beginners improv course
8 week beginners improv courses to learn the core skills of improvised comedy.
Hoopla offer the most fun and friendly environment to learn improvisation in the UK.
Complete beginners are welcome. You don’t need any drama, acting, comedy or impro experience whatsoever. You don’t have to be clever, fast or funny either!
Hoopla create a friendly, fun, playful and supportive atmosphere in our improv courses where people are free to play and be themselves.
Improv is not the same as stand-up; you’re not alone on stage and it’s not about telling jokes. It’s about working together as a team with other improvisers to spontaneously create group stories, scenes & sketches.
Over an 8 week course of weekly workshops you’ll get to know your fellow students & teacher and progress as a team while learning core improvisation skills.
Topics include Spontaneity, Confidence, Creativity, Commitment, Listening, Yes And, Collaboration, Character, Support, Teamwork, Scenes, Games, Story and most of all playing and having fun with improvisation!
We also have regular socials and a friendly community of fellow improvisers for you to join.
Our classes have recently been recommended by The Guardian, The Independent, Time Out, The Evening Standard, BBC Radio 4, The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, Metro, The Londonist and more!
In one class, I laughed so hard that I cried, full-on shaking with laughter, as tears streamed down my face.
Epic epic epic place. Crazy fun. Took an improv course with Hoopla and it was the best ever. Don't hesitate to go there, just go!!!
The supportive atmosphere ensures that even complete beginners will have the confidence to grow their skills.
The BEST course I have ever done in London - learned some amazing new skills that can be applied in both personal and professional lives and the funniest hours in a week I can remember!
London's best improv. The UK’s first improv comedy club.
Just finished my level 1 improv course and I had the best time imaginable! 8 weeks of sheer fun and an evening I’d look forward to every time.
The workshop really helps you internalise some of the skills we all know are important, like really listening, not dismissing others’ ideas out of hand and allowing yourself to speak up.
As a newcomer to improv, I feel so lucky to have discovered Hoopla. What a fantastic company. I just can't recommend them highly enough!! You'll genuinely laugh till you cry and stretch yourself in ways you never thought possible.
Hoopla's workshops are supportive and collaborative.
If improvisation floats your boat you should head to Hoopla. There’s fewer better ways to see what spur-of-the-moment comedy London has to offer.
I now regularly try to make room for improv and play time in my life. It is a bright spot when I am feeling beaten down by the everyday. The three hours of laughter do wonders for my stress levels, and afterwards I sleep without a care.
Great to instantly connect with people, drop barriers and have fun for a few hours a week. I felt like I was developing personally in a supportive, fun environment and that felt great. What a blast!
Everywhere you look, huge grins suggest an enthusiasm and an attentiveness that is rarely seen in a course.
Hoopla is an incredible place - it’s one big party and everyone is invited. Hoopla’s teachers are warm and welcoming and playing in workshops is one of the most joyful, creative things a person can do.
My anxiety evaporated in that room. My stage fright transformed into excitement, and I became dynamic, more spontaneous. Happier.
This introduction to improvisation will teach the skills you'll need to master scenes, stories and sketches in a relaxed environment.
Hoopla Impro is awesome. I’ve done a number of courses with them. They were fantastic and really helpful in building my love of improv and comedy as well as improving my confidence.
I felt empowered and energised. So much so that I took the next course level and did my first public performance.
Did the level one course and absolutely loved it. The atmosphere in class felt safe and forgiving, made it easy to learn and have fun without feeling anxious about making mistakes or looking silly. Highly recommend!
Thanks for the workshop. All the feedback has been extremely positive! The team loved it!
Improv your way out of isolation with Hoopla!
Always wanted to have a crack at improv comedy? With Hoopla running online now's the time.
The Zoom medium works surprisingly well. Our teacher, is chipper, instructive, inventive and uses zoom features to great effect.
And I realised: that was our job during lockdown. To bring people together, to socialise and to have a laugh.
Sick of your flat? Wish you could get out? Try online improv classes.
