Online Improv Elective: Form - Detours

Level: Experienced

This experienced elective runs Saturday 17th October, 4 – 6.30pm BST

Experienced (18 months+) A class for skillful players, especially those who have finished improv training programmes at their school and are looking to widen their horizons. These classes will make the assumption that you are comfortable performing longform improvisation and will push you.

The Nursery/Maydays longform electives are classes on specific aspects of longform improvisation Some of these classes focus on skills and some on forms, some on narrative ideas and some on Chicago-style longform. In these classes, students will have the opportunity to play sidecoached longform sets with particular focuses and feedback from the teacher.

Detours is a format where a scene is improvised, then played again, as precisely as possible by two different players, then again and again with slight variations and filters, using the accidents and differences that happen along the way. As the form progresses, players look to explore all of the little turns, possibilities and oddities of the first scene, returning where necessary to the original scene. Sometimes we will exaggerate an element which is already there, sometimes introduce something totally new. What if the scene took a different turn? What if we replay the scene in a different time period? What happens when we try and fail to follow it line for line. Or maybe play it as two ducks?

During this workshop, players will gain a solid understanding of delights and purposes of this form, as well as have opportunities to practise and watch it.

NB: Our electives frequently sell out, but do not despair if this class has. You have not missed your shot. If enough people join the waiting list, we are often able to put the same class on a few days after or in parallel. So if you were excited, join up and we will be in touch.