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By Stuart Moses

My love language is learning. It’s the most reliable thing I’ve found to lift my spirits. It works whether I’m the teacher or the student.

I think we should always be learning new things. When you’re new to improv, feel free to take as many improv classes – from as many teachers – as you can. You’re learning a new set of skills so I encourage you to dig deep.

When you’ve been improvising for a while, you should widen your horizons. There are many skills adjacent to improv that will make you a better improviser including (but not limited to): acting, clowning, mime, puppetry, dance, laughter yoga and physical theatre.

The more improv I’ve done, the less I’ve been interested in communicating verbally. There are often too many words in improv scenes. If you’re playing with a large group, one of the best gifts you can give is to not add more verbal ideas, but to accept and deepen the offers already made. During the teachers’ show at the last British Improv Project I found myself reacting with my ‘big expressive face’ to the offers that had been made. This was an expression of my ongoing desire to develop my physicality so I can react with my whole body rather than just the words from my mouth.

In April, I attended an Introductory Course held by Frantic Assembly, self-proclaimed makers of thrilling, energetic and uncompromising physical theatre, perhaps best known for their The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time production.

I’d been a fan for a while, watching the Frantic Assembly videos, reading The Frantic Assembly Book of Devising Theatre and listening to The Frantic Podcast, so I was already familiar with many of the techniques we explored, but when it comes to physical theatre desk study is no substitute for practical experience.

It’s true that some of the things we learned are easier than others to translate to an improv setting. However, Push Hands would be useful exercise to run in a rehearsal.

Here’s how to play Push Hands. First you get into pairs. One person holds out their hand palm downwards. Meanwhile, the other person puts their hand underneath, facing upwards. The person with their hand below adds pressure in an upward direction, while the person on top pushes downwards. This creates some tension. The person with their hand on top is leading and moves with their partner around the room. Once you’ve mastered the basics you can begin to explore different levels and pace. My favourite step is the one where the person whose hand is below closes their eyes and relies on touch to be guided around the room.

The lifting exercises we explored in the Frantic Assembly were amazing and intense, but probably not something I’d recommend trying to bring to your improv group. 

You don’t need to learn with Frantic Assembly, though for me it was an unforgettable experience, but I do think you need to keep learning. By bringing the skills and knowledge that you’ve learned from outside improv into improv, you can keep things fresh and help maintain your enthusiasm – and perhaps, best of all, these things will mark you and your group as different from all the other people and groups who have only been learning from improv teachers.

Find out more about Frantic Assembly.

The next British Improv Project is sold out. Join the BIP Improv 4-6 Nov 2022 waiting list here.

By Stuart Moses

I’ve recently been making an effort to make friends who live locally, which led me to getting involved with The Sunday Alternative – an inclusive secular community that meets regularly to celebrate life with music, ideas and community outreach. Organiser Stephen overheard me talking about improv – which I don’t particularly remember doing, but which does sound very on brand – and he invited me to lead a part of an upcoming assembly.

While it’s a delight to run workshops for improvisers, I feel a missionary zeal to introduce some of the concepts behind improv to people who’ve never heard them before. I was conscious of the large number of people likely to attend, which meant anything using words became impractical as there would be so much noise we wouldn’t be able to hear anything. I’ve been increasingly interested in the use of movement in improv, particularly using physicality with the intention of creating connection. 

After a circle game and some light physical warm-ups to wake up the body, we explored mirroring. Society doesn’t often give us permission to look at someone so directly and copying their every movement is rarely acceptable. Once everyone has been mirroring each other in pairs, I love to get them to spread their awareness, so they are still mirroring their partner, but they’re also mirroring someone else in the room. If it seems impossible, if it seems like it’s breaking your brain, then you’re doing it right.

Then we did some Flocking, with everyone facing the same direction, and the person at the front moving in a way in which everyone else can copy. When they’d had enough of leading they could turn, an action copied by the whole group, then the new person at the front leads. I always feel a sense of awe when I see groups of people mirroring each other. The moves don’t need to be quick, clever or funny to be captivating. I’m pretty sure that everyone involved felt closer to everyone else as a result of moving in unison.

The sessions seemed to be well received, with several people expressing an interest in doing more, which is an exciting prospect. So, if you get an invite to share improv ideas beyond the improv scene, I’d encourage you to accept, who knows where it might lead?

In this case, I’m running an improv session in the park. So if you live in Reading or nearby, please do join us.

Find out more about The Sunday Alternative here.

At the time of writing 55 spaces for the next British Improv Project have been sold, with only 20 spaces left. So if you’ve thinking of joining in November it’s worth booking as soon as possible by completing the BIP Improv 4-6 Nov 2022 form here.