next available dates
Every Wednesday for 8 weeks from Wednesday 17th January 2024 with Susan Harrison. BOOK
Every Thursday for 8 weeks from Thursday 18th January 2024 with Charlie Vero-Martin. BOOK
Every Saturday morning for 8 weeks from Saturday 27th January 2024 with Mandeep Singh. BOOK
Every Monday for 8 weeks from Monday 15th January 2024 with Sophie Pumphrey. SOLD OUT
Every Tuesday for 8 weeks from Tuesday 16th January 2024 with Claudia Novati. SOLD OUT
Every Wednesday for 8 weeks from Wednesday 17th January 2024 with Mandeep Singh. BOOK
Every Thursday for 8 weeks from Thursday 18th January 2024 with Charlie Jackson. BOOK
Every Monday for 8 weeks from Monday 15th January 2024 with Claudia Novati. SOLD OUT
Every Monday for 8 weeks from Monday 15th January 2024 with Chris Mead. BOOK
Every Tuesday for 8 weeks from Tuesday 23rd January 2024 with Conor Jatter. BOOK
Every Wednesday for 8 weeks from Wednesday 24th January 2024 with Sophie Pumphrey. BOOK
Every Thursday for 8 weeks from Thursday 25th January 2024 with James Irving. BOOK
Every Saturday morning for 8 weeks from Saturday 13th January 2024 with Chris Mead. BOOK
Every Tuesday for 8 weeks from Tuesday 23rd January 2024 with Lisa Lynn. BOOK
Every Thursday for 8 weeks from Thursday 8th February 2024 with Rory Vieyra. BOOK
Every Wednesday for 8 weeks from Wednesday 7th February 2024 with Jenny Rowe (with guest teacher weeks 3 and 4). BOOK
Every Thursday for 8 weeks from Thursday 8th February 2024, 6pm – 8pm, with Isabelle Glinn. BOOK
Every Thursday for 8 weeks from Thursday 8th February 2024, 8pm – 10pm, with Stephen Davidson. BOOK
Every Monday for 8 weeks from Monday 26th February 2024 with Lisa Lynn, with a break on Easter Monday. BOOK
Every Wednesday for 8 weeks from Wednesday 21st February 2024 with Melissa Parker. BOOK
Every Saturday morning for 8 weeks from Saturday 24th February 2024 with Fran Reid. BOOK
Every Saturday afternoon for 8 weeks from Saturday 24th February 2024 with Claudia Novati. BOOK
Every Monday for 8 weeks from Monday 5th February 2024 with Conor Jatter. BOOK
teachers
Liam Brennan
Liam performs with The Science of Living Things, Fright Night and The Improvised Crystal Maze and directs many of our new shows. He has trained at UCB and iO.
Monica Gaga
Monica hosts Hoopla's main weekend shows and performs improv in Do The Right Scene and Derek's Mojo. She trained in Community Theatre at East 15 Drama School.
Maeve Ryan
Maeve performs in and produces Ladyprov, Hoopla's regular show celebrating women in improv. She trained in Acting at The Arts Educational School.
Britt Pay
Britt performs with Hoopla house teams Michelle AND The Descendants. She also performs with The Playground, Classic Andy and Unbridled.
Susan Harrison
Sue performs in the Olivier award winning Showstoppers the Improvised Musical, Beings, and BAFTA winning sketch show Class Dismissed.
Lisa Lynn
Lisa performs in Music Box and Mutiverse improvised musicals. She also directs Acaprov the improvised a capella musical. She trained in Musical Theatre and has a Drama PGCE at Masters Level.
Jonah Fazel
Jonah performs with Bumper Blyton the Improvised Enid Blyton Adventure. He trained at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. He also trained with Keith Johnstone.
Francesca Reid
Fran performs in Dreamweaver, Multiverse, The Playground, The Yes Queens and more.
She trained at East 15 drama school, iO in LA, Second City and UCB.
Sabrina Luisi
Sabrina performs with Multiverse the improvised musical, Hoopla long-form house team Michelle, Hoopla team Buffet and improvised murder mystery Play Dead London.
James Irving
James performs in Dreamer Quartet, one of Hoopla's most popular improv shows. He also tours nationwide with The Impromptu Shakespeare Company and Bumper Blyton.
Mandeep Singh
Mandeep performs in and produces Gamez, one of Hoopla's biggest house teams, and also regularly performs in The Inflatables, Improv Anything, Tightrope and more.
Stephen Davidson
Stephen is the Artistic Director of Improvable, QI: Queer Improv and of Zeal: The Pride Improv Festival. He is the author of two books about improv: Play Like an Ally, and Improvising Gender.
Greg Birks
Greg trained at LAMDA and performs in Dreamweaver and Music Box the improvised musicals, two of Hoopla's most popular shows.
Nick Oram
Nick performs in Do Not Adjust Your Stage, one of the most popular shows at Hoopla. He has trained with IO, Second City and UCB.
Jenny Rowe
Jenny performs with the award winning Maydays and The Impromptu Shakespeare Company. She trained with iO Chicago and The Annoyance Theatre.
Claudia Novati
Claudia performs with Hoopla's TheatreSports team, and is the founder and co-director of ISL - Improv as Second Language. She trained at Central School of Speech and Drama.
Chris Mead
Chris performs with the award winning Maydays and Project2 improvise sci-fi. He is artistic director of The Nursery and co-founder of The Improv Place.
Ayla Pengelly-Moore
Ayla performs with Hoopla house team Shuffle and is a Hoopla jam captain, and also producers her own improv and comedy shows and jams across London.
what's included
Each session consists of some fun and friendly warm ups, then some exercises on some of the core skills of improvisation, followed by having some fun with improvising games, scenes and stories as part of a team.
You’ll be rehearsing with the same people regularly every week, so you progress each week, getting to know each other and building up a team with your fellow improvisers and the director.
Most of all we make improv fun!
Recommended by:
Teamwork
- Making the other person look good.
- Supporting each other on stage.
- Trust.
Listening
- Active listening and awareness.
- Being in the moment.
