level 4: long-form improv course
This is where things get really exciting!!! You’ve done our level 3 scenes course, or a similar amount somewhere else, now it’s time for LONG-FORM!!!
what is long-form?
Long-form is awesome! Short-form and scenes are where you learnt how the improv car works and how to drive it. Long-form is where you now take that car on a joy ride!
Instead of standalone one-off scenes you’ll now be connecting multiple scenes together and traveling through time and space with reoccurring characters, themes and patterns to make one amazing multi-scene show inspired by just one suggestion!
This is where the group really unleashes their collective imagination on stage!
It’s exciting stuff!
what's Hoopla's long-form style?
Freedom! Passion! Emotion! Play!
We like to improvise from the heart!
We hope to enable you and the team to form a group mind, to find the FUN together, to focus on the relationship in scenes and then explore emotional patterns and themes across the show.
To help this you’ll be learning techniques like edits, tags, openings, scene-work, how to connect scenes, how to escalate emotions, how to deepen relationships & characters, how to spot patterns and how to put this all together to form an awesome show.
We experiment and find new things together, to help us create the future of long-form improv in the UK!
next available dates
Every Thursday for 8 weeks from Thursday 16th January 2025, plus show on Thursday 13th March 2025. BOOK
Every Thursday for 8 weeks from Thursday 27th March 2025, plus show on Thursday 22nd May 2025. BOOK
Every Saturday morning for 8 weeks from Saturday 22nd March 2025, plus show on Saturday 17th May 2025. BOOK
This course will still run on Easter Weekend and early May Bank Holiday weekend.
Every Monday for 8 weeks from Monday 2nd June 2025, plus show on Monday 28th July 2025. BOOK
Every Thursday for 8 weeks from Thursday 16th January 2025, plus show on Wednesday 12th March 2025. BOOK
Every Monday for 8 weeks from Monday 20th January 2025, plus show on Monday 17th March 2025. BOOK
Every Tuesday for 8 weeks from Tuesday 8th April 2025, plus show on Monday 2nd June 2025. BOOK
Every Wednesday for 8 weeks from Wednesday 9th April 2025, plus show on Wednesday 4th June 2025. BOOK
Every Wednesday for 8 weeks from Wednesday 13th November 2024 with Jenny Rowe, with a break over Christmas, plus show on Wednesday 29th January 2025. SOLD OUT
Exact Dates: 13th Nov, 20th Nov, 27th Nov, 4th Dec, 11th Dec, Christmas Break, 8th Jan, 15th Jan, 22nd Jan, Show on 29th Jan.
the most experienced long-form teachers in the UK
Many of our long-form teachers were the first in the UK to train with US improv theatres.
Most of our teachers have trained with iO, Second City or The Annoyance in Chicago, as well as multiple other theatres across the world.
Katy Schutte was one of the first people to bring long-form to the UK and has been teaching it full time for over 15 years! Back when the rest of us at Hoopla were improv babies Katy was traveling to Second City and iO in Chicago to learn and bring long-form to the UK for the first time.
It blew our tiny brains and basically inspired us to set up an entire company. Hoopla’s teachers Chris Mead, Maria Peters and more were then inspired to also travel the globe to soak up as much long-form as possible and inspire the UK community.
We’re excited about it and want to encourage the continued experimentation and growth of long-form in the UK!
the future of long-form
Long-form came from the minds of hippies in the 60s and was wrapped up with beat poets, experimental theatre and rock bands. Long-form formats were never meant to be set in stone, and that’s what we believe too.
We want to inspire you to have a life long interest in long-form and be brave and experiment and create your own shows. We are constantly working to redefine modern improvisation and want you to be a part of the future of long-form!
ongoing performance opportunities and follow up courses
We have loads of ongoing performance opportunities that would be suitable for you after the course including house teams, help setting up your own group, nights to try out new ideas, jams twice a week and a full-time producer employed by us to help support you ongoing.
There’s also loads of exciting courses in our advanced improv section that would be the perfect level for you after the course. This is where we expand your improv horizons and inspire you with the full range of improv formats out there.
our teachers
Amy Cooke-Hodgson
Amy performs in Austentatious, one of the UK’s most successful ever improv shows with sold out performances on the West End, Edinburgh Fringe and national tour. She also performs in and directs Bumper Blyton, with sold out shows on The Edinburgh Fringe. She has also performed with the Olivier award winning Showstoppers The Improvised Musical, Abandoman, The Oxford Imps and more.
Liam Brennan
Liam performs in Hoopla house team Michelle, The Science of Living Things and Fright Night. Liam coaches many of our new house teams, and is co-producer of the Hoopla Improv Marathon. He trained at the University of Kent gaining a Masters in Stand-
Katy Schutte
Katy performs in award winning improv troupe The Maydays and sci-fi troupe Project2. 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.
Chris Mead
Chris performs with the award winning Maydays and sci-group Project2. He has trained internationally including at iO Chicago, The Annoyance Theatre & The Hideout in Texas. He has performed at various improv festivals internationally including Austin Texas, Norway, Barcelona and Dublin. He is the co-founder of improvised theatre company Sonder, and an Artistic Director and Trustee at The Nursery Theatre. He also hosts the YesBot podcast.
what's included
We’ll be covering various long-form show formats over the course and adapt to suit the group. Please note this course focuses on free-flowing formats rather than linear narrative formats, we also do a different narrative course which is more about ongoing linear stories.
Core Improv Skills
- Teamwork and support
- Group mind
- Listening
- Yes And
- Being obvious
- Commitment
- Spontaneity
Advanced Scene Work / Level 3 Recap
- Establishing scenes
- Object and environment work
- Patterns and themes in scenes
- Exploring and heightening emotions
- Raising the FUN in scenes
- Ending scenes
Character and Relationships / Level 3 Recap
- Truth and honesty in characters
- Finding characters through emotional and physical choices
- Connecting emotionally and speaking from the heart
Long-Form Openings
- Introduction to long-form openings
- Monologues to inspire scenes
Edits
- Sweep edits
- Swarm edits
- Cut-to’s
Connecting Scenes
- Time jumps
- Narrative connections
- Thematic connections
- Game connections
- Character connections
- Discovering themes, patterns and story as you go
Tags
- Tagging to explore other sides of a character
- Tag-runs
Variety of great show formats
- Life & Times
- La Ronde
- Montage
- Armando
- Commando
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!
faqs
Is there a follow on after this course?
Oh my gosh yes! There's a whole world of advanced improv courses you can do after this one to take your improv to another dimension! We've got improvised theatre, improvised movies, improvised musicals, character, clowning and more.
How much improv experience should I have before doing this course?
You should have done our Level 1 - 3 courses 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. If you haven’t done any improv or acting before it’s best to start with our Level 1: Beginners Improv Course.
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 or 4 if you have previous improv experience, we don't force people to start from scratch if they have previous experience and you can start at the level that feels right for you. If you start and then want to change level that's totally ok and won't cost any extra to do, we're always happy to be flexible and help out. 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 every season, starting January, March, June and September. 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 half at time of booking and the remainder on the first week of the course.
What is the class size?
The group size is going to be limited to 16 people and is usually about 12-14 people - small enough that you get lots and lots of practice and stage time, but big enough that there’s still a lively atmosphere in the workshop. It’ll be fun as we get to know each other and build a team together.
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 of open scenes and long-form formats, we chose formats over the course so we can adapt to the group.
Can I invite people to the show?
Yes. Tickets will be available to book on the website and we'll send you the link a few weeks into the course.
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.