What's On

Discover the joy of improv with Rebecca MacMillan’s lunchtime classes at Bristol Improv Theatre. These sessions are designed for creatives, freelancers, and everyone else who’s looking for a dose of joy in their day.

Following on from our hugely popular Discovering Improv course, this six-week course will immerse you in the fundamentals of improvising for an audience through games, exercises, and scenes. Our experienced facilitators will guide and support you on your journey towards performing.

People often start their journeys into improvisation by rediscovering the joys of play - there’s a pure and deeply human delight that we can get from messing around together and being silly! But how do you go from playing with each other for your own delight to entertaining an audience with fully-fledged improvised comedy and drama?

Looking to stretch your improvising muscles? Then our drop-ins are for you!

A six-week improv for beginners course. Be spontaneous and creative through games, and exercises with our experienced instructors.

Building on our popular Singing Songs course, Scenes and Songs will take your improvised singing skills to the next level and put them to work in your scenes and stories.

Come along and give improv a go! Taster sessions are the perfect way to dip your toes into improvisation before commiting to a course. It’s a great chance to try improv and connect with others in a playful way.

This is a fun and friendly workshop led by LGBTQ+ instructors for LGBTQ+ people, open to all levels. You can be completely new to improv or looking to brush up on your basics and practice improv in a different context. Sessions will focus on fun, representing your own identity(ies) in improv, and connecting with other improvisers.

Come and see the latest graduates of the BIT's improv courses as they share some of the skills they've been building. Free entry with optional supporter tickets!

Uncover your inner Mischief Maker and dive into the joyful chaos of improvisation in a welcoming, low‑pressure space designed for imagination, play, and plenty of laughter. From the team behind the international sensation ‘The Play that Goes Wrong’ and inspired by Mischief Theatre’s Olivier-nominated show, Mischief Movie Night.

Dystopian tech. Human hearts. Questionable life choices. Join Katy Schutte for a playful, thought-provoking weekend of sci-fi improv inspired by Black Mirror. Create bold new worlds, build gripping narratives, and find the comedy inside the chaos.

Get experimental with The Improv Lab! An afternoon of scratch performances featuring a variety of new and developing ideas from Bristol’s improv scene.

This seven-week course explores the key skills and techniques used in improvising narrative-based performances. Using exercises and techniques inspired by the work of Keith Johnstone and Patti Stiles, students will dive into constructing story arcs and engage in supportive ensemble work, as well as discovering a number of tools to shake up and inspire their scenework skills.

This seven-week course introduces the tools, techniques, and tricks used to create characters on-the-spot. You’ll explore how characters can emerge and grow through physicality, status, and the relationships between characters - building your confidence in stepping into another person’s shoes when you perform.

Giving feedback is difficult. Receiving it can be even worse. This 90-minute workshop draws on improv, coaching and psychology to help you give feedback that actually lands and receive it without shutting down. We’ll practise deep listening, structured feedback frameworks, and the art of keeping difficult conversations open and human.

Got funny scenes… but wish they could become even funnier? Or actual sketches? Boom Chicago! alum Michael Orton-Toliver and Dawson Bros writer Steve Dawson bring you a 3-hour comedy power-up. Learn how to find the game, heighten it properly, and turn improv gold into sketch scripts. Big laughs. Smart tools. Real writing skills.

Strengthen your speaking voice, sharpen your presence and build authentic confidence at work. In this 90-minute interactive taster (plus networking), explore practical tools from acting and public speaking to engage listeners, project clearly and communicate with calm authority.

Ghosts. Archetypes. Delicious tension. Spend five days exploring horror and folklore through atmospheric long-form improv with Katy Schutte. Build haunting worlds, powerful ensemble work and rich symbolic storytelling — culminating in a live showcase at Bristol Improv Theatre. Dark tales. Deep craft. Brave play. 👻

Scenes are the building blocks of improvised theatre, but there are as many different ways to play a scene as there are improvisers. From emotionally-focused play, to creating a narrative