level 3 improv course: scenes
This is our ULTIMATE scenes course!
You’ve done our beginners course and level 2, and now is the time to become AWESOME at improvising longer improv scenes!
We’ve taken over a decade’s experience from running the UK’s first improv theatre and distilled it into this course to give you the absolute best training in improvised scene work in the UK.
Each week you’ll be up performing scenes, scenes and more scenes, receiving some helpful feedback and exercises, and then perform even more scenes. You’ll become awesome at improvising character and relationship driven scenes in a fun, playful and spontaneous Hoopla style! We aim to help you unleash emotions on stage and find your true playful spontaneous self.
At Hoopla great scene work is about removing the blocks between you and your scene partner to release a natural flowing spontaneity. We encourage you to open your heart and mind on stage.
We’ll be playing with lots of fun skills like character, emotion, relationships, truth, honesty, game of the scene, patterns, themes, status, escalating the fun, spontaneity and more!
Most of all; it works! This isn’t improv from a text book. It’s improv on the stage, for an audience, from the people who have been running an improv theatre and performing long-form improv for over 14 years!
Plus you get to perform in a show at the end!
what's the difference between this and the level 2 course?
- Longer scenes.
- More feedback.
- Greater depth of character.
- Greater depth of relationships.
- Greater depth of emotions.
- More open scenes than structured games.
- More about playful scene structure including game of the scene.
- Still LOADS of FUN!
ongoing performance opportunities at the UK's first improv theatre
Hoopla provide more performance opportunities to our students than any other UK company.
After doing this course you will be eligible to audition for our house teams who perform at our venue every single week, giving you a huge amount of experience on stage. You can also come to our twice-weekly jams to build up stage experience. We even have a full-time producer employed just to provide you with ongoing performance opportunities and to help you with forming your own groups.
I'm now on Level 3 of this course and I absolutely love it. A highly constructive and charismatic teacher who brings out the best in everyone. Hoopla have fab teachers and their classes are great fun. Definitely give it a go.
The capital’s best improv. The UK’s first improv comedy club.
I loved attending the level 3 Scenes course. As usual I've gained enormous value and developed both improv and personal skills. I enjoyed the teacher's side coaching, feedback rich sessions and follow up emails with lessons learned from the previous class. I look forward to more. Thank you.
Will teach the skills you’ll need to master scenes, stories and sketches
Hoopla's Level 3 class was fantastic with an incredibly supportive teacher, and really helped to consolidate our learning through a huge variety of techniques, and lots of handy notes and tips.
Hoopla's workshops are supportive and collaborative.
Could not recommend higher. What started out as a fun way to spend a few evenings and learn something new quickly became so much more. Hoopla courses and shows play host to a supportive, fun and alive community of people.
Inspiring. Everywhere you look, huge grins suggest an enthusiasm and an attentiveness that is rarely seen in a course.
Hoopla Impro is the most fun, accepting, supportive gang you could ever wish to be part of. Huge variety of courses whether you are brand new or performing on the West End.
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.
Thanks for the workshop. The team loved it!
next available dates
Every Thursday for 8 weeks from Thursday 16th January 2025, plus show on Tuesday 11th March 2025. BOOK
Every Saturday morning for 8 weeks from Saturday 11th January 2025, plus show on Saturday 8th March 2025. BOOK
Every Monday for 8 weeks from Monday 11th November 2025 with Chris Mead, with a break over Christmas, plus show on Monday 20th January 2025. SOLD OUT
Exact Dates: 11th Nov, 18th Nov, 25th Nov, 2nd Dec, 9th Dec, 16th Dec, Christmas Break, 6th Jan, 13th Jan, Show on 20th Jan.
