Remember with all these links and recommendations that the great thing about improv is that you make it up yourself - use these references as a starting point and go from there. Some of our best games have been made by us thinking about what we're best at. What's more, this is by no means an exhuastive list - if you want to know more about anything else, email us and ask!
Improv Resources
| The Far Games |
quite helpful, although technically it's the site of another group |
| Green Light Improv Wiki |
a little small, but some nice stuff nonetheless. Add stuff to it and it'll be better! |
| The Improv Page |
a really good starting point, especially if you want to start your own group |
| Improv Encyclopedia |
huge variety of games, and can all be downloaded as a pdf file for printing out |
| Improv Resource Center |
a little American-heavy, but still really good |
| {Insert Something Funny Players} |
a big handbook, and you could do much worse than reading this before you start! |
| learnimprov.com |
nice variety of games, and a random show generator if you don't want to make a good set-list |
| Yes And! |
neat site, with quite nice articles from time to time |
Improv Groups
| Amazing Specatacles |
they've been very friendly to us, and apparently run very good long-form workshops |
| Carnival des Phenomènes |
not really an improv group, but still a very good night in London |
| Chrunchy Frog Collective |
loads of great links to other London-based improv groups, worth a look |
| Ritalin Test Squad |
improv group at Grinnell College, America. Mark's old group! |
| The Fast and the Spurious |
Nick Skelton's wonderful Bristol group, filled with wonderful people |
| The Fourth Chair |
Cardiff group |
| The Institute |
London group, very funny and cool |
| The Improverts |
nice, well-established short-form group |
| Oxford Imps |
based in Oxford, apparently |
| Pappy's Fun Club |
if.comedy award nominees - very, very funny |
| Scratch Impro |
big British group - regulars at the Edinburgh Fringe and done lots of TV work |
| Sheffield Shrimps |
new, but very funny, improv group from Sheffield |
| Super Troop |
Jess' London-based improv group! |
| Uncertainty Division |
never saw one of their Impromime shows, but heard good things |
| You're In Control |
based in Peterborough |
Improv Books
| Directing Improv |
it's on order, so ask us in a few weeks! |
| Games for Actors and Non-Actors |
very good for warm-up games and theatrical exercises. Few improv games but still a very useful read, although only for advanced improvers who need more classical acting techniques |
| Impro |
good for status work, and not just restricted to improv instruction (oddly enough) |
| Impro for Storytellers |
excellent source of games, probably the best introduction since it bings in lots of key concepts |
| Improvise: Scene from the Inside Out |
Lots of people talking about this one... "Fuck your fear" is the aim of the game... |
| Musical Direction for Improv and Sketch Comedy |
well-liked in most musical-improv circles |
| Musical Improv Comedy |
similar to the above, but with a CD |
| Theatre Games |
Lucie swears by this one, again good for classical acting techniques too |
| Truth in Comedy |
brilliant for long-form improv, nice and short, although some of it can seem too simple if you already know something about improv. Also slightly 'funny story about Del Close' obsessed |
Places Alcock Has Performed
