First off, have a read about what we do in shows. Done? Good.
Each workshop we run is different, and is generally tailored to the specifics of what the group of people in front of us want/need to do. A 'typical' workshop might focus on three areas: getting comfortable with the people around you and improvisation itself, character work and finally game specifics. The longest they could run for is two hours, but they rarely go on that long.
Before you can improvise well, it's important to realise that there is no such thing as a mistake. A good troupe can work with anything that is said or done on stage, and it is impossible to do that if everyone is trying to show everyone else up. So we play a few teambuilding games to get everyone happy, then make sure everyone is comfortable with just saying things on stage and is aware that you don't constantly have to be making jokes. Scenes tend to be very dull if everyone on stage is trying to out-compete the other actors by constantly making 'funny' remarks to try and make themselves look good.
Then we work on characters. This stuff is really useful for classical actors, because we show you how to create a character on the spot, taking into account ideas such as goals, status and physical characteristics. It's also good fun, since you can just let rip and be whatever kind of person you want to be, because no one is going to think it strange or judge you if you create a pirate, footballer or psychopathic alter-ego. If you have any kind of interest in psychology, this stuff tends to be quite good too because you learn to recognise subtle body-language and then use it to make a better scene!
Finally, we just play some improv games, like we do in the shows. We'll show you what works in a scene, explain why you shouldn't constantly question or 'block' other actors, and just generally help you be good. We all laugh, feel better about ourselves, and go home happy.
If this sounds like the kind of thing you'd like to do, or you'd just like more information, please email us. We don't bite, honest.
