Brilliant start to Egham's new Improv

Our improvised comedy workshops started last month at the Literary Institute, and so we all had so much fun!

The first half was dedicated to 'Building Acceptance'. This is important when because when players accept each what each other has to offer, this makes it much easier to construct something brilliant together. Games included the classics 'Mirrors', which involves players matching each other's body movements and expressions; 'Yes, And', which involves players accepting each other's imaginary offerings; and 'That's Right, Bob', which applies 'Yes, And' to a made-up TV shopping channel!

After the break, we focused on 'Building Observations', because noticing what other players are doing, and allowing it to impact what we do, is crucial to constructing brilliant scenes and stories. Games included 'Story Swap', where players need to listen to every single line of a story as I might point to them to carry it on; 'Three Line Scenes', which forces players to construct plots just from very minimal information; and the infamous 'Party Quirks', in which players need to observe each other to make the scene work.

It was SO much fun! Thank you to everyone who came along!

The intention is to make these sessions monthly, we're just setting them up now. Keep an eye on our mailing list for further details.