Intro to Improv - Beginner Taster
Details
We - PLAYGROUND ASSEMBLY - run weekly drop in classes on different topics. Newbies welcome - fun, light-hearted and joyful!
## This week: Intro to Improv
Beginner Taster
Learn improv with fun and creative games and exercises. In this session we take you through the basics of improv. The "yes, and" and "who, what, where" to set you up for creating stories and scenes on the spot and become an awesome and confident team player.
This session is a taster session for our 6 weeks beginner course starting on the 7th of September until 12th of October with an optional showcase on the 19th of October.
IMPORTANT!!
This is a TICKETED EVENT - Please, make sure you reserve a ticket by following the EVENTBRITE LINK
Only Eventbrite - ticket holders will be able to participate
#### Improv
Improv is the art of making things up on the spot and feel immensly proud of it as there is no judgement. Our workshops are designed to be gentle, fun and inclusive. Being on the spot can feel scary and overwhelming. We make sure that you feel supported and at ease at all times. Improv is an amazing tool to boost your confidence and ability to connect to other humans, it helps you be creative and let the inner judge go and sip a tea whilst you have fun discovering how freeing being sponteanous can be.
Our weekly drop-in classes explore both general topics and specific areas of improv. Story-telling, emotional connection and creative collaboration are the key aspects we focus on, with exciting niche topics designed to stretch you in a safe and playful environment.
Stepping out of your comfort zone should feel fun and exciting - we make sure you feel supported and encouraged in the best way possible, while connecting with others and creating a bit of magic together.
These classes are open to all, our gentle approach specifically focuses on people who struggle feeling confident in social settings, however, if you have done improv before, you will certainly find joy coming to our drop-ins.
The first half of the lesson we will focus on group and exercises in pairs
The second half will be more scene-based where you can showcase your unique self. No pressure to perform. You will be amazed how you will shine with little effort.
#### Who We Are
Karo and Avril have over 20 years of cumulative experience within the improv community. They have performed together in a wide variety of shows and formats for many years, as well as teaching and facilitating workshops, classes, and training sessions.
#### Avril
Avril is an improviser and actress who has been performing improv for over 12 years. Her credits include Upstairs Downton: The Improvised Period Drama, Carmen: The Improvised Film Noir, Moments In Time, Blend Off, ImprovShire, and The Improvised Play.
Avril is also a founder member of LadyProv, who run a regular night at Hoopla showcasing the talents of women and non-binary performers.
She has led numerous improv workshops and loves teaching. Her interests include Stoppard, character work, the senses, disaster movies, and team building in the workplace, to name a few. She has a particular passion for narrative improv and enjoys exploring different theatre styles. Avril has also co-taught with Stephen Davidson at Impromiscuous.
Outside of improv, Avril loves whisky and exploring how taste, environment, and food pairings influence creativity. She enjoys writing short stories and has written her own one-woman show combining stand-up, character, improv, and sketch. She can also be heard playing several characters in Lusus, a modern-day horror series on BBC Sounds.
#### Karolina
Karolina is an actor, improviser, and improv coach originally from Austria, who has been performing improv for over 12 years on stages across the UK and Europe. From short-form improv to fully improvised plays, she has explored a wide range of genres.
She has performed with groups such as Scumbags (a Hoopla house team in the style of the Coen Brothers), Carmen (a gender-flipped Film Noir), 3 Worlds, the short-form comedy group Improvable, and Lost to Life, where she improvises an entire play with Avril and the team in the style of different playwrights.
Karolina has facilitated many classes over the years, including weekly drop-ins for people who feel shy, focused workshops for theatre companies, the Surrey Theatre Academy, corporate clients, and co-teaching with Impromiscuous.
Human connection and empathy are central to her work. She enjoys exploring emotional authenticity, non-verbal communication, physicality, dramatic improv, and unusual characters.