One of our goals is to help raise the standard of improv across Britain. We know that it can be difficult and expensive to travel to London or elsewhere for a training course or workshop – so why not have that workshop come to you?
This page has a list of coaches who have previously taught at our events, and are willing to come and run a workshop/coaching session with your group, for a reasonable fee.
Want to be included on this list? If you’ve previously taught at our weekends, email Tom with your credentials (use Tom’s as an example) and a photo.
If you’ve not attended an event of ours before, come to the next one, and then we’d be happy to include you here!
– – –
Name:
Tom Young
Group:
Director, The Same Faces
Based:
Leicester/Northampton
Improv History:
Has performed regularly since 2009. Fell in love with improv after discovering the American version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? in 2004. Began improvising at the University of Northampton in 2008 with student team Indescriptable, eventually serving as the group’s co-director. Joined Leicester group, Unidentified Flying Improv, in late 2009, eventually serving as co-producer. Founded The Same Faces in March 2013, and serves as its director. The group has grown a lot since, and now has three regular shows per month across two different towns (Leicester & Northampton), with further expansion on the horizon. TSF has grown to become one of the Midlands’ leading improv groups. Tom is also the co-organiser of The British Improv Project, where he’s responsible for programming, and head of training.
Teaching History:
Head of Training for The Same Faces; has run weekly improv workshops since March 2013, training over 20 players to a high performance standard, and developing many others. Also teaches a weekly improv class for high school students in Leicester, and has taught at every B.I.P. event since the beginning.
Area(s) of Expertise:
- Short-form improv
- The Armando format
- Tags & Edits
- Show production & staging
- General coaching
Fee:
Usually from £50 an hour, but variable dependent on circumstances.
Contactable via:
Personal website.
– – –
Name:
Ben Hall
Group(s):
Fat Penguin Improv (Director), Bunkum Factory (Coach), Ben & Mel (Ben)
Based:
Birmingham (Moseley and Central)
Improv History:
Trained with Box of Frogs Birmingham, Free Association London and IO Chicago. Founded Fat Penguin Improv in 2015, currently teaching two weekly workshops and hosting shows across both of our resident venues. Fat Penguin Improv is a longform improv school, with a very heavy focus on creating comedy.
Teaching History:
Teaches two weekly workshops with Fat Penguin Improv. Has taught at the British Improv Project since Autumn 2016, and will hopefully continue do so.
Area(s) of Expertise:
- Longform formats
- The Harold format
Fee:
Negotiable.
Contact via:
ha7403@hotmail.co.uk
– – –
Name:
Kate Knight
Group:
The Kneejerks, Box of Frogs
Based:
Birmingham
Improv History:
Has been teaching improv to adults and children since 2012. Is a fully qualified teacher with DBS check, as well as extensive history of attending, planning and leading improv workshops with adults and children. Is a founder member of the Kneejerks; has been a committee member of Box of Frogs, an associate member of Foghorn Unscripted, as well as guesting with The Same Faces and Wow Impro. Performances include regular (twice monthly) shows with the Kneejerks and Box of Frogs in Birmingham, as well as specialised shows such as ‘Shaken Not Scripted: An Improvised James Bond’ and ‘Winterhaunt: An Evening of Improvised Horror at Winterbourne House’.
Teaching History:
Has taught in secondary schools in Birmingham as well as numerous sessions with Box of Frogs. Has taught several sessions at the British Improv Project on a range of aspects of performance.
Area(s) of Expertise:
- Long-form improv
- The La Ronde format
- Relationship-based scenes
- Connectedness
- Physicality
- General coaching
Fee:
Negotiable.
Contactable via:
katy_knight@hotmail.co.uk
– – –
Name:
Jon Trevor
Groups:
Box of Frogs, The Kneejerks, Ministry of Improv. Have often guested with other groups including Wow!, The Same Faces, and London Impro Fest.
Based:
Birmingham
Improv History:
Founded Box of Frogs in 2009, and has been teaching and performing ever since. Have trained with The Maydays, iO (London and Chicago), and countless workshops with improv gurus of all flavours. Directs, hosts and performs in a monthly Box of Frogs shortform show “Toadally Free Comedy”. Performs with a monthly mid/longform show with The Kneejerks. Directed, produced and performed in improvised shows “Airplay”, “Airplay 2” “FrogSpawn”, “Impromance” and “ImproHoHo”. Co-founded, produced, directed and performed with Upstairs Improv at Birmingham’s Old Joint Stock Theatre. Performed in shows for Ministry of Improv – “Shaken Not Scripted’, “A Bit of Posh”, “Laugh Yourself Thin”, and others. Guests with various groups as asked.
Board member of the Applied Improvisation Network, a global group of facilitators who use the skillset of Improv to effect corporate, personal, social and political change. Founder/director of Improv Initiative, which takes the tools of improv into the business world.
Teaching History:
Founded Box of Frogs in 2009, has been teaching and performing ever since. Has been running a regular weekly drop-in for 8 years, and teaches a structured evening class three times a year. Also runs regular weekend workshops in a whole variety of improv topics. Has taught at Sprout Ideas, London. Regular tutor at British Improv Project retreat weekends.
Area(s) of Expertise:
- Beginners and improvers
- Shortform games
- Longform structures (Armando, La Ronde, Dinner Party, Location, Timeline, etc etc.)
- Improv Powertools (an arsenal of simple but effective techniques to improve scenework)
- The Harold format
- Storytelling and Narrative formats
- Organic and Premise-based scenework
- Object and environment work
- Truthful scenework
- Approaches to character
- General Coaching and training to order
Fee:
Negotiable
Contact:
jon@birminghamimprov.com
– – –
This page will constantly be in development, with more teachers being added as and when their details are sent to us.