Anyone can do improv by applying a few fundamental principles: listen actively, build a shared reality, work together.
It's license to play. Something adults don't do nearly enough of.
Whether you've got an urge to perform, or you just fancy meeting nice folk and being silly for a couple of hours, improv could be for you.
You might know it from "Whose Line Is It Anyway?", but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Shows like Austentatious and Showstopper! have played the West End - one's an improvised Jane Austen novel, the other's a fully improvised musical with an Olivier Award. Between quick-fire TV games and award-winning theatre, there's a whole world to explore.
Improv changed my life!
Dogface Improv founder Chris Read on how and why he started doing improv:
I can remember watching "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" as a whipper-snapper and thinking "I really want to do that". Spin forward 15 years and I finally got my chance. After plucking up the courage to take a beginners improv course in Brighton (and it did take a while to have the nerve to go!), I never looked back. When I returned to my hometown of Norwich, I was keen to keep doing improv, which led me to start Dogface.
In addition to having a lot of fun playing silly games and meeting lovely new people, I have personally found improv to have had a positive impact on my life across the board.
It's certainly made me more confident - to speak in front of groups of people for instance, but also in everyday social life too. It's certainly helped me to relax and take myself a little less seriously. It's definitely made me realise the power of collaborating and working as a team.
If you are like I was and think you'd enjoy it, but are nervous about doing it - my advice is to take the plunge. It's often the good stuff that makes us feel nervous, and I guarantee that once you start, the nerves will diminish as you start to enjoy the experience of being spontaneous, creative and funny.
Chris.
