Improv Classes
Elective Workshops
The Nursery offers elective classes aimed at experienced improvisers taught by a host of teachers.
We also host international teachers for special workshops.
Our international guests have included David Razowsky, Patti Stiles, Armando Diaz, Jill Bernard, Colleen Doyle, and Jason Shotts to name a few.
These workshops always sell out fast, please book in advance to avoid disappointment.
Current Monthjanuary
Event Details
Unsure of what course to take? Intrigued by a course description, but want to understand a little more? Want to get to know a new teacher? Or just
Event Details
Unsure of what course to take? Intrigued by a course description, but want to understand a little more? Want to get to know a new teacher? Or just fancy a blast of improv as we head into Spring?
Our sample classes are introductions to some of the new and familiar courses we will be running in the new year. You will meet the teacher, hear what the course is all about and try out some of the material, all in a quick ninety-minute class.
At only £10 each, they are a bargain. Plus we’ll take the price of this class off the course, if you book in the 24hours after. That’s basically free improv!
Places are strictly limited, and we anticipate these sample classes selling out quickly. Please make sure you choose the right time on the drop-down menu.
Saturday 23rd January
11 am Puppetry with Jennifer Jordan
Want to create complete weirdos out of inanimate objects? Got a single sock in the drawer then needs new life? Perhaps you just really like puppets and want to pretend you’re part of Jim Henson’s cool gang. This course will show you just how much fun can be had with something as simple as a toilet roll tube and some tissue paper.
Intermediate (3/6 months+): These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
1 pm Scenes and Characters with Jon Nguyen
This course will prepare you for our intermediate level courses; it’s aimed at those who’ve taken our beginners course and want to carry on or more experienced improvisers who would like to add to their character toolbox. Building on the foundations of improv you already know, this course takes a closer look at how to make a ‘scene’ from nothing and the various characters we can bring to those scenes.
Open – A class for anyone, regardless of their improv experience. Although more experienced players are of course welcome, the content does not require any prior improv knowledge.
3 pm About Us with Juwel Haque
Your voice and your story are a gift to the world, and in About Us, you can learn to share yourself in your improvisation. This course will help you make improv scenes and shows that feature your experience, personality, thoughts and opinions, feelings and authentic response. You’ll develop the confidence to inform your characters with your own perspective and play-style, through practice in exercises, scenes, and long-form show formats.
Experienced (18 months+) A class for skilful 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 long-form improvisation and will push you.
Sunday 24th January
1 pm Musical Longform with Liz Peters and Joe Samuel
In this online musical long-form course you’ll have 6 weeks to dip your toes in the water of improvising musicals. Building on the beginner’s musical course you will explore more song structures and ways of using music and singing in your improv scenes. The emphasis is slightly more towards scenic and long-form elements of musical improv.
Experienced (18 months+) A class for skilful 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 long-form improvisation and will push you.
(Please note, as these are taster classes, we have a class size of 14 to give the maximum number of people a chance to try things out. This means more time will be spent in pairs and small groups and less ‘performing’ time in front of an audience.)
Time
23 (Saturday) 11:00 am - 24 (Sunday) 2:00 pm
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£10
Virtual Event Details
Event Details
Level: intermediate The Nursery/Maydays longform electives are classes on specific aspects of longform improvisation Some of these classes focus on skills and some on forms,
Event Details
Level: intermediate
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.
“The music is not in the notes, but in the silence in between.” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Discover what happens when we take away the spoken words in our improvisation. Everything else becomes so important – subtle changes in body language, gestures and facial expression speak volumes; non-verbal sounds and noises define a character or say the unspeakable; music, sound effects and other background noises become foreground; the written word may make an appearance – either subtle or blunt.
In this playful class we will explore creating scenes using little to no spoken words and dialogue. Some of the work we do will be subtle and delicate, some intense and dramatic, but don’t worry, we will also be doing some silly and goofy things too (silent melodramas anyone?).
Syllabus includes:
Getting comfortable: pushing past the pressure we feel to use words as soon as possible when in a scene.
Not speaking much, but saying lots: working those non-verbal communication muscles to maximum effect to create characters with points of view, and to make offers and build on them.
Background noise: creating atmosphere and even narrative using background sounds and music.
Silent genres: playing with silent or minimally verbal tropes and genres we are familiar with through film and tv, from the serious to the silly.
Min. participants 6, max. participants 8. If we have to cancel the event due to low numbers, we will do this with 24 hours notice.
This intermediate elective runs Saturday 23rd January 4 pm – 6.30 pm GMT
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Saturday) 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm GMT
Teacher
Rebecca MacMillan is a founding member of The Maydays, and also plays with Impromptu Shakespeare, The Adventures of the Improvised Sherlock Holmes and Steamed! The Improv Dickens Novel. She has been performing and teaching improvisation theatre in the UK and beyond for over 15 years.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£20
Event Details
Level: intermediate When two improvisers encounter each other, a quality of tension is established. A quick initiation, recognition and maintenance of the fabric of this
Event Details
Level: intermediate
When two improvisers encounter each other, a quality of tension is established. A quick initiation, recognition and maintenance of the fabric of this tension can give the scene purposeful direction and players immense joy. This class will explore three such qualities (combative, smooth and shoulder to shoulder) that provide unique tension to a scene. Drawing from the analogy of giving and taking weight and contact improvisation, this class will invite sensing textures and expanding the landscape of our imagination to play a variety of short scenes. This class will give you tools to study your scene-making and help you make the offer that consciously heightens the existing tension or diluting the same. These tools are an antidote to the common thought “I am not sure what is happening or where my co-improviser is coming from”. You will damn well know this by the end of the class.
Where is my partner at with their offers?
If my scene was a surface, which one would it be?
How do I compliment the established tempo of the scene or what is the most productive way to transform the tempo of the scene?
Min. participants 6, max. participants 12. If we have to cancel the event due to low numbers, we will do this with 24 hours notice.
This intermediate elective runs Monday 25th January 7 – 9.30 pm GMT
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Monday) 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm GMT
Teacher
Laxmi Priya is a playback theatre performer and an improviser with a combined experience of a decade. She has been a chill human for even longer. She is interested in the mirror that spontaneous choices are- on stage and off stage can be- reflecting our own biases, leanings, rigidities and flow. She is a performer, corporate trainer and writer in the fields of spontaneous performance. She has formed connections and learnt from across the world through the internet, especially during the pandemic times and is passionate about building communities. Her home groups are citylamps Playback Theatre and The Adamant Eves.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£17.50
Event Details
Level: intermediate Great scenes are at the heart of great improvisation. So let’s spend some real time on them. Ideal accompaniments to the nursery longform
Event Details
Level: intermediate
Great scenes are at the heart of great improvisation. So let’s spend some real time on them. Ideal accompaniments to the nursery longform or narrative courses, these classes are deep-dives into particular areas of scenework. They are also great workouts for intermediate or experienced players. Our expert teachers will give you simple, usable tools that can be employed in a wide variety of improvisation contexts. Students will work in detail on a single aspect of their scenes, receive feedback and, most importantly, get time to play, both in break out rooms and in front of the class.
It’s the main thing we see (and hear), especially on camera but we’re so busy improvising WHAT we say that, sometimes, HOW we say it goes out of the window. The way we use our face can influence our voice, and the way we use our voice can influence and feed into a character’s intentions, backstory and choices. Putting accents to one side, this workshop will play with pace, rhythm and tone of voice, and how the shape of your mouth, the way you hold yourself and the way you breathe can influence how a character speaks and interacts with others.Workshop includes:
A gentle vocal warm-up to explore your voice range
Play with speed, pace, quality, tone, pitch, articulation
Consider how bodily tension affects voice & characterMin. participants 6, max. participants 12. If we have to cancel the event due to low numbers, we will do this with 24 hours notice.
