Classes

**For full listings for The Improvathon Festival of Improv Comedy, 27th-29th June, click here**

Drop-In

Something of an institution, this is the same weekly class that originally spawned the Maydays. Taught by the inimitable John Cremer, or one of the company, this class caters for improvisers of all levels who want to play and progress, and we will work to the level of the individual. No prior experience required, all levels welcome. This is a mixed level class, and if you are a particularly shrinking violet, or want to concentrate on learning the key basic improv techniques, then the foundation weekend or Level 1 may suit you better. Wear comfortable clothing and bring an open mind.

Creative Comedy: Foundation Weekend

Spend a weekend learning the basic principles of improv comedy, and do wonders for your creativity and confidence. This course is a gentle introduction to the core improv techniques. Suitable for beginners or those with some improv or stage experience, the foundation weekend is about exploring and having fun with this life-changing art-form. Unlike the longer courses (below) we will not be working towards any sort of performance. This workshop is great as a stand-alone or makes an excellent 'taster' for those considering Level 1 or Level 2, and for determining which of the two levels would be most suitable.

Creative Comedy: Level 1 (10 weeks)

Discover your inner comic genius, unleash your creative potential and increase your confidence in public or social situations with this course for beginners in improvised comedy. We teach you all the basic techniques from scratch so that you can create comedy in the moment: a playful and liberating experience, which is both very funny and helpful for overcoming creative blocks. The course aims to develop the techniques and confidence to enable students to perform, and there will be a (optional) show at the end of the course so that you can entertain an audience of family and friends with your new skills. Suitable for everyone from complete beginners to those with some acting or comedy experience.

"The Maydays comedy course was enormous fun and has had a huge impact upon my self-confidence. I would recommend this course to anyone, whether an aspiring comedian or not. Shortly after the course I went down a storm performing an off-the-cuff best man speech, and have felt a lot more confident doing pitches and presentations at work. Thanks guys."
Simon, course attendee

Creative Comedy: Level 2

This course is open to improvisers who have taken our Level 1 course or the Foundation Weekend (discuss with your tutor which level is more suitable for you). The course aims to take your performance up a level, give you techniques to add more depth and character to your work, and increase your confidence further. We use a lot of side-coaching and physical theatre techniques to develop your skills and help you work on the areas you would like to improve. The course culminates with an (optional) show, which is open to the public. Some of our former Level 2 students have subsequently formed their own regularly performing comedy troupes, and we are very proud of them!

"The course was sometimes inspirational, sometimes terrifying, sometimes poignant, but always a fun and exciting experience. I would recommend this course to anybody who wants to learn more about this creative and inclusive comedy art form. If you're looking for a life-changing, challenging and rewarding human experience, look no further!"
Kevin, course attendee

Improv and Song

Learn how to improvise comedy songs for fun and performance with this six week course. Each week a company member and a musician will guide you through exercises to explore song structure, rhyme, rhythm and making up your own songs from audience suggestions. The course is suitable for anyone who has done the Creative Comedy Level One, the Foundation Weekend or regularly (and recently) attended other appropriate improv comedy training to a similar level. The Maydays regularly perform ‘Mayday! The Musical’, for which they won the Latest 7 Best Comedy Show Award in the 2007 Brighton Festival.

Long Form

The emphasis moves away from pure comedic work in this course into a whole new theatrical form, of which comedy is still an important element. Instead of games we teach you techniques to create an hour of theatre from a simple one-word suggestion. This kind of improvisation is fairly new to this country and totally new to Brighton. Learn the legacy of Del Close and Charna Halpern in this exciting course. We give you the freedom to create your own new forms with the guidance of experienced members of The Maydays. The course ends with a performance.

Bespoke Workshops & Courses

Perhaps you are a drama group who would like to use improv to add to your performances; you might be a stand-up looking for some personal improv training to add to your routine or give you new ways to deal with hecklers; or maybe you work in a customer-facing business and would like your staff to have a grounding in improv techniques for optimal communication with your customers. Whatever the situation we are able to create a workshop or course specific to your requirements. Just contact us for more details.

"A truly magical experience...powerful in its simplicity. Hundreds of applications to how we work with each other and our clients...never thought it would be so relevant."
Susanna Mitterer, Managing Director of TMI

For details on upcoming courses and workshops, see our listings.