Every Monday for 8 weeks from Monday 13th January 2025, plus show on Monday 10th March 2025. BOOK
Every Tuesday for 8 weeks from Tuesday 21st January 2025, plus show on Tuesday 18th March 2025. BOOK
Every Wednesday for 8 weeks from Wednesday 22nd January 2025, plus show on Wednesday 19th March 2025. BOOK
Every Wednesday for 8 weeks from Wednesday 29th January 2025, plus show on Wednesday 26th March 2025. BOOK
Every Wednesday for 8 weeks from Wednesday 11th September 2024 with Greg Birks, 8pm – 10pm, plus show on Monday 11th November 2024. SOLD OUT
Every Wednesday for 8 weeks from Wednesday 11th September 2024 with Jenny Rowe, plus show on Monday 4th November 2024. SOLD OUT
the UK's most experienced teachers
All of our teachers are professional improvisers, actors and teachers who perform every week at our club as well as with shows like The Maydays, Showstoppers, The Comedy Store Players, The Playground, The RH Experience, Project2, Dreamweaver and more.
They teach you the skills you actually need on stage, based on real life experience at the highest levels of improv performance. We only employ teachers that are actually up there performing themselves.
The teaching style in this course is warm, supportive and encouraging while still giving you the helpful constructive individual feedback you need to be an awesome improviser. At Hoopla we can cover big themes while still keeping it playful and fun.
welcoming improv community
At Hoopla you are part of a large friendly improv community with jams every week, discounted tickets to our shows for you plus a friend for the entire duration of the course, socials, networking events, festivals, parties and online resources. We help connect you to a network of improvisers and friends for life. Even years after the course we’re there for you.
what's included
Core Improv Skills
- Teamwork.
- Support.
- Group mind.
- Agreement.
- Listening.
- Yes And.
- Going line by line, offering and accepting.
- Being obvious and real.
- Commitment.
- Spontaneity.
Who What Where / Platforms
- Fun physical ways to establish location in a scene.
- Creating and naming characters spontaneously.
- Identifying the relationship through emotional connection.
- Creating believable objects and environments using mime.
- Actions, Entrances, Shared Activities.
Truth in Comedy
- Being honest, truthful and real.
- Being obvious instead of trying too hard to be funny.
- Behaving realistically in imaginary situations
- Using your own life experiences in improv.
Relationships
- Talking to each other about each other.
- Being emotionally honest in the present moment.
- Finding agreement and relationship instead of conflict.
- Playing with full emotional intelligence.
- Cutting to the chase and escalating emotions.
- Saying how you feel.
Character
- Finding character through emotional and physical changes.
- Reactions to power scenes from the start.
- Status and status transactions.
- Playing character objectives to make scenes matter.
- Living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.
- Base emotions, happy, sad, fearful, angry.
Scene Structure
- Building a fun believable world at the start of the scene.
- Game of the scene.
- Spotting something fun and patterns and themes in the scene.
- Defining what the scene is about.
- Escalating fun things, patterns, themes and behaviours in the scene.
- Making action happen in the now.
- Justifying and incorporating mistakes.
- Reincorporating and ending scenes.
Options (adapted to the needs of each of group)
- Further Truth in Comedy.
- Further Relationships and Emotions.
- Further Scene Structure.
- Further Game of the Scene.
- Further Character.
- Yes And, accepting and building on offers.
- Positivity and removing conflict.
- Spontaneity.
- Meisner Technique.
Show Formats
- Scenes from suggestion and how to use audience suggestions.
- Scenes from written suggestions.
- Open scenes.
- 2-3 people scenes.
- Group scenes.
- Variety of scene styles and tempo over a show.
In the next course (long-form level 4):
- Jumping through space and time.
- Edits and tags to connect scenes together.
- Exploring themes, patterns, games and relationships by linking scenes together.
- Multiple scene long-form shows with reoccurring characters and scenes!
In later courses (level 5):
- Exploring the full diverse range of professional improv show formats including Narrative Long-Form, Improvised Theatre, Improvised Musicals, Harolds, The Deconstruction, Commedia dell’Arte and more!
our teachers
Maria Peters
Maria produces and performs in Breaking & Entering and The Playground, one of Hoopla’s most popular shows. She has studied with Charna Halpern, the founder of iO Chicago and author of Truth in Comedy, who originally developed The Harold with Del Close. She has also studied with Keith Johnstone, New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade and Chicago’s Second City. Maria is also a professional educator and has spent over 15 years in learning & development.
