We do not get involved in the improv flame wars and do not believe that there is a "right" or "superior" way to do improv. We believe that successful improv depends on an alignment between:

• The demands of a specific show format (e.g Harold, Armando, Monoscene) and the director's vision.
• The desires and expectations of the participants (performers, tech)
• The desires and expectations of the audience

Outside of fundamental skill issues like poor listening ability, we believe that most unsuccessful improv can normally be traced back to a misalignment between these aspects. For example, if the audience buys tickets to a format like a monoscene expecting rapid laughs then there is a misalignment between the audience expectations and the demands of the show format that may sour the mood even if the improv is good. This misalignment is a marketing issue and can be easily resolved with improved advertising. The more serious issue is when players and coaches are misaligned with each other and the format.

We believe that the best way to avoid these issues are for the director and players to agree to a clear vision for the style of play they want from a show and to regularly discuss with each other what they want to achieve so that performers are matched with shows they want to be in and everyone is on the same page before they go on stage. This avoids resentments from building in players who can't tolerate playing in a way that matches the show's vision and leads to:

• Teams that are cast around the demands of specific formats.
• Highly adaptable improvisers who trust one another, know their preferences, play to their strengths but respect and adjust to the context.
• An audience that trusts that they are getting the type of show they paid for.
• Accountability for performers who keep trying to deviate from what has been agreed upon without good reason.

To achieve this, we thus need to structure our teaching in such a way that students:

• Are exposed to differing styles of play.
• Know the demands of specific formats.
• Know how to evaluate how scenes and formats are progressing.
• Know when it is appropriate to intervene and in what way.
• Are adaptable.
• Know their strengths and weaknesses.
• Have clear terminology to express their preferences and motivations to each other.

All students start by attending our Beginners Improv drop-in sessions. These sessions focus on teaching the fundamental skills of improv, such as listening, agreement and emotional reactions. Each session will also focus on a specific playing style, relationship-based or game-based, and will hone a specific skill within that playing style, such as framing premise or building characters. We believe that the order you learn relationship or game does not particularly matter - only that you are exposed to both and begin to see how they contrast and complement each other.

When a student seems comfortable with sustaining two person scenes in both relationship and game styles, they will then be granted access to join our Intemediate Improv sessions. These are also drop-in sessions and it is where they will learn their first proper format: The Harold. The Harold is exceptionally malleable and can be played in many ways which is why it persists as the first format most beginners learn in so many improv schools around the world. We expose the student to a variety of different Harold styles on a rolling basis, such as relationship-based approach, a game-based approach, and a hybrid approach.

Once students have mastered the Harold, they are then free to attend our Advanced Improv drop-ins where we cover more formats (such as The Movie, Deconstruction) on a rolling basis as well as introducing narrative concepts. In general, we believe that narrative is best applied at the format level through smart opening choices and time jumps implying off-stage events. We believe it should be used sparingly in scenes themselves.

Finally, we also believe that students deserve a solid theoretical framework from which to operate. With this foundation, students can play more freely and spontaneously, having faith in their intuition and with the confidence to identify and fix problems should any occur. At each stage in the learning process we aim to help the student understand how each tool and guideline fits into the overall picture, and aspire to create a comprehensive curriculum of recommended theory and reading materials. We also encourage our students to study with other teachers and schools as it will expose them to new styles of play and different perspectives.

For those with previous improv, acting or comedy experience, contact us directly to discuss your options. Most people will start at Beginners Improv, likely progressing to Intermediate quicker than the average beginner because of their prior experience. For those with extensive prior experience we may let you start at Intermediate but such direct entry will be rare and offered on a case-by-case basis after an interview and/or audition process.