This intermediate elective runs Wednesday 27th January, 7 pm- 9.30 pm GMT
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Wednesday) 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm GMT
Teacher
Jenny Rowe trained at ACT Brighton and has regularly taught there, as well as Brighton ICT, Chichester Festival Theatre LEAP programme and for Refugee Radio. Her credits include dreamthinkspeak (Underground) and Brighton Fringe ’19 Best Play winner, Clean. She has toured with The Foundry Group, played in the Shakespeare’s Globe ‘Read Not Dead’ season and performed numerous Shakespeares at Brighton Open Air Theatre. She is an actor, voiceover artist, writer and teacher, having worked with the BAFTA-nominated Treason Show Productions and, as a hula-hooping, crash-helmet-wearing starlet walkabout act for Twisted Dreams street theatre.
As an improviser, she has toured with Fluxx, performs with the Maydays, Impromptu Shakespeare and The Concept, and plays two-person improv (Two Seats Four Cheeks) with Lloydie James Lloyd, when they’re in the same city. She has trained with Secondcity and Annoyance, teaches Improv for Creative Writing and is currently researching her next show. Her recent solo play in 2019, “Tiptree: No-one else’s damn secret but my own” was described by Fringereview as… ‘a fascinating biography well worth knowing, convincingly acted and eloquently written.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£17.50
Virtual Event Details
Event Details
Level: intermediate The Nursery/Maydays longform electives are classes on specific aspects of longform improvisation Some of these classes focus on skills and some on forms,
Event Details
Level: intermediate
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.
Some scenes are fast, daft and funny, some are more heartfelt and emotional. In this workshop, you will spend time playing slow, careful scenes. Scenes which are founded on your connection with your partner and have no preconceived ideas, expectations or desired outcomes. Scenes with realistic characters going through recognisable emotions. Even if those characters happen to be werewolves. In this workshop, you will experiment with the balance of emotional connection and cheeky excitement, playing with your partner without being stuffy, boring or tied to an idea.
Workshop includes:
Slowing down your scene work
Playing emotionally without losing your connection
Playing in a grounded way in extraordinary circumstances
Min. participants 6, max. participants 8. If we have to cancel the event due to low numbers, we will do this with 24 hours notice.
This intermediate elective runs Saturday 30th January 4 – 6.30 pm GMT
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Saturday) 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm GMT
Teacher
Jennifer Jordan trained in Acting at Bretton Hall and, after ten years of performing and workshop facilitating professionally, she then discovered improv in Vancouver where she trained & performed with Vancouver Theatre Sports League, Instant Theatre, Second Storey, and The Fictionals. Now living in London, Jennifer is very much involved in the improv scene there as a performer, teacher, and Youth for The Nursery Theatre. She has also trained with iO Chicago, David Razowsky, Joe Bill, Lee White, Free Association and Showstoppers.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£20
Virtual Event Details
february
Event Details
For people who want to see what it’s like to be part of a professional improv rehearsal. Level: intermediate This is a
Event Details
For people who want to see what it’s like to be part of a professional improv rehearsal.
Level: intermediate
This is a great class for people who have never been on an improv team but want to experience working in an organized rehearsal with established improv performers. We take lots of classes which teach specific skills, and this is safe sandbox to try all those skills out! The workshop will run like an improv rehearsal. The expectation will be that you know long-form and the basics of improv.
A note from David: I’ve run this class twice before and it went spectacular! It ends up being tremendous networking!
Class includes:
• Notes/side coaching specific to your performing style
• Working with people who have been improvising for years – so you can take those big risks and feel supported
• Stretch your improv legs and work with a team you haven’t before!
Min. participants 4, max. participants 5. If we have to cancel the event due to low numbers, we will do this with 24 hours notice.
Due to the smaller number of participants, this class is more expensive than our usual electives, as you will get the opportunity for more personalised coaching and feedback.
This intermediate elective runs Monday 1st February 7 – 9.30 pm GMT
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Monday) 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Teacher
David Escobedo has his MA in Drama where his thesis was that an improviser’s voice is the most valuable thing they bring to the set and to the team. He is currently pursuing his PhD in improv. He has taught with the Improv Place and has published 4 books on improv. He has performed in the UK and in Los Angeles and can be seen on Netflix in the Mortified Guide. He runs the Improv Boost with over 29,000 followers on Facebook. David has recently announced: he is also one of the co-producers for the upcoming “Everybody, Get In Here!” online improv festival in conjunction with Huge Theater, Improv MKE, Black Improv Alliance, Queen City Comedy, Socially Distant Improv, Will Luera, and Lancaster Improv Players.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£45
Event Details
Level: intermediate Great scenes are at the heart of great improvisation. So let’s spend some real time on them. Ideal accompaniments to the nursery long-form
Event Details
Level: intermediate
Great scenes are at the heart of great improvisation. So let’s spend some real time on them. Ideal accompaniments to the nursery long-form or narrative courses, these classes are deep-dives into particular areas of scene-work. They are also great workouts for intermediate or experienced players. Our expert teachers will give you simple, usable tools that can be employed in a wide variety of improvisation contexts. Students will work in detail on a single aspect of their scenes, receive feedback and, most importantly, get time to play, both in break out rooms and in front of the class.
Although it can be useful for newer improvisers to avoid conflict, more experienced improvisers will find that there is a lot of fun in characters disagreeing while the improvisers agree. In this class, you will find the fun of characters that can’t stand each other and are very happy to say that. You will learn to torture your characters by cooperating with your scene partner and release the power of the dark side.
Class includes
Arguing productively while still looking after your partner
Finding the energy in negative characters
The differences between helpful and unhelpful negative scenes
Min. participants 6, max. participants 12. If we have to cancel the event due to low numbers, we will do this with 24 hours notice.
This Intermediate elective runs Wednesday 3rd February 7 – 9.30 pm BST.
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Wednesday) 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm GMT
Teacher
Liz Peters trained as an actress at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and has worked extensively on stage and screen. She was nominated Best Female Performer at Brighton Fringe for Toybox, a musical comedy she wrote and produced, and has worked with British comedy institutions Newsrevue and The Treason Show, as well as in films, commercials and immersive theatre.
Liz travels the world performing and teaching improvisation and is part of Ohana – The European Improvisers Project. She is the creator and host of Unplanned Cabaret, performs with The Concept, The Bumper Blyton Improvised Adventure and regularly guests in other productions.
In addition to performing, Liz is a certified Embodied Facilitator and coaches people to have more impact and feel at ease in the spotlight. On her YouTube channel, ‘Bonafide Human Club’ Liz shares tips from the fields of improvisation and embodiment to help people enjoy life more.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£17.50
Virtual Event Details
Event Details
Level: intermediate The Nursery/Maydays longform electives are classes on specific aspects of longform improvisation Some of these classes focus on skills and some on forms,
Event Details
Level: intermediate
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.
Why do ballet dancers practise their technique for hours? Why do most professional musicians work through their scales and arpeggios every single day? Because there is always something new to learn in the very fundamentals of any art and craft. Can we as improvisers say the same?
This workshop will inspire you to re-examine your fundamental skills of agreement, listening and commitment. Through innovative exercises, you’ll rediscover some of that early joy of improvisation while opening up pathways to play that over time might have become closed off. You’ll then drill these fundamentals in guided scenework. But more importantly, you’ll leave reinvigorated, and inspired to work on your craft and your art.
Workshop includes:
Priming ourselves for agreement
Exercises to retune our listening skills
Examining what it truly means to commit
Min. participants 6, max. participants 8. If we have to cancel the event due to low numbers, we will do this with 24 hours notice.
This experienced elective runs Saturday 6th February 4 – 6.30 pm GMT
Experienced (18 months+) A class for skilful 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.
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.
Time
(Saturday) 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm GMT
Teacher
Dan Ryan has been performing in freeform teams since 2012, including Nursery house team Parkin. He has played and coached in a number of different European countries.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£20
Virtual Event Details
Event Details
Level: Intermediate You’re on the backline when suddenly you are gifted the opportunity to create a hit song while in the Zoom spotlight. But you
Event Details
Level: Intermediate
You’re on the backline when suddenly you are gifted the opportunity to create a hit song while in the Zoom spotlight. But you didn’t hear the suggestion, or there wasn’t a suggestion, and the music is playing and how can this be any moment let alone a Tony Moment? #feverdream
From emotional and historical interpretations, reactions and storytelling techniques, we will create sensational songs alongside wonderful live musical accompaniment.
