Improvisation hones a whole host of useful skills. It encourages you to be a better listener and collaborator; to be more playful and spontaneous; and to more easily adapt to direction – all of which are likely to set you up for greater success as an actor. There are many improv games you could have a crack at, but improv classes are the best way to truly get to grips with improvisational theatre and follow in the footsteps of comedy-acting legends such as Amy Poehler, Will Ferrell, and Tina Fey (timely, given a UK version of Saturday Night Live has been announced).
Here’s our selection of some of the best ongoing improv classes in London.
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When it comes to improvisation classes in London, Hoopla, the UK’s biggest improvisation training school, has you covered. Running for over 15 years, it has some of the most experienced improv teachers in the country, and they promise a “warm and supportive atmosphere where you are free to play and be yourself.”
Hoopla offers five levels of weekly improv training (Beginners, Performance, Scenes, Long-Form, and Advanced) at a variety of central London locations, including Bank, King’s Cross, Tottenham Court Road, and Warren Street. Each level lasts eight weeks, and, unless you have completed significant improv training elsewhere, you need to complete each level before progressing on to the next. The Beginners course costs £220, and all subsequent levels are £235.
In addition to its classes, Hoopla offers a huge range of performing opportunities on its own stage above the Miller Pub in London Bridge.
Another big contender for improv training in London is The Free Association. With Ambika Mod, Ritu Arya, Phil Wang, and Kate Herron among its famed former students, it claims to be “the best place to learn and watch improv in London.” On top of that, current and graduated students have the opportunity to perform at its monthly jam, The Greenhouse, in De Beauvoir, and audition to be on a house team.
Much like Hoopla, the FA offers five levels of weekly improv training in central London. Each level – Intro to Long Form, Scenework and Intro to Game, Advanced Game, The Harold, and Advanced Show Work – is a prerequisite of the next. Classes take place at the FA’s own venue in Haggerston, as well as in Euston, Camden, Seven Sisters, King’s Cross, and even online! In-person courses last eight weeks and cost £325, plus a £6.50 booking fee. The online courses last six weeks and are £240, plus the booking fee.
The FA is one of the only schools to offer taster classes, giving you a chance to try before you buy. The taster classes are 90 minutes and cost £20. If you go on to join a full-length course, they’ll deduct that £20 from the fee.
The FA also offers a bonus eight-week course on narrative improv (for graduates of Level 4) and various drop-in classes focusing on specific skills, such as nailing down specifics.
Learn how to perform long-form musical and narrative improvisation with one of the cast of the Olivier Award–winning Showstoppers! The Improvised Musical. The team runs eight-week and four-day intensive introductory courses for people with “either a basic training in improvisation or some theatrical experience.” The course, the organizers say, isn’t suitable for complete beginners. “The course was brilliantly challenging and really well supported,” says Showstopper course participant Robbie Taylor Hunt. “It pushed me unlike any other course has, but always stayed fun and playful due to the expertise of the Showstopper practitioners.”
They also run a variety of two-day workshops focusing on musical comedy. Workshops take place at various central London locations, with prices ranging from £240 for a two-day workshop to £420 for the intensives and eight-week courses.
Blanche Improv’s style and curriculum is influenced by the legendary US-based improv schools iO, Second City, and Upright Citizens Brigade. Its website states it loves “truthful acting, physicality, emotional expression, relationships, and clear given circumstances” with an attitude of “kindness first.”
Its core programme is a progression through four levels – from learning improv fundamentals through being on a team and performing live shows at its own venue in Earl’s Court. Each level of its core programme comprises eight classes taught over eight weeks at a cost of £290 (£246.50 concession rate), and includes perks such as free tickets to any Blanche Show or Thursday Night Jam. It also offers drop-ins and workshops with special guests.
This monthly drop-in improv workshop at the LGBTQ+ Community Centre in Blackfriars is for LGBTQ+ people of any experience level. Run by Sam Roulston, an award-winning comedian and ex-faculty member at Toronto’s Second City, it’s advertised as a “low-stakes workshop where we can share some laughs and maybe even make some new friends … create stories and characters, and learn the fundamentals of improvisation.” Tickets are either £5 or £10 (plus fees).
If you’re part of the LGBTQ+ community and want to make some new pals whilst learning the basics of improv, this could be the one for you.
The relatively new Leapday was founded by improv veteran and comedian David Elmes as a “community for playful adults,” offering “improv jams, workshops, and courses that prioritise playfulness.” Its public classes include one-off workshops focusing on how to be more present, monthly opportunities to perform onstage – with and for your fellow improvisers (no public audience!) – and four- to eight-week long-form improv courses. (Both have the same number of teaching hours and cost £240 plus a £6 booking fee.)
Whether it’s an improvisation taster class, drop-in, or eight-week course in dramatic improv with a performance showcase, City Academy has you covered. Its eight-week courses cost £240 and take place at the Academy’s flagship venue in Clerkenwell.
Once you have completed the eight-week Level 2 course, you have the chance to audition to be part of the ongoing Improvisation Performance Company, led by improviser Jennifer Jordan.
At £199 for eight classes, this is one of the cheapest improv courses on offer in London. It takes place at City Lit’s main site on Keeley Street in Covent Garden. Taught by actor and improviser Mark Phoenix, the course promises to “improve your spontaneity, ability to listen, and to work openly with truth in the moment”. It’s ideal for people looking to improve their improv skills and develop a broader range in their work.
Many classes at leading drama school RADA have a stringent selection process, but its five-week beginner improvisation short course is open to all. It’ll set you back £375, however, making it one of the most expensive courses on offer. Once you have completed the course (or if you already have significant acting experience or training), you can apply for the school’s advanced improvisation classes. With world-famous alumni including Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Aimee Lou Wood, and Cynthia Erivo, these are drama improv classes for high-flyers.
This eight-week course at another leading drama school focuses on improvisation for actors. It explores the improv exercises that practitioners including Konstantin Stanislavsky, Michael Chekhov, and Viola Spolin devised to create characters and explore situations. Aimed specifically at actors, it promises participants will “gain confidence with spontaneity, presence, and improvisation,” providing them with the tools to create a convincing backstory for their characters.
The cost is £315 and it takes place at the RCSSD in Swiss Cottage.