- Presence.
Yes And
- Creative Collaboration.
- Accepting and building on offers instead of blocking.
- Agreement instead of conflict.
Being Obvious
- Being obvious instead of trying too hard to be funny.
- Making creativity simple by being obvious.
- Being honest in the moment.
- Improvising realistic scenes.
Spontaneity
- Going for it. Improvising carefree.
- Playing and having fun with mistakes.
- Playing without fear.
- Commitment.
- Confidence on stage.
Character
- Physical characters.
- Emotions, reactions, being altered.
- Playing with status, voice and movement.
Scenes
- Fun simple scene structures.
- Scenes based in agreement and relationship instead of conflict.
Games
- Lots of fun short-form games.
- Confidence with being in front of an audience.
- Having fun with improvising as part of a team.
faqs
What's the difference between the 6 week and 8 week versions?
The usual course length is 8 weeks but later in the year we also do 6 week versions to fit in before Christmas. In the 6 week version we merge the Character Part 1 and Part 2 module into one week instead of two, and merge the scenes and show games modules into one week instead of two. You can still progress to Level 2 after doing the 6 week version.
Who is this suitable for?
Total beginners to improvisation, acting or comedy, or people who’ve only ever done a few improv workshops before.
I have no previous improv, comedy or acting experience? Is that OK?
Yes. This course assumes no previous knowledge and you don't need any previous experience of improv, comedy or acting to take part. Most of the other people on the course will be complete beginners.
What comes before the beginners improv course?
There's no pre-requisite, this is our best course to start with. You don’t have to have done any other improv or acting before this course, no previous experience necessary, it’s for complete beginners to improv.
How much improv or acting should I have done before doing this course?
You don’t need to have done anything at all before starting this course. No experience is necessary.
What if I’ve already done some improv?
You might want to have a look at our Performance Improv Course or contact us to discuss the best options for you. We're always happy to help so feel free to get in touch.
Is there a follow on course to this course?
Yes. The follow on course is our Level 2: Performance Improv Course.
Do I have to perform in front of an outside audience?
No. You will not be performing in front of an outside audience in this course, just with the other people on the course. If you want to perform in front of an audience we also run our Performance Improv Course, which is a good follow up to this course.
Does it matter what teacher I have?
No. We all come from similar performing and training backgrounds. We train and plan the courses together to make sure it’s the same experience and we are covering the same topics.
For the online course option what do I need to take part?
Laptop with camera and an internet connection. Laptops work better than phones or ipads, but phones and ipads also work. We email you a zoom link for the course on the day of the first workshop.
Can I transfer from an online booking to a real-life booking and vise versa?
Yes. We don't have the tech on our website for you to do this automatically, but email [email protected] if you would like to do this and we will move your booking and payment over and refund you any difference.
What if I can’t make every week?
It’s not worth doing the course if you are likely to miss more than two workshops, as we are trying to build a team over the course. We aren't able to offer a replacement session for any missed workshops, as all of our courses and workshops tend to be booked up at least a month in advance and we have to manage class numbers in line with our covid safety.
What if I’m running late?
It’s best not to sign up to the course if you are going to be late on a regular basis, as we are forming a team over the course. Also we tend to introduce the theme of each workshop at the start of the session, and also do all the warm ups at the start, so it’s tricky to do if late. Once or twice is ok, but please don’t sign up to the course if you are likely to be late on a regular basis.
What is the class size?
From 9-16 people depending on room size.
What ages is it for?
We are open to all ages over 18. Impro is suitable for all ages, we’ve had everyone from 18 to over 80. It’s physical but not more physical than normal every day life, and you are welcome to take a break whenever you want or sit out of exercises you don’t think would be suitable.
Is it like public speaking or stand up?
This isn’t a public speaking or stand up course, it’s all about improvising scenes, games and stories as a team, it’s not about performing solo on stage. It does help public speaking, as you will get used to thinking on your feet and being comfortable in front of an audience, but that's not the main aim of the course.
What kind of people do your courses?
We get people from lots of different backgrounds, from a wide variety of ages. We’ve had everyone from 18 to 80 on our courses. We’ve taught improvisation to computer programmers, teachers, engineers, actors, accountants, comedians, students and more. We get lots of different people as it’s a good place to relax and have some fun after work.
Are the courses accessible to people who use a wheelchair?
Yes. If you use a wheelchair please contact us at time of booking and we will make sure your course is an accessible venue. We are happy to work with you to make all the games we play accessible.
Is this course suitable for people who have English as a second language?
Our courses are very international so we do have many students who have English as a second language, but you will have to be fluent in English as we do a lot of improvised dialogue. If you’re not sure please contact us and we will advise the best course.
Do you do prices for concessions?
Yes. We want to make improv available to everyone so don't want price to be a barrier. If you are a student, unemployed or on low income please contact us and we will be able to arrange something.
What makes this different from other courses?
It’s very welcoming to total beginners and lots of fun. There are loads of laughs and it’s hugely enjoyable. We try to make our courses the most fun out there.