ve been thinking a lot about improv forms and what the point of them really is. I’ve just finished teaching a brilliant 12-week Forms course, and we’ve had such a wonderful time exploring lots of different structures together.

This week, the group will be performing a Deconstruction. As I’ve been writing my coaching notes, it’s struck me that when we get to performance, that’s exactly when we want to hold the form lightly. As one of my favourite sayings goes: hold on tightly, let go lightly.

Forms are really just sandboxes that we create to play in.

When I stand with my group before the show, one of the things I’ll be saying to them is:

You have the tools, but you make the rules!

If the form goes off track, or something even more fun starts to happen, that always trumps the form. We don’t learn improv forms to perform them perfectly. We learn them so that everyone on stage shares the same language, and from that shared understanding, we’re free to play.

Of course, I hope they’ll remember some of the key ideas behind a Deconstruction, contrasting naturalistic scenes with a more playful, heightened and comedic style, but more than anything, I hope they’ll follow the fun.

The same goes for every other form.

We practise these structures in the rehearsal room so that we can be freer and more playful together on stage.

When we’re learning, it can be tempting to cling tightly to the form because we don’t want to throw our fellow players off. But as long as we’re front-footed, generous and really caring with each other, there’s always room to bend the rules and sometimes to break them altogether.

Train hard, fight easy.

One of my favourite rehearsal sayings is:

Train hard, fight easy.

In rehearsals and classes, we train the format until we know it like the back of our hand. Then, when we step onto the stage, we can stop thinking about the mechanics and start focusing on what really matters: connecting with our fellow players and playing together.

Because isn’t that why most of us started doing improv in the first place?

I’m so excited to see my group perform this week, along with all the other showcase groups. I have complete faith in them because they’ve been showing up every week. They know the fundamentals. They know how to say yes to each other, how to listen, how to stay present, and how to respond truthfully to whatever emerges in the moment.

That’s what it’s all about, after all.

So what are improv forms, really?

To me, they’re not rules to obey. They’re invitations to play.

A good improv form gives everyone a common starting point, but the best moments happen when the players respond to each other rather than trying to satisfy the structure. The goal isn’t to create perfect performances. It’s to give us a shared playground, a structure that helps us connect, surprise one another and discover things we could never have planned.

So good luck to everybody performing this week. Thank you for being part of the wonderful And Also community, and of the wider improv community too. It’s a genuinely lovely art form to be part of, and I’m grateful that I get to help create these playgrounds where we can all come together and play.