James Irving
James performs in Dreamer Quartet the improvised musical, one of Hoopla’s most possible improv shows. He also tours nationwide with The Impromptu Shakespeare Company and Bumper Blyton the improvised Enid Blyton adventure, as well as performing with The Concept, Classic Andy and James & I. He trained at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and is a principal Baritone for Grim’s Dyke Opera.
Monica Gaga
Monica hosts Hoopla’s main weekend shows and performs in Do The Right Scene, Derek’s Mojo, The Playground and The Hell Yeahs. She also regularly performs with The Yes Queens on London’s West End and at festivals nationwide. Monica has also recently appeared in sketches for BBC 3 Comedy. She trained in Community Theatre at East 15 Drama School.
Conor Jatter
Conor has performed improv for over 10 years with The RH Experience including multiple runs at The Edinburgh Fringe. The RH Experience were awarded Google’s YouTube NextUp prize for their online comedy. He also produces RH & Friends, one of Hoopla’s most popular improv nights. Conor also hosts the daily show on AAJA Radio and heads up design at The Soho Theatre. He has trained with Philippe Gaulier.
Chris Mead
Chris has studied improv at iO Chicago, The Annoyance Theatre in Chicago and The Hideout in Austin, Texas. He studied theatre at Royal Holloway College and University of London. Chris improvises with the award winning Maydays, sci-fi group Project2 and has recently co-founded Sonder, a company dedicated to improv as a theatrical art form. He has performed at various improv festivals internationally including Austin Texas, Norway, Edinburgh, Barcelona and Dublin.
Katy Schutte
Katy performs in award winning improv troupe The Maydays, sci-fi troupe Project2, and produces Geekeasy the comedy night for nerds. She has trained at iO Chicago, The Annoyance, UCB and Second City Chicago. She has toured with Fluxx and Baby Wants Candy, performed multiple solo shows at The Edinburgh Fringe and appeared in The London and Liverpool Improvathons. She is the author of improv book The Improviser’s Way.
faqs
Is there a follow on after this course?
My friend yes! This course makes you awesome at improvising scenes, and the next course is our level 4 improv course which is all about connecting those awesome scenes together to make an entire show of reoccurring character and scenes from just one suggestion.
How much improv experience should I have before doing this course?
You should have done our Level 1: Beginners Improv Course and Level 2: Performance Improv Course or a similar amount somewhere else. Please contact us if you are not sure.
Who is this suitable for?
People who’ve done some improv or acting before and want to learn about improvising long-form scenes. If you haven’t done any improv or acting before it’s best to start with our Level 1: Beginners Improv Course and Level 2: Performance Improv Course first.
Do I have to start at level 1 if I have previous improv experience?
No, you are welcome to start at level 2 or 3 if you have previous improv experience, we don't force people to start from scratch if they have previous experience. Please contact us if you are not sure, we are happy to help.
Will you be doing this course again?
Yes. We do this course about once per season. Please see dates above for confirmed dates and we’ll also announce future dates on our twitter, facebook and email list.
Can I pay by installments?
Yes. You can book and pay the first installment and pay the remaining installment once the course starts.
What is the class size?
Usually 16 people but at the moment it is limited to 8-12 people (depending on room size) in order to maintain 2m physical distancing.
What if I can’t make every week?
As we’re forming a team over the course to do performances at the end it’s best not to miss more than one session over the course. If you think you’ll miss more than one sessions over the course please wait until another time to do the course. You won’t be able to do the show if you miss more than two sessions. 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?
You’ll get the most from the course if you’re there each week at 7pm, and this enables us to form a team over the course. If you’re likely to be late each week please don’t book the course.
Do I have to perform in the show at the end?
No. The show is optional, and you’ll still get loads out of the course without doing the shows.
What is the show format?
A variety scenes from audience suggestion, scenes from written suggestion and open scenes.
Can I invite people to the show?
Yes. It's free for the audience and they don't have to book in advance they just turn up on the night.
How long is the show?
Around 35-40 minutes per half, with half the group performing in one half and half in the other. We split the group in half to make sure people get lots of stage time.
Where is the show?
Shows are usually at Hoopla at The Miller, 96 Snowsfields Road, London Bridge, SE1 3SS but on busy seasons are sometimes at other venues like The Horse in Waterloo.
our courses have been featured across the national media