By Stuart Moses

Day 3: Saturday 9 April

I attended Robert Anderson’s Chatting With Intent workshop. We explored the way, when performing two-person shows, we can control pacing by switching tone. We were inspired by Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ and Dave Book, made sure we rested a problem so we could bring it back rather than solving it, and in my notes I wrote down, “Dave’s sullen mood is literally killing the butterflies…” but trying to describe an improv scene is like trying to describe a dream. Pretty magical at the time, but you had to be there.

I ran my Who, What, Where… When? workshop for the second time. I counted 15 people, yet we worked in pairs without the need for a group of three, which is a bit of a mystery. I was able to relax a little more, as I had a better grasp on timing and which parts people were likely to struggle with. One of the simplest, and funniest, things we did was to observe the physicality people used to represent time travel.

Next was Jonathan Pitts’ Scene Work: The Chicago Way, during which we explored slow, patient, grounded relationships, which is very much my favourite way to improvise. I loved the idea of going into ‘soft focus’ when receiving side coaching, which enabled us to take on board what the teacher was saying, without losing the connection with our scene partner. Another useful tool was the idea that when someone did something in a scene we could ask ourselves if this was the first, tenth or 100th time they had done it. The answer to that question would affect what our response would be.

Then it was time for the group photo.

I attended Neil Goulder’s Kurosawa fringe workshop. We did three person scenes, playing the same scene three times, with a different person each time addressing the audience in monologues, revealing their inner thoughts. This very nicely led to the audience’s sympathies changing as more of the backstory was revealed each time.

The evening’s entertainment consisted of an excellent short-form set by Leamington Spa Improv, a game of Greatest Hits, a demo of the Kurosawa format, the Cell Block Tango, Tom and George performing Whirlpool, followed by an Irish Drinking Song.

I was part of the Cell Block Tango, which was a little less, um, polished than it has been in previous years. Still, everyone seemed to enjoy it. I love it as a game because it combines singing (which I feel comfortable doing) with wordplay (which I find more challenging). We asked for a location, then went down the line replacing ‘Pop, Six, Squish, Uh uh, Cicero and Lipschitz’ with a word related to the suggestion. Our suggestion was Lidl. My mind went blank. So in a panic I chose the word ‘sausage’. Then, in between choruses of, ‘They had it coming…’ each of us got up to do a monologue about why we had murdered someone. I told the tale of being a vegetarian, who was continually taunted by a colleague who was always trying to get me to eat meat. I met them in a meat locker and dispatched them before concluding, ‘They would regret the day they agreed to ‘meet’ me’.

Day 4: Sunday 10 April

I attended Mastering the Monoscene with Jonathan Pitts. In the Monoscene, you play the same character for the full 30-45 minutes, in one location, in real time, with no edits. There’s no internal structure, so you need to rely on listening, give and take, ensemble focus, acting, and patience.

I thought all the scenes in this workshop were great. Perhaps the most memorable was the final one set on a submarine. It was made more immersive by a power cut, which meant the lights went out. The audience lit the scene using their phones and the lighting change was incorporated into the action.

After lunch, which was in partial darkness, it was time to say goodbye… until the next British Improv Project, which takes place on 4-6 November 2022.

A project started by the Suggestibles in Newcastle, check if your group is on the map and if it isn’t, email hello@thesuggestibles.co.uk with your Gmail address and they will give you edit permission to drop your pin, add your info and weblinks. NB You need a gmail address to edit the map.

I write this having just returned from the BIP Autumn Gathering 2017.

From an improv perspective, another hugely successful and enjoyable weekend (despite a few teething problems with the new venue), which featured over 60 improvisers gathering together from across the country (and around the world!).

We’ll be back at Scalford Hall, Melton Mowbray (hopefully with teething problems resolved), over the weekend of 20th-22nd of April for our Spring Gathering 2018. We hope to see you there – booking will open shortly, but in the mean time, register your interest through the facebook event.

Finally, we have merchandise available (which will hopefully load below, but if not, click this link!).

Hope you’re well, and enjoyed the Autumn Gathering (if you were there),

Tom

Co-Organiser, BIP

It’s been a busy week here! We’ve announced our next event and put it on sale (Autumn Gathering, 17-19th November, Scalford Hall, Melton Mowbray), rebranded the organisation as The British Improv Project, and launched this website.

Hopefully, this site will become a useful hub for the improv community in Britain, and we’ll continue to develop & add to it over time.

Now, go and book your place at the November weekend!

Tom & Geoff