Description

The Intro to Improv course is an introduction to short-form improvisation. We’ll cover basic theoretical concepts of improvisation, like ‘yes and’ and ‘game of the scene’, and you’ll practise a wide variety of improvisation games. 

Each week, for homework you’ll have to meet up with two or three other students and do at least 15 minutes of these games while recording audio. For the first 3 weeks, you'll transcribe 30 seconds of that audio, and in the next class, we’ll do a grammatical analysis and correction of each group’s transcriptions (or fewer, depending on the number of mistakes in each transcript!). For the following weeks, you'll have to upload a 1-minute video recording of your group's improv homework.

You’ll also have more standard homework to complete on the Portail, in the form of listening, grammar, and vocabulary exercises, which will count towards your overall grade. 

Finally, you'll do an improv 'exam' performance. You’ll be in a group of six, and you’ll play improv games for 30 minutes in front of the rest of your classmates and any audience members you'd like to invite! The whole semester will build your English and improvisation skills specifically for this final performance, and we'll do a 'mock exam" performance the week before.

If you’ve never done improvisation (or any kind of stage performance before), don’t worry – we really start from the absolute basics. I’ve included links to a few videos of improv games that we’ll learn to play in class, and if you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Freeze game: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/aUtfvHq1_VI

Change game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1ZhOj6hMfA

Long form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV2pQoDWxX4

Objectives

• Improve spoken English fluency and casual spoken register
• Expand vocabulary
• Increase confidence in spontaneous spoken English communication
• Learn basic improvisation games and be able to perform them as a team