Returning Students
When you walk in to your first class, our first focus is on making you feel welcome. It’s natural to feel nervous when experiencing something new, and we want that nervous energy to be directed towards play. Our promise is that within the first hour, you’ll be laughing with joy. You’ll quickly remember what it’s like to play — the reckless, daring fun of it. You’ll enter nervous with strangers, and leave happy-exhausted with friends.
❋ Never done a class before?Jump right over to our Free Taster class to try before you buy.
Workshops on offer
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Rediscover Play
Expand your comfort zone, build confidence, and connect with others in a low-stakes, high-fun environment. Expect games and exercises designed to get you moving, thinking, and connecting at the top of your intelligence. You’ll be on your feet and connecting with a group of wildly clever, diverse players. Rediscover Play is designed for those completely new to improvisation.
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Make a Scene
You’ve got a solid grasp on the basics. It’s time to let go of control, step into your stretch zone, and let delight lead the way. Put all your improv skills to work at once as you device skits, scripts and stories in real-time. We’ll move from games to scene so you can test your skills without scaffolds, with coaching and support to help you refine the craft. Make a Scene is designed for improvisers who have taken Rediscover Play.
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Scenius
Discover new ways of playing by tapping into the wisdom of the room. We’ll boil improvisation down to the basics, listening and reacting, and explore how they can help us come up with ideas collectively. We’ll work with longer scenes and performance pieces so you explore how collective creativity works. Scenius is designed for players who have taken Make a Scene.
FAQs
Still have questions?
Reach out and we will fill in the gaps.
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At the start of a two-hour class, we normally begin with some simple, easy warm-up exercises before moving to improv exercises around a key theme like connection, listening, or spontaneity. We have a short debrief after each exercise and take a break halfway through class.
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Our teachers come from all walks of life, but all have either degree-level training in the creative industries or have studied improvisation intensively in the United States. We work off a training and mentorship model, so new teachers (if they have not taught elsewhere) are supported for several terms before teaching independently. Learn more about our faculty here.
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Some of the greatest transformations we see are with introverted people. Getting over the initial confidence bump can be more challenging, but we find that highly structured games and exercises often provide introverts with an opportunity to shine. Improvisation isn’t about being extraverted all the time — it also requires listening, patience, and careful pattern recognition.
We also cap our paid courses at 16 people. We find 12-16 people ideal for both creating connection and providing opportunities for breaks and smaller group work.
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Lots of people come to improvisation after having attended a public speaking course. Improvisation is particularly helpful for those off the cuff situations where you need to speak fluently and confidently without a script. Think meetings, interviews, and presentations.
However, if you’re looking to develop a tightly refined story or pitch then improvisation is best considered a supplementary part of your toolkit. There are lots of places that do this training well, and our personal favourites are Barefaced Stories and the Centre for Stories.
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You’re being asked to be playful, support growth for yourself & your classmates, and respect boundaries. We also ask that you make people feel welcome, respected, and included. Improvisation is a practice founded on creative self-expression, discrimination or harassment will not be tolerated. More details on all of this is available in our Conditions of Participation.
What’s it like learning improv with OTH?
If you are new to improv - start here!
Free Taster
A no-pressure, fun-filled way to experience improvisation. Smiles and laughs guaranteed.