Creating full songs through:
- Emotions
- Point of View
- Storytelling
Min. participants 6, max. 12. If we have to cancel the event due to low numbers, we will do this with 24 hours notice.
We know that costs can be prohibiting during this time. The Nursery offers full and partial scholarships whenever possible. To apply, go to https://thenurserytheatre.com/improv-classes/jason-chin-diversity-scholarship/.
This intermediate elective runs Sunday 7th February, 5 – 7.30 pm GMT
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Sunday) 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Teacher
Velvet Wells is a Black, autistic, queer, velvet-voiced entertainer and facilitator from Toronto, Canada. He graduated from the Second City Toronto Training Centre (Musical Improvisation Conservatory) and The Improv Place (Masterclass in Teaching). Additionally, Velvet studied under international facilitators including Katy Schutte and Chris Mead, Patti Styles, and Mick Napier. Velvet facilitates musical workshops around the world. Social media link: https://linktr.ee/velvetduke
Get Tickets
Book now;Price
£25
Virtual Event Details
Event Details
Level: Intermediate Get ready to break the mold with brand new musical games, created by Stephanie Rae. Once you’ve learned and practised some of these,
Event Details
Level: Intermediate
Get ready to break the mold with brand new musical games, created by Stephanie Rae. Once you’ve learned and practised some of these, we’ll break down what makes a successful game and form squads to create your own. In small groups, you’ll identify the types of games you like most, discuss your unique interests, and combine this information to create new pieces which highlight your natural strengths. Then, before we’re through, you’ll lead your own game and learn new ones from your troupe mates for the day. Make your performances unforgettable and leave audiences in awe with this can’t miss musical workshop.
Min. participants 6, max. 12. If we have to cancel the event due to low numbers, we will do this with 24 hours notice.
This intermediate elective runs Monday 8th February, 7 – 9.30 pm GMT
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Monday) 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Teacher
Stephanie Rae has been studying traditional and musical improv for eleven years. She’s directed a Boyz II Men themed show for UCB’s Del Close Marathon, guest played with everyone from the Groundlings to ComedySportz, and taught classes and workshops for improvisers from Louisiana to Liverpool. She directs the Black Improv Alliance, performing with International Players Club and Wakanda vs. Everybody, and sings in a musical show with The Pack Theater.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£17.50
Virtual Event Details
Event Details
Level: intermediate Great scenes are at the heart of great improvisation. So let’s spend some real time on them. Ideal accompaniments to the nursery longform
Event Details
Level: intermediate
Great scenes are at the heart of great improvisation. So let’s spend some real time on them. Ideal accompaniments to the nursery longform or narrative courses, these classes are deep-dives into particular areas of scenework. They are also great workouts for intermediate or experienced players. Our expert teachers will give you simple, usable tools that can be employed in a wide variety of improvisation contexts. Students will work in detail on a single aspect of their scenes, receive feedback and, most importantly, get time to play, both in break out rooms and in front of the class.
A popular, though sometimes intimidating improv tool, the ‘game’ is the unusual thing that is happening in a scene which we can exploit. The fact that your therapist can only talk in metaphors, or the butcher that alternately insults and then compliments you. A clear game can be liberating for the player and delightful for the audience. It can be something which we introduce deliberately at the start of the scene or something which happens by accident and can then be exploited. In this workshop, we will demystify ‘game’ and give you clear, easy practice on how to use it in your scenes.
Class includes:
Identifying and playing the game in a scene
Escalating a game to a satisfying conclusion
Finding the fun and freedom inside a game
Min. participants 6, max. 12. If we have to cancel the event due to low numbers, we will do this with 24 hours notice.
This intermediate elective runs Wednesday 10th February, 7 – 9.30 pm GMT
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Wednesday) 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm GMT
Teacher
Britt Pay is an improvisational actor, teacher, and comedian with over six years of experience. She is a founding member of Classic Andy and has performed at Camden Fringe, Faversham Fringe, and Edinburgh Improv Festival. She regularly performs at Breaking & Entering’s The Playground, one of London’s most popular improv nights; a cast member of Unbridled: a Jilly Cooper Improvised Show. Britt has trained with teachers from Hoopla, The Hideout Theatre, The Nursery, The Second City and The iO Theatre.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£17.50
Virtual Event Details
Event Details
Level: experienced The Nursery/Maydays longform electives are classes on specific aspects of longform improvisation Some of these classes focus on skills and some on forms,
Event Details
Level: experienced
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 side coached longform sets with particular focuses and feedback from the teacher.
Improv, like any form of art, is always about something, whether we consciously decide to. So what is your show really about tonight? What is it saying about the world, people and our place within it? This class will allow you to understand the ideas of subject matter, theme and thesis, how they differ and how they can be used as tools to create shows that mean something, while still maintaining all of the fun.
Class includes:
Identifying theme and thesis and using them to inspire scenes
Creating a variety of scenes which are still linked
Being aware of and able to influence what a show is ‘saying’
Min. participants 6, max. 8.
This intermediate elective runs Saturday 13th February, 4 – 6.30 pm GMT
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practise and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Saturday) 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm GMT
Teacher
Jules Munns started improvising at the Guildhall School where he was a founder member of the Improsarios. After graduating, he co-founded the Nursery, where he is now Artistic Director. He performed with Music Box (5* FringeGuru and Remote Goat) and Friendly Fire before joining the Maydays in 2012. He directed the first run of Impromptu Shakespeare (5* Broadway Baby and Playstosee), which he now performs in and is one-half of Ten Thousand Million Love Stories and Sitting in a Tin Can. He has performed and taught at festivals across the UK and in countries including the US, Pakistan, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Finland. He also runs the Nursery blog and podcast and is working on a book on improvisation.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£20
Virtual Event Details
Event Details
Level: Intermediate Improvised rapping is one of the things improvisers find most terrifying. We’re often taught in musical improv to “not worry about rhyming, because
Event Details
Level: Intermediate
Improvised rapping is one of the things improvisers find most terrifying. We’re often taught in musical improv to “not worry about rhyming, because it’s hard”.
This course will help you turn that fear into joyous fun, and give you the confidence and ability to rhyme for minutes on end!
Through video demonstrations, interactive exercises, writing prompts, fun rhyming games and lyrical obstacle courses, this course will tear down the barriers of improvised rap. By the end of these four weeks, you will have learned a variety of simple and powerful techniques to successfully rap every single freestyle with confidence and charisma.
This course will also take you beyond the basic structures of setting up and landing rhymes. You’ll explore different flows, different rhyme schemes, and techniques to weave narrative arcs and emotional punches into your freestyles.
Min. participants 6, max. participants 10. If we have to cancel the event due to low numbers, we will do this with 24 hours notice.
This intermediate super-elective runs four Saturdays 13th February – 6th March 4.30 -7 pm GMT
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Saturday) 4:30 pm
Teacher
Will Naameh (a.k.a. MC Hammersmith) is an improviser and freestyle rap comedian. He performs entirely improvised hip hop comedy under the name MC Hammersmith. He performs across the UK and internationally, and in 2018 won a Scottish Comedy Award for his freestyle performances. Outside of hip hop, he is a member of The Spontaneous Players, known for their sell-out Spontaneous Sherlock and Spontaneous Potter shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and beyond.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£110
Virtual Event Details
Event Details
Level: Open Songwriting can seem like an arcane art, but if we approach it with an improvisational attitude, we can demystify the process and have
Event Details
Level: Open
Songwriting can seem like an arcane art, but if we approach it with an improvisational attitude, we can demystify the process and have fun doing it! This workshop will take you through the nuts and bolts of writing song lyrics, with an emphasis on setting aside your inner critic and using your improv brain. Come away with a solidified process for getting your songs down on the page. There’s no need to be afraid of writing a song ever again!
