• Level 1: Beginners Improv Course

beginners improv course

6-8 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 a 6-8 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!

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next available dates

Next Available Dates in Bank:

Every Saturday morning for 6 weeks from Saturday 2nd November 2024 with Chris Mead. BOOK


Every Saturday afternoon for 6 weeks from Saturday 9th November 2024 with Liam Brennan. BOOK


Every Wednesday for 6 weeks from Wednesday 13th November 2024 with Maeve Ryan. BOOK

  • Weekdays: 7pm – 9pm. Weekends: 11am-1pm / 2pm-4pm.
  • Bank.
  • £165.
  • As above.
Next Available Dates in London Bridge:
London Bridge venues, see booking links below for addresses.

Every Monday for 6 weeks from Monday 4th November 2024 with Conor Jatter. BOOK


Every Tuesday for 6 weeks from Tuesday 5th November 2024 with James Irving. BOOK


Every Wednesday for 6 weeks from Wednesday 6th November 2024 with Sophie Pumphrey. BOOK


Every Saturday afternoon for 8 weeks from Saturday 28th September 2024 with Claudia Novati. SOLD OUT

  • Weekdays: 7pm – 9pm. Weekends: 11am-1pm / 2pm-4pm.
  • London Bridge.
  • £165 – £220.
  • As above.
Next Available Dates in Warren Street / Euston:

Every Tuesday for 6 weeks from Tuesday 5th November 2024 with Conor Jatter, 6pm – 8pm. BOOK


Every Wednesday for 6 weeks from Wednesday 6th November 2024 with Melissa Parker, 6pm – 8pm. BOOK


Every Wednesday for 6 weeks from Wednesday 6th November 2024 with Melissa Parker, 8pm – 10pm. BOOK


Every Thursday for 8 weeks from Thursday 3rd October 2024, 6pm-8pm, with Claudia Novati. SOLD OUT


Every Thursday for 8 weeks from Thursday 3rd October 2024, 8pm-10pm, with Claudia Novati. SOLD OUT

  • As above.
  • Warren Street or Euston.
  • £165 – £220.
  • As above.
Next Available Dates in London Liverpool Street:

Every Monday for 6 weeks from Monday 4th November 2024 with James Irving. BOOK


Every Thursday for 8 weeks from Thursday 3rd October 2024 with Charlie Vero-Martin. SOLD OUT

  • 7pm – 9pm.
  • London Liverpool Street.
  • £165 – £220.
  • As above.
Next Available Dates in Holborn:

Every Tuesday for 6 weeks from Tuesday 5th November 2024 with Greg Birks. BOOK

  • 7:15pm – 9:15pm.
  • Holborn.
  • £165.
  • As above.
Next Available Dates in Shaftesbury Avenue / Tottenham Court Road:

Every Tuesday for 6 weeks from Tuesday 5th November 2024 with Phoebe Kozinets. BOOK

  • Weekdays: 7pm – 9pm. Weekends: 11am-1pm / 2pm-4pm.
  • Tottenham Court Road.
  • £165 – £220.
  • As above.
Next Available Dates in Angel, Islington:

Every Thursday for 8 weeks from Thursday 24th October 2024 with Greg Birks. SOLD OUT


Every Tuesday for 8 weeks from Tuesday 22nd October 2024 with Izzy Glinn. SOLD OUT

  • 7pm – 9pm.
  • Angel.
  • £220.
  • As above.
£220. Either payable all at once or with an initial payment of £100 followed by the remaining £120 once the course starts.

teachers

Liam Brennan, improv teacher

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 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 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 sq

Britt Pay

Britt performs with Hoopla house teams Michelle AND The Descendants. She also performs with The Playground, Classic Andy and Unbridled.

Susan Harrison

Susan Harrison

Sue performs in the Olivier award winning Showstoppers the Improvised Musical, Beings, and BAFTA winning sketch show Class Dismissed.

Mandeep-Sq

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.

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:

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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