story
Long-form improv that tells captivating stories and goes on adventures! 8 week course plus performance.
Look at the most successful improv shows at The Edinburgh Fringe: Baby Wants Candy, Showstoppers, Austentatious, Spontaneous Potter, Bumper Blyton, Happily Never After and more. They tell stories!
And some of the most popular TV shows of recent years: Fleabag, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Community, Chernobyl, Rick & Morty and Black Mirror. They tell stories!
Again with film, Broadway and The West End; story is what captivates the audience and excites us.
Character, relationships, scenes, game and emotions are all important in improv, but it’s when these skills are all put together in harmony with STORY that improv really takes us to another dimension.
Improvise exciting and captivating long-form narrative multi-scene adventures with protagonists, heroes, heroines, villains, chase scenes, action scenes, love scenes, cliff hanging moments of suspense, improvised special effects and most of all lots of fun!
We’ll be looking at linear narrative structure, cause & effect, what happens next, character archetypes, character objectives, relationships, heroes and villains, hero’s journey, fun edits, exploring different genres and more.
You’ll progress each week with your team of fellow improvisers, before performing in shows at our Improv Comedy Club in the format of improvised multi-scene movie.
Story is the new game.
dates, time, location
Dates: Every Tuesday for 8 weeks from Tuesday 12th November 2019, with break over Christmas, plus a show on Tuesday 28th January 2020.
Exact Dates: 12th Nov, 19th Nov, 26th Nov, 3rd Dec, 10th Dec, 17th Dec, 14th January, 21st Jan, plus show 28th Jan.
Time: 7pm – 9:30pm.
Venue: The Nursery Training Centre, Capital House, 42 Weston Street, London, SE1 3QD.
Tube: London Bridge.
Price: £225. Either payable all at once or with an initial payment of £100 followed by the remaining £125 once the course starts.
Teacher: Steve Roe
Ages: 18+
This course will be challenging!
Only suitable for people with previous improv and long-form experience. If you haven’t got previous experience it’s best to start with our earlier level improv classes first.
teacher Steve Roe
Steve Roe is the Director and Co-founder of Hoopla and has been teaching improv for over 14 years.
Steve creates a friendly, fun & supportive atmosphere in workshops where people are free to play and be themselves.
Steve has experience of teaching beginners, experienced improvisers, stand ups, drama school students and professional actors.
He has also taught improv at Imperial College London, East 15 Drama School and Oxford University, and to various corporate clients including Comedy Central, Apple, BBC and ITV.
In 2010 Steve founded the UK’s first ever improvised comedy club at The Miller in London Bridge, helping to create a vibrant community of performers and audience.
Hoopla’s Improv Comedy Club was recently recommended by Time Out, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, The Guardian, The Evening Standard and The Londonist.
Steve has studied improv with Keith Johnstone, Charna Halpern from IO, Patti Styles from Improv Melbourne, Shawn Kinley from Loose Moose, The Annoyance, The Upright Citizens Brigade, Fooling with Jonathan Kay and Clown with Mick Barnfather.
Steve regularly hosts Hoopla’s nights at The Miller, as well as performing, producing and directing various groups across the London improv scene. Steve also directs Hoopla’s house team program.
He continues to support countless other shows that have popped up from Hoopla workshops and is influential in growing the UK’s improv scene.
course content
Each workshop consists of warm ups, exercises on narrative and long-form skills, and putting it together in a show of an improvised long-form movie.
We’ll be covering the following topics:
- Core improv skills.
- Narrative.
- Story Structure.
- Being Obvious and Circle of Expectation.
- What Happens Next.
- Cause and Effect.
- The power of ‘because’ in stories.
- Reincorporating.
- Building a reality on stage.
- Playing with protagonists.
- Fairytale Structures.
- The Hero’s Journey.
- Character Archetypes.
- Platforms, Who, What Where.
- Character.
- Relationships.
- Focus.
- Justifying.
- Physical improv.
- Making it matter.
- Making edits fun.
- Objectives.
Most of all having great fun improvising exciting and captivating movies in a carefree manner.
faqs
What comes after this course?
We have a variety of other advanced improv courses that would be suitable.
Who is this suitable for?
People with previous long-form improv experience who want to learn and experiment with improvised narrative.
How much improv or acting should I have done before doing this course?
You should have done our Level 4: Long Form Improv Course or a similar amount somewhere else. This course is not suitable for people new to improv.
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 one session.
What if I’m running late?
We’ll be starting each session at 7pm, but if you’re held up at work or whatnot please come along anyway, we’d rather you turned up late than miss a session. You’ll get more out of the workshop if you’re there at 7pm though, as that’s when we discuss the theme for the evening and also do all of our warm ups.
What’s the class size?
The group size is going to be limited to 16 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.
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 show.
Can I pay by instalments?
Yes. You can book and pay the first half at time at booking and the rest when the course starts.