Min. participants 6, max. 12. If we have to cancel the event due to low numbers, we will do this with 24 hours notice.
This open elective runs Sunday 14th February, 3 -59.30 pm GMT
Open – A class for anyone, regardless of their improv experience. Although more experienced players are of course welcome, the content does not require any prior improv knowledge.
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.
Time
(Sunday) 3:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Teacher
Jeff Bouthiette is a theatre artist and educator with a focus on comedy, queerness, fatness, and devised work. They are currently on faculty at the Theatre School at DePaul University in the Comedy Arts program. For the past decade, they served as Head of the Music Program at the Second City Training Center in Chicago. They have directed and performed extensively in improvisation and sketch comedy, and they are a founding member of The Improvised Sondheim Project. As a playwright and songwriter, Jeff’s work has been performed in Chicago and nationally, and their solo show, Good Fatty Goes Bad, premiered in summer of 2019 and will be available for touring when we’re allowed to be in a room together once again.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£17.50
Virtual Event Details
Event Details
Level: intermediate Improvised rapping is one of the things improvisers find most terrifying. We’re often taught in musical improv to “not worry about rhyming, because
Event Details
Level: intermediate
Improvised rapping is one of the things improvisers find most terrifying. We’re often taught in musical improv to “not worry about rhyming, because it’s hard”.
This course will help you turn that fear into joyous fun, and give you the confidence and ability to rhyme for minutes on end!
Through video demonstrations, interactive exercises, writing prompts, fun rhyming games and lyrical obstacle courses, this course will tear down the barriers of improvised rap. By the end of these four weeks, you will have learned a variety of simple and powerful techniques to successfully rap every single freestyle with confidence and charisma.
This course will also take you beyond the basic structures of setting up and landing rhymes. You’ll explore different flows, different rhyme schemes, and techniques to weave narrative arcs and emotional punches into your freestyles.
Min. participants 6, max. participants 10. If we have to cancel the event due to low numbers, we will do this with 24 hours notice.
This intermediate super-elective runs four Sundays 14th February – 7th March 7 – 9.30 pm GMT
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Sunday) 7:00 pm GMT
Teacher
Will Naameh (a.k.a. MC Hammersmith) is an improviser and freestyle rap comedian. He performs entirely improvised hip hop comedy under the name MC Hammersmith. He performs across the UK and internationally, and in 2018 won a Scottish Comedy Award for his freestyle performances. Outside of hip hop, he is a member of The Spontaneous Players, known for their sell-out Spontaneous Sherlock and Spontaneous Potter shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and beyond.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£110
Event Details
Level: intermediate Great scenes are at the heart of great improvisation. So let’s spend some real time on them. Ideal accompaniments to the nursery long-form
Event Details
Level: intermediate
Great scenes are at the heart of great improvisation. So let’s spend some real time on them. Ideal accompaniments to the nursery long-form or narrative courses, these classes are deep-dives into particular areas of scene work. They are also great workouts for intermediate or experienced players. Our expert teachers will give you simple, usable tools that can be employed in a wide variety of improvisation contexts. Students will work in detail on a single aspect of their scenes, receive feedback and, most importantly, get time to play, both in break out rooms and in front of the class.
Scenes that start clearly and boldly, often continue that way. Those that don’t can sometimes flounder and stutter as they try to find their game, heart or inspiration.
This class will give you a range of powerful ways to start a scene and then continue what you have begun, all without restricting your partner’s choices. Working with character, attitude, premise and emotion, with a little bit of plain weirdness thrown in for good measure, you will see how to bring something to the scene that is inspiring to both for both scene partners. You will never step onstage without an idea again.
Class includes:
How to initiate, both with and without a suggestion
How to support your partner’s initiations
Bringing together apparently contradictory initiations
Min participants 6, max participants 12. If we have to cancel the event due to low numbers, we will do this with 24 hours notice.
This intermediate elective runs Wednesday 17th February 7 – 9.30 pm GMT
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Wednesday) 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm GMT
Teacher
Jon Nguyen is an improviser based in Norwich, UK, he believes that fun, connectivity and inclusion should be present in all improv.
He plays with Unbridled – A Nursery Original, The Dogface Allstars, Michelle – A Hoopla House Team, Wretched Hive Comedy, The Comediasians and The Improvised Play. He has appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and taken part in online improv festivals, including Improv Comedy Bangalore.
Jon had training with Dogface, The Nursery, Hoopla, Dummy, The Maydays, Showstoppers as well as a myriad of international teachers from across the globe.
Jon loves improv and tries all variations from short-form, various formats, narrative, musical and any other style offered. He has fully embraced online improv and plays with people around the globe. Jon is a self-professed nerd and borrows techniques from Stanislavski, Brecht and Artaud among others to infuse theatricality into his improv.
We’re super excited to have Jon as a member of the Nursery & Maydays online improv teaching team.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£17.50
Virtual Event Details
Event Details
Level: intermediate This six-week masterclass will help you begin your scenes off with confidence, certainty, and clarity. Learn how to take your improv to surprising
Event Details
Level: intermediate
This six-week masterclass will help you begin your scenes off with confidence, certainty, and clarity. Learn how to take your improv to surprising places by simply recognizing you and your partner’s points of view. This class will also be focusing on Viewpoints, a skill set that frees you from using your brain, worrying about what’s right or wrong, what’s good or bad. Instead of thinking about what you’re supposed to do, scenic choices are made with your heart, not your head. Learn to base your responses on compulsion (“an irresistible urge to act a certain way”) rather than worry about what might be interesting, funny, original, or dramatic.
This workshop will change the way you look at your practice.
Min. participants 6, max. participants 8. If we have to cancel the event due to low numbers, we will do this with 24 hours notice.
This intermediate super-elective runs six Fridays 19th February – 26th March 7 – 9 pm GMT
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Friday) 7:00 pm
Teacher
David Razowsky: From his 10 revues at Chicago’s Second City performing with the likes of Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Amy Sedaris, and Rachel Dratch, to the 10 years he spent as Artistic Director of The Second City Hollywood, to the countless worldwide workshops and performances he’s engaged in, to his TEDx Talk, “Life: The Product is the Process,” David has developed a simple approach to improvising: Your present awareness is the only thing you need to create compelling, smart, truthful, and surprising scenes. Period. No games, no preconceived premises, no ideas, no ego. All that matters is now. The actor’s level of improvisation experience doesn’t matter, for all you’ll need to bring to this workshop is your present presence. All you’ll leave with is your joy and excitement and confidence. And after all, what more do you need?
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£200
Event Details
Level: intermediate The Nursery/Maydays longform electives are classes on specific aspects of longform improvisation Some of these classes focus on skills and some on forms,
Event Details
Level: intermediate
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 side coached longform sets with particular focuses and feedback from the teacher.
Some stories are epic, complex and rich. They have multiple strands, rich themes and twists and turns. But some stories are simple and easy. Like the three little pigs, Jurassic Park or beauty and the beast. These are stories where simplicity is the heart of the appeal. They do not mess around but give us exactly what we want and we love them for it. In this workshop, you will work on making stories that are so simple, they are barely even there. You will think about the moral of the story and how to undercut and play with it.
Workshop includes:
Starting and ending stories
Giving the character what they want (or not)
The moral of the story
Min. participants 6, max. 8. If we have to cancel the event due to low numbers, we will do this with 24 hours notice.
This intermediate elective runs Saturday 20th February, 4 – 6.30 pm GMT
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Saturday) 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm GMT
Teacher
Jonah Fazel is a veteran character actor, Theatremaker and Television presenter who trained at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. He has trained in multiple improvisational styles and has been teaching improvisation for over a decade. He is a professor of improvisation at The University of Creative Arts and guest lecturers at many UK drama schools. He specialises in teaching; Short-form, narrative & genre, characterisation and acting for improvisers.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£20
Virtual Event Details
Event Details
Level: Open Bring your personal story, idea, and a willingness to play and slay your best-kept secret in this one-day intensive that will challenge you
Event Details
Level: Open
Bring your personal story, idea, and a willingness to play and slay your best-kept secret in this one-day intensive that will challenge you to create from abundance, give yourself permission and say Yes…to the truth in your heart and soul. Packed with a chock full of improv exercises that explore the 4W’s ( Who, What, Where and Why), infused with an inspiring personal narrative, this class is for the POC artist that wants to jumpstart their next passion project, a solo show, or kick off new writing project while harnessing their best creative weapon with laughter and truth!
