We recognise that every student develops at their own pace and has their own learning journey. Our class levels are simply a rough guide for learning improv, with students only moving through each new class level once they’re ready to do so. This approach to progression is designed to support steady skill improvement while ensuring each class remains a positive and effective learning environment for everyone.
Progression through our programme is based on readiness, rather than time or attendance. Teachers assess readiness on an ongoing basis and will recommend when a student is ready to move to the next level. If they’re not ready, then it’s perfectly normal to stay with their current class level and to continue to improve and refine those skills and techniques.
We aim to balance two important priorities: supporting each individual student’s unique improv learning journey; and maintaining a class environment where all participants can engage fully with the class content because every student is at roughly the same level of ability.
As a guide, the following indicates just some of the skills we consider when assessing readiness for progression at each class level, along with the expectation of still meeting the skill requirements of all previous levels.
Improv 1
- understand improvisation and how it works
- quieten the inner critic and improvise with others
- understand the language and theory of Keith Johnstone
- confidently play several theatre games and exercises
- understand simple story structure and tell an engaging improvised story
- mime clear and recognisable objects and activities
- improvise short scenes independently and without breaking
- good listening, justification and specificity skills
Improv 2
- recognise and play status games
- play rhythm and rhyming games
- improvise scenes with different and recognisable emotions
- make active choices
- improvise characters distinctly different from themselves
- commitment to learning and wanting to get up and play
Improv 3 (when offered)
- play most improv theatre games when first introduced
- play scenes in several genres
- understand and play faux competitive improv
Improv 4
- understand, initiate, play and edit scenes in the Chicago method
- understand and play Game
- pull scene ideas from source content
- tell truthful stories from life inspired by only a single word
- play multi-character scenes with shifting focus
- regularly use honourifics and names in scenes
- understand and play different types of emotional relationships
- understand and use metapragmatics in scenes
- understand and play Armando show format
Improv 5
- confidently play strong characters distinctly different — physically, emotionally, vocally, and/or point of view — from themselves
- use a range of techniques to create new characters in the moment
- observe and point out the physical and vocal traits of characters and people, and then recognisably play them
- improvise a La Ronde
Improv 6
Understand and play…
- position play
- long genre based performances
- heat & weight
- mapping scenes
- improvising a living room show format
Improv 7
- knowingly transition between multiple beats in a single scene
- ghost multiple characters
- maintain a contrapuntal argument for at least a minute
- create new characters from a point of view
- independently improvise a monoscene with strong character, beat and editing choices
- independently improvise long two player performances with multiple scenes and characters
Improv 8
- improvise and analyse a Harold performance
- understand, initiate and perform a range of different openings
- understand, initiate and perform organic group games of varying types
- immediate response to A-C exercises
- pull ideas and games through multiple scene beats
- follow the follower
- improvise a bat performance
Improv 9
- perform to the class, a long solo improv performance using multiple characters, audience interaction, soliloquy, and other solo assisting techniques
- invocation opening
- swinging door
- cocktail party opening
- animals and objects
- sound and movement opening
- monoscene harold
- initiate organic openings
Improv 10
This is a custom class level with guest teachers and content unique to each running of the class. Progression guidelines are set at the time the class is run.
Improv 11
- understand processes for creating new improv show formats
- co-devise a new improv show format as part of an ensemble
- understand a range of different show formats, their origins, attributes and uses
- work confidently and collaboratively as part of an improv ensemble