Be prepared to get out of your head, trust your instincts in this lively, virtual remote class with one of Second City’s best mentors, Dionna Griffin-Irons. Have a creative date night with yourself and meet a new community!
Nursery/Maydays Sunday Classes
We work hard to provide a welcoming environment for all improvisers. In order to give space to different experiences and identities, the Nursery and the Maydays have worked to provide opportunities for specific groups to meet, connect, and improvise with one another. Each workshop will cover different topics depending on the instructor. Sometimes sessions will be aimed at particular skills, issues and questions, and other times they will simply be a place for people to come together and play.
The Nursery and the Maydays are constantly working to create programming based on the needs of our current students and the global improv community. If there is an underrepresented group that you would like to see have a workshop, send an email to classes@thenurseryimprovtheatre.com
Min. participants 6, max. 12.
This open workshop runs Sunday 21st February 3 – 5.30 pm GMT.
Open – A class for anyone, regardless of their improv experience. Although more experienced players are of course welcome, the content does not require any prior improv knowledge.
Whatever the level of ability required, all of our classes are safe, supportive environments led by our experienced teachers. Please email us if you are unsure whether a class is suitable for you. If you sign up for a class inappropriate to your level the Nursery/Maydays reserved the right to remove you from the class without refund.
Time
(Sunday) 3:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Teacher
Dionna Griffin-Irons is a writer, producer, and the longtime former Director of Talent Diversity and Inclusion for The Second City U.S. and Canada. For two decades, she expanded Second City’s talent recruitment efforts to increase underrepresented voices including BIPOC, LGBTQ+ in sketch comedy and on the resident stages. Her ongoing inclusion work is inspired by the women she met and taught improv to at a minimum-security women’s camp during her twenties. Griffin-Irons has facilitated 200+ workshops to corporations and organizations including Embassy Norway and Latvia, using improvisation as a creative tool for innovation and belonging.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£17.50
Virtual Event Details
Event Details
Level: Open Say goodbye to feeling stuck and up-level your game! If you are bored of traditional Improv or your game tends
Event Details
Level: Open
Say goodbye to feeling stuck and up-level your game!
If you are bored of traditional Improv or your game tends to be static when it comes to movement, this class is for you.
Learn to work through your body to make bolder, brighter choices using a non-Western improvisation skill-set rooted in dance and musicality.
Using strong character, comedy, mask work and African, Brazilian & Indian movement techniques to build a more fluid, non-traditional, interesting game.
Let go of what ‘you think you know’ and learn something new and inspiring whilst using your body and putting your best foot forward in this open, innovative class and begin to unlock your bodies full potential as an improviser on stage.
Say goodbye to feeling stuck and up-level your game!
Min. participants 6, max. 12. If we have to cancel the event due to low numbers, we will do this with 24 hours notice.
Ariane is a performer, teacher & multi-lingual improviser.
She has worked internationally as a performer and public speaker.
Her solo show ‘Maroon Queen’ fuses an original soundtrack, epic poetry, comedy, capoeira and dance with an international cast.
She is a cast member of Hell Yeah! A Sup-Her Group of London’s Hottest Queer Improv talent and was a core member of Olivier-award winning Showstopper! The Improvised Musical.
Ariane is a qualified performance teacher and holds a certification in Yoga For Mental health. She trained at Rose Bruford College Of Performance (BA Hons Acting) and was the recipient of The Lawrence Oliver Award Behrens Bursary.
This open elective runs Monday 22nd February 7 – 8.30 pm GMT. This workshop is 90 minutes because of the physical nature of the class, to make it accessible to all fitness levels.
Open – A class for anyone, regardless of their improv experience. Although more experienced players are of course welcome, the content does not require any prior improv knowledge.
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.
Time
(Monday) 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Teacher
Ariane is a performer, teacher & multi-lingual improviser.
She has worked internationally as a performer and public speaker.
Her solo show ‘Maroon Queen’ fuses an original soundtrack, epic poetry, comedy, capoeira and dance with an international cast.She is a cast member of Hell Yeah! A Sup-Her Group of London’s Hottest Queer Improv talent and was a core member of Olivier-award winning Showstopper! The Improvised Musical.
Ariane is a qualified performance teacher and holds a certification in Yoga For Mental health. She trained at Rose Bruford College Of Performance (BA Hons Acting) and was the recipient of The Lawrence Oliver Award Behrens Bursary.
In 2014, she founded ‘The Different Women Project’ empowering those who don’t fit the standard mold in performance to stand strong and tall in their craft with a focus on providing work opportunities to WOC/LGBTQ Women. Ariane specialises in confidence building, empowerment and person-centered development using performance, psychology and diversity as a pedagogy to increase leadership skills and personal power through a body-mind connection. As a teacher, Ariane is passionate about a holistic approach to performance and improvisation that enables performers to develop and support themselves fully and give their best performance from a place of joy & connection to self.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£17.50
Virtual Event Details
Event Details
Level: intermediate Great scenes are at the heart of great improvisation. So let’s spend some real time on them. Ideal accompaniments to the nursery long-form
Event Details
Level: intermediate
Great scenes are at the heart of great improvisation. So let’s spend some real time on them. Ideal accompaniments to the nursery long-form or narrative courses, these classes are deep-dives into particular areas of scene work. They are also great workouts for intermediate or experienced players. Our expert teachers will give you simple, usable tools that can be employed in a wide variety of improvisation contexts. Students will work in detail on a single aspect of their scenes, receive feedback and, most importantly, get time to play, both in break out rooms and in front of the class.
Doing nothing onstage is, in the end, impossible. Just by looking at your partner, you will find there is a world of observations, emotions, offer and stories crested. Neutral in improvisation does not exist. In this workshop, you will play scenes without suggestions. You will practise taking a moment to observe your partner and what is happening between you, initiating based on that and keeping the promise which is therefore made to the audience.
Workshop includes:
Observing your partner to create the basis for a scene
Holding on to the initiation
Min participants 6, max participants 12.
This intermediate elective runs Wednesday 17th February 7 – 9.30 pm GMT
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Wednesday) 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm GMT
Teacher
Jules Munns performs with the Maydays and Impromptu Shakespeare, as well as being one-half of Ten Thousand Million Love Stories. He has performed and taught across the world, from Finland to Pakistan, Malawi to Canada. He creates improv blogs and podcasts and performs online for the Nursery.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£17.50
Virtual Event Details
27feb4:00 pm6:30 pmVirtual EventOnline Improv Elective: Second Beats4:00 pm - 6:30 pm GMT Book now:
Event Details
Level: intermediate The Nursery/Maydays longform electives are classes on specific aspects of longform improvisation Some of these classes focus on skills and some on forms,
Event Details
Level: intermediate
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 side coached longform sets with particular focuses and feedback from the teacher.
First scenes are easy, right? Just make up some characters and see what happens. But what happens after? Where do you go in the dreaded ‘middle of the show’? Or the second beat of the Harold? How can you be inspired in a variety of different ways to make clear, interesting choices? This workshop will show you a wide variety of ways to take an idea forward without using the same characters again. You will examine pattern, context, mood status relationships, locations, consequences and more, all to give you the tools to open up and explore ideas and keep the momentum of your show rolling.
Class includes:
What to look for in a scene and how to initiate from those ideas
How to initiate to inspire your partner
Looking for variety in a set
This intermediate elective runs Saturday 27th February, 4 pm – 6.30 pm BST/GMT+1
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Saturday) 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm GMT
Teacher
Juwel Haque is an improvisation teacher, actor, and director. He teaches classes and courses in long-form for The Nursery, where he is also a producer. Juwel performs regularly with Somewhat Theatre, Comediasians, and many other projects. He has trained with the best British and American improv schools and teachers and has significant experience in short-form and narrative and discursive long-form.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£20
Virtual Event Details
march
Event Details
Level: Advanced In the increasingly international world of improv, how do we play with people from backgrounds different from our own? How
Event Details
Level: Advanced
In the increasingly international world of improv, how do we play with people from backgrounds different from our own?
How can our improv shows reflect the richness of our lands, histories, and cultures?
How do we use our differences to create unique and beautiful scenes where everybody feels included and connected?
Join this workshop to
* Build cross-cultural settings
* Find immediate connections with people from any part of the world
* Play engaging characters from very different backgrounds
* Level up your scene work through intercultural context
* Overcome the dangers of stereotyping and cultural appropriation
Min. participants 6, max. 12. If we have to cancel the event due to low numbers, we will do this with 24 hours notice.
This advanced elective runs Monday 1st March 7 – 9.30 pm GMT.
Advanced (3 years +) This is our highest level of class. These classes are recommended for improvisers who are regularly rehearsing and performing with a team.
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.
Time
(Monday) 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Teacher
Irina Wilder is an improviser, actress, director, and playwright, working in Gothenburg. Initially trained in Russia in the Stanislavski system, Irina found inspiration and home theatres in Italy, Spain, and Sweden. She recently directed The Family Tree at Impram and a sold-out show Viewpoint at the Gothenburg Fringe Festival. She loves both short- and long-form improv, but her heart belongs to narrative shows, grounded in emotional truth and exploring universal themes with a comedy twist.
Tanine Dunais is an Iranian actress and improviser. She started improv in Dubai. Now she lives in Amsterdam and travels around the world to discover more and more what improv can do. She is also a member of all-Iranian improv group where they dig deep into cultural subjects from a point of view of Persians/middle easterners, living in Europe.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£17.50
Virtual Event Details
Event Details
Level: intermediate Great scenes are at the heart of great improvisation. So let’s spend some real time on them. Ideal accompaniments to the nursery long-form
Event Details
Level: intermediate
Great scenes are at the heart of great improvisation. So let’s spend some real time on them. Ideal accompaniments to the nursery long-form or narrative courses, these classes are deep-dives into particular areas of scene work. They are also great workouts for intermediate or experienced players. Our expert teachers will give you simple, usable tools that can be employed in a wide variety of improvisation contexts. Students will work in detail on a single aspect of their scenes, receive feedback and, most importantly, get time to play, both in break out rooms and in front of the class.
Sometimes one idea is enough, and returning to it over and over can be all you need for a satisfying and delightful scene. Playing simple and holding on like this reassures your partner that you are on the same page and gives the audience the huge satisfaction of getting what they were expecting (even if they have to wait a bit). In this workshop inspired by Mick Napier and the Annoyance Theater, you will play holding on to an idea. You will discover the delight and power of just doing the same thing, then doing the same thing again and then (how about that) the same thing a third time. In doing so, you will create tight, funny improvisation which feels easy and satisfying. All with a single idea.
Workshop includes:
Identifying the core element of a scene
Sharing the idea with your partner and getting on the same page
Playing that core element until it breaks
Min participants 6, max participants 12.
This intermediate elective runs Wednesday 3rd March 7 – 9.30 pm GMT
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Wednesday) 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm GMT
Teacher
Heather Urquhart trained in Physical Theatre and has studied improvisation at Chicago’s I.O theatre and Annoyance. She improvises with the Olivier Award-winning Showstopper! The ImprovisedMusical and is one of the directors of The Maydays. Her duo improv show ‘Ten Thousand Million Love Stories’ has also toured extensively most recently to Texas, Montreal and Karachi.
Heather’s other regular improv exploits include The Bumper Blyton Improvised Adventure, The Playground and The Concept and she is also a co-artistic director at The Nursery Theatre.
Heather was winner of the award for best female performer in the Brighton Fringe Festival 2013 and winner of the Argus Angel Award for artistic excellence for new musical The Opinion Makers in 2014. She is a guest vocalist with the mercury music prize nominated Electric Soft Parade and sings ‘Sing it!’ which has a series of associated podcasts.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£17.50
Virtual Event Details
Event Details
Level: Advanced Impro can be funny, gaggy, and silly, and we love it for that. But impro (and all comedy) can also be thought-provoking, emotionally
Event Details
Level: Advanced
Impro can be funny, gaggy, and silly, and we love it for that. But impro (and all comedy) can also be thought-provoking, emotionally teasing; it can be a way for us to tell a story about life, humanity, society, politics, and more.
In this four week class, we will experiment with dark and uncomfortable scenes, exploring how improv can be a powerful satirical tool. We will not shy away from tough topics. Good comedy needs to deal with this kind of content too.
Min. participants 6, max. participants 12. If we have to cancel the event due to low numbers, we will do this with 24 hours notice.
This advanced super-elective runs four Thursdays 4th March – 25th March 2 – 4 pm GMT
Advanced (3 years +) This is our highest level of class. These classes are recommended for improvisers who are regularly rehearsing and performing with a team.
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.
Photo credit: Armin Zarbock
Time
(Thursday) 2:00 pm
Teacher
Inbal Lori is a graduate of Jerusalem Art High School (1994) and Nissan Nativ acting studio (2000). Since then she has been writing and acting for television and theatre and has won prizes and scholarships for her acting and writing.
Inbal started improvising in Tel Aviv in 2001 where she had her group 3FALLING and ran an improvisation school in the city from 2013 – 2017. In 2015 Inbal moved to Berlin and since then she has taught and performed all over the world in places like the USA, Canada, Australia, Colombia and Europe.
Her performances include her solo show “Fragments of Life” and duo shows such as “CLICK” with Tim Orr (San Francisco), “The Lorilees” with Lee White (Canada), “The Fun Fatales” with Paula Galimberti (Spain) and “Playing with the Enemy” with Arab improviser Zaki Zikani.
In Berlin, she is working and coaching the groups “Die Gorillas” and “ImproBerlin”
website: https://inbalori.com
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£150
Virtual Event Details
Event Details
Level: Intermedaite The Nursery/Maydays longform electives are classes on specific aspects of longform improvisation Some of these classes focus on skills and some on forms,
Event Details
Level: Intermedaite
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.
This intermediate elective runs Saturday 6th March, 4 – 6.30pm BST
Experienced (18 months+) A class for skilful 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.
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.
Time
(Saturday) 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm GMT
Teacher
Dan Ryan has been performing in freeform teams since 2012, including Nursery house team Parkin. He has played and coached in a number of different European countries.
Get Tickets
More infoPrice
£20
Virtual Event Details
Event Details
Level: intermediate Great scenes are at the heart of great improvisation. So let’s spend some real time on them. Ideal accompaniments to the nursery longform
Event Details
Level: intermediate
Great scenes are at the heart of great improvisation. So let’s spend some real time on them. Ideal accompaniments to the nursery longform or narrative courses, these classes are deep-dives into particular areas of scenework. They are also great workouts for intermediate or experienced players. Our expert teachers will give you simple, usable tools that can be employed in a wide variety of improvisation contexts. Students will work in detail on a single aspect of their scenes, receive feedback and, most importantly, get time to play, both in break out rooms and in front of the class.
Inspired by shows such as the Armando, Tonight’s Top Story and Asscat, this class will look at how to tell true stories and then play scenes inspired by them. You will learn to enjoy the details and the people rather than just go for the gag. You will listen in order to be inspired and then play scenes which are respectful and delightful at the same time, getting to the heart of the story without just replaying it.
Class includes:
Telling engaging and inspiring stories
Initiating scenes from complex stimulus
Having fun while still respecting the storyteller
This Intermediate elective runs Wednesday 10th March 7 – 9.30 pm GMT.
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Wednesday) 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm GMT
Teacher
Chris is a UK-based performer and theatre-maker who teaches and coaches improvisation in London.
He studied theatre at Royal Holloway College, University of London and improvisation at iO and The Annoyance Theatre in Chicago. He teaches for Hoopla Impro and serves as one of the artistic directors of The Nursery Theatre.
Chris improvises with Project2 and The Maydays and has recently co-founded Sonder, a company dedicated to improv as a theatrical art form.
He also hosts YesBot, a podcast dedicated to the theory and craft of improv (but with added exploding robots)
Get Tickets
Book now;Price
£17.50
Virtual Event Details
Event Details
Level: intermediate The Nursery/Maydays longform electives are classes on specific aspects of longform improvisation Some of these classes focus on skills and some on forms,
Event Details
Level: intermediate
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 side coached longform sets with particular focuses and feedback from the teacher.
In The Living Room, the improvisers chat between themselves about their lives, then, when they are inspired, spontaneously leap into a scene, unpacking, deconstructing and playing with what was just discussed. A form that combines easy, relaxed conversation with sharp, premise-led scenes, this is an opportunity to practise deliberately changing the rhythm and energy of your play and find the ridiculous in the mundane.
Workshop includes:
Pulling ideas from a conversation
Jumping on to an idea quickly and seeing where it goes
Editing in and out of scenes
Min. participants 6, max. 8.
This intermediate elective runs Saturday 13th March, 4 pm – 6.30 pm GMT
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Saturday) 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm GMT
Teacher
Juwel Haque is an improvisation teacher, actor, and director. He teaches classes and courses in long-form for The Nursery, where he is also a producer. Juwel performs regularly with Somewhat Theatre, Comediasians, and many other projects. He has trained with the best British and American improv schools and teachers and has significant experience in short-form and narrative and discursive long-form.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£20
Virtual Event Details
Event Details
Level: intermediate Great scenes are at the heart of great improvisation. So let’s spend some real time on them. Ideal accompaniments to the nursery longform
Event Details
Level: intermediate
Great scenes are at the heart of great improvisation. So let’s spend some real time on them. Ideal accompaniments to the nursery longform or narrative courses, these classes are deep-dives into particular areas of scenework. They are also great workouts for intermediate or experienced players. Our expert teachers will give you simple, usable tools that can be employed in a wide variety of improvisation contexts. Students will work in detail on a single aspect of their scenes, receive feedback and, most importantly, get time to play, both in break out rooms and in front of the class.
It’s easy to get stuck in the same energy in a scene, both in the physical and virtual space. Similarly, improv shows can stagnate if each scene falls into the same rhythm as the one before. In this elective we’ll play with different types of internal and external rhythms and energies to see what effect they have on your improv scenes. Can you change how you come across to an audience? Can two very different energies co-exist on stage without merging into one? Can energy bring power?Workshop includes:
Entrances (and Exits)
Energy qualities & states of tension
Exploring changes of rhythm within a scene, and throughout a run of scenesMin. participants 6, max. 12.
This Intermediate elective runs Wednesday 17th March 7 – 9.30 pm GMT.
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Wednesday) 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm GMT
Teacher
Jenny Rowe trained at ACT Brighton and has regularly taught there, as well as Brighton ICT, Chichester Festival Theatre LEAP programme and for Refugee Radio. Her credits include dreamthinkspeak (Underground) and Brighton Fringe ’19 Best Play winner, Clean. She has toured with The Foundry Group, played in the Shakespeare’s Globe ‘Read Not Dead’ season and performed numerous Shakespeares at Brighton Open Air Theatre. She is an actor, voiceover artist, writer and teacher, having worked with the BAFTA-nominated Treason Show Productions and, as a hula-hooping, crash-helmet-wearing starlet walkabout act for Twisted Dreams street theatre.
As an improviser, she has toured with Fluxx, performs with the Maydays, Impromptu Shakespeare and The Concept, and plays two-person improv (Two Seats Four Cheeks) with Lloydie James Lloyd, when they’re in the same city. She has trained with Secondcity and Annoyance, teaches Improv for Creative Writing and is currently researching her next show. Her recent solo play in 2019, “Tiptree: No-one else’s damn secret but my own” was described by Fringereview as… ‘a fascinating biography well worth knowing, convincingly acted and eloquently written.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£17.50
Event Details
Level: Intermediate Great scenes are at the heart of great improvisation. So let’s spend some real time on them. Ideal accompaniments to the nursery long-form
Event Details
Level: Intermediate
Great scenes are at the heart of great improvisation. So let’s spend some real time on them. Ideal accompaniments to the nursery long-form or narrative courses, these classes are deep-dives into particular areas of scene work. They are also great workouts for intermediate or experienced players. Our expert teachers will give you simple, usable tools that can be employed in a wide variety of improvisation contexts. Students will work in detail on a single aspect of their scenes, receive feedback and, most importantly, get time to play, both in break out rooms and in front of the class.
The famous 20th-century theatre practitioner Stanislavski once said, “the basis of any characterisation is the simple statement I WANT”. In The Dark Knight, Batman once said: “It’s not who you are underneath, it’s what you DO that defines you”.
I ask, what do you WANT to DO?
In this session, we will explore how we can use the timeless acting technique of ‘actioning’ a scene to begin the process of using these actions to drive the scene from character rather than from structure or plot.
Our common human desires to find love, peace, fame, wealth or master the Harold are all basic human objectives. Or as Konstantin would say, our “Super Objective” They are the reason a character gets out of bed every day and the overall driving thrust of their individual narrative. How we go about achieving this or even compromising these goals are our objectives.
In this Nursery/Maydays intensive you will learn a simple bag of tricks to build on the choices you make in both narrative and free-form improv shows. Work out how to isolate your individual objectives from the meta want or ‘super-objective’ and give every scene you enter unparalleled drive and purpose.
While open to Intermediate+ players, this intensive assumes some experience with narrative and storytelling improv. If you have previously taken Jonah’s Character Toolkit course, you will find this a great way to practice some familiar skills.
N.B Whilst not required reading you may find the following actors’ dictionary useful; https://www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/actions-the-actors-thesaurus
Syllabus includes:
IFTT or ‘If This Then That’: How to follow the logical progression of a character’s journey and understand how best you can support your scene partners character.
Transitive verbs: a shortcut to isolating what your character wants.
Story units: Beginning to see your character as having both agency and also a passenger of their circumstances will help you understand beats.
Min. participants 6, max. 12.
This intermediate elective runs Wednesday 2nd December 7 – 9.30 pm GMT
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Wednesday) 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm GMT
Teacher
Jonah Fazel is a veteran character actor, Theatremaker and Television presenter who trained at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. He has trained in multiple improvisational styles and has been teaching improvisation for over a decade. He is a professor of improvisation at The University of Creative Arts and guest lecturers at many UK drama schools. He specialises in teaching; Short-form, narrative & genre, characterisation and acting for improvisers.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£17.50
Virtual Event Details
Event Details
Level: experienced The Nursery/Maydays longform electives are classes on specific aspects of longform improvisation Some of these classes focus on skills and some on forms,
Event Details
Level: experienced
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 side coached longform sets with particular focuses and feedback from the teacher.
‘The Armando Diaz Hootenanny and Theatrical Experience’ is the longest-running improvisation show in Chicago and has inspired many shows worldwide, including the Maydays own ‘Guest who?’.
Combining true-life monologues with longform sets inspired by them, the show can also be described as a ‘monologue deconstruction’. It is flexible, easy to play and both an excellent introduction to longform and way to bring together players for one-off shows. It allows us to share experiences both mundane and extraordinary and play scenes that feel both bizarre and normal.
In this workshop, players will be introduced to all the skills necessary to perform the ‘Armando’, including performing monologues, initiating and bringing together scenes, as well as having opportunities to practice the form.
Min. participants 6, max. 8.
This Intermediate elective runs Saturday 27th March, 4 pm – 6.30 pm GMT
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practise and specific new skills.
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.
Time
(Saturday) 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm GMT
Teacher
Heather Urquhart trained in Physical Theatre and has studied improvisation at Chicago’s I.O theatre and Annoyance. She improvises with the Olivier Award-winning Showstopper! The ImprovisedMusical and is one of the directors of The Maydays. Her duo improv show ‘Ten Thousand Million Love Stories’ has also toured extensively most recently to Texas, Montreal and Karachi.
Heather’s other regular improv exploits include The Bumper Blyton Improvised Adventure, The Playground and The Concept and she is also a co-artistic director at The Nursery Theatre.
Heather was winner of the award for best female performer in the Brighton Fringe Festival 2013 and winner of the Argus Angel Award for artistic excellence for new musical The Opinion Makers in 2014. She is a guest vocalist with the mercury music prize nominated Electric Soft Parade and sings ‘Sing it!’ which has a series of associated podcasts.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£20
Virtual Event Details
Women’s Workshops
Women’s workshops are an open and supportive creative space for women and non-binary people of all ages and experience levels.
These workshops run once a month, and they are stand-alone, so you can book one or come along every time. Each workshop is taught by a different teacher and focuses on a specific area of improvisation, and we have some exciting people lined up over the coming months!
Current Monthjanuary
Event Details
Level: Intermediate This workshop is open to any female-identifying student. Slow burn. Grounded scenes. Playing emotionally. There are many ways to describe
Event Details
Level: Intermediate
This workshop is open to any female-identifying student.
Slow burn. Grounded scenes. Playing emotionally. There are many ways to describe it, but connecting with your partner and taking your time as you improvise feels easy, relaxed, and can be just as funny as it is heartfelt.
But it can make large choices feel difficult. Taking care of our partner in this way can make us feel less able to make a big move, to reframe, or to have an outsized emotional reaction. We worry about shattering the delicate atmosphere created, pushing the scene in a way our partner does not want to go. Sometimes we worry that we might just break the scene.
In this class, former Associate Artistic Director of The Second City (and new Nursery Education Manager) Jessica Mitolo will introduce you to ways to make bold choices in a way that does not destroy the scene but contributes to it, building on what is already established, making it something that neither of you could have predicted. You will practice making leaps of logic or emotion in the scene while still taking your partner with you, as well as how to support and celebrate the leaps made by others.
Nursery/Maydays Sunday Classes
We work hard to provide a welcoming environment for all improvisers. In order to give space to different experiences and identities, the Nursery and the Maydays have worked to provide opportunities for specific groups to meet, connect, and improvise with one another. Each workshop will cover different topics depending on the instructor. Sometimes sessions will be aimed at particular skills, issues and questions, and other times they will simply be a place for people to come together and play.
The Nursery and the Maydays are constantly working to create programming based on the needs of our current students and the global improv community. If there is an underrepresented group that you would like to see have a workshop, send an email to classes@thenurseryimprovtheatre.com
Min. participants 6, max. 12.
This intermediate workshop runs Sunday 31st January 3 – 5.30 pm GMT.
Intermediate (3/6 months+) These classes will be opportunities to add tools to your growing toolbox. Normally these classes will expect players to be confident playing scenes. These classes will provide practice and specific new skills.
Whatever the level of ability required, all of our classes are safe, supportive environments led by our experienced teachers. Please email us if you are unsure whether a class is suitable for you. If you sign up for a class inappropriate to your level the Nursery/Maydays reserved the right to remove you from the class without refund.
Time
(Sunday) 3:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Teacher
Originally from Youngstown, Ohio, Jessica Mitolo received her degree in Acting and Directing from Bowling Green State University. Since moving to Chicago, Jessica has studied, performed and directed at various schools and venues throughout the city. Her directing credits include Nostalgia Sucks: But It Used To Be Awesome!, Second Day Party Hair and Forty Winks. Jessica is proud to have worked as Assistant to the Director on Second City Mainstage production, South Side of Heaven.
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£17.50
Virtual Event Details
february
Event Details
Level: Advanced Women’s workshops are an open and supportive creative space. We use an inclusive definition of “woman” and “female” and we welcome genderqueer women and
Event Details
Level: Advanced
Women’s workshops are an open and supportive creative space. We use an inclusive definition of “woman” and “female” and we welcome genderqueer women and non-binary people who are significantly female-identified. We encourage participants to come and be bold and fearless and meet other dynamic women from across the world.
These workshops run once a month, and they are stand-alone, so you can book one or come along every time. Each workshop is taught by a different teacher and focuses on a specific area of improvisation or performance, and we have some exciting people lined up over the coming months!
This month is Making Your Comedy Video with Mia Weinberger.
As an improviser, you’re naturally creating fun characters every time you play. In this workshop, we’ll take characters you improvise and use them to short, filmed pieces that you make yourself on your phone or computer. Everyone will leave the workshop with a short comedy video ready to put out into the world.
The Nursery/Maydays would like to thank Jennifer Jordan and Britt Pay for the excellent work that they did running this workshop for the past two years. At a time when the workshop could have fallen through the cracks, they took charge and built a community that helped to foster the talents of over 150 students and gave teaching opportunities to 20 incredible instructors.
If finances are standing in the way of you attending one of our workshops, we encourage you to apply for a scholarship HERE: https://thenurserytheatre.com/improv-classes/jason-chin-diversity-scholarship/ or email: classes@thenurserytheatre.com.
Is there an instructor you would love to work with or a topic you would love covered? Email: classes@thenurserytheatre.com
Nursery/Maydays Sunday Classes
We work hard to provide a welcoming environment for all improvisers. In order to give space to different experiences and identities, the Nursery and the Maydays have worked to provide opportunities for specific groups to meet, connect, and improvise with one another. Each workshop will cover different topics depending on the instructor. Sometimes sessions will be aimed at particular skills, issues and questions, and other times they will simply be a place for people to come together and play.
The Nursery and the Maydays are constantly working to create programming based on the needs of our current students and the global improv community. If there is an underrepresented group that you would like to see have a workshop, send an email to classes@thenurseryimprovtheatre.com
Min. participants 6, max. 12.
This advanced workshop runs Sunday 28th February 3 – 5.30 pm GMT.
Advanced (3 years +) This is our highest level of class. These classes are recommended for improvisers who are regularly rehearsing and performing with a team.
Whatever the level of ability required, all of our classes are safe, supportive environments led by our experienced teachers. Please email us if you are unsure whether a class is suitable for you. If you sign up for a class inappropriate to your level the Nursery/Maydays reserved the right to remove you from the class without refund.
Time
(Sunday) 3:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Teacher
Mia Weinberger is an actor, writer, and filmmaker. She is a recent graduate of The Second City’s Harold Ramis Film School and received her Bachelor’s in Theatre from Northwestern University. Mia has created dozens of short films, which have been featured on CBS, BBC, PBS, New York Times’ The Daily, POPSUGAR, Funny Or Die, WhoHaha, and more. Mia has been cited as a “particularly skilled impersonator” by The New York Times, and her repertoire of eccentric characters and celebrity impressions can be seen on YouTube and Instagram (@miaweinberger).
Get Tickets
Book now:Price
£17.50
Virtual Event Details
QI – Queer Improv
Come and join in at this open playday with QI, London’s first* queer improv group. It’ll be a fun afternoon of scene work and storytelling. Something that is really fun in improv is play that makes no assumptions about anybody’s identity or beliefs. Come along and play with a fun group of people who see you as yourself.
Open workshops every two months! Everybody is welcome to come and play! Always free!
*as far as we’re aware!
Current MonthLooks like we don't have any classes scheduled right now, check back soon!
Free Improv Taster Workshop
Try improv for free! Puddle Jumping is a monthly free improv workshop at the Nursery, open to all.
Puddle Jumping is a great introduction to improvisation if you are new, or an opportunity to work on your core skills if you are a seasoned player.
Guided by an experienced member of the Nursery team, you will work on the core skills of improvisation through warm-ups, exercises and finally in guided scenes in front of the rest of the class.
Puddle Jumping is a friendly, accessible environment in which to have fun, create stories and characters and maybe even learn a little. Coffee, tea and biscuits provided.
Current MonthLooks like we don't have any classes scheduled right now, check back soon!
Improv Beginners Courses
If you want to start learning improv, look no further than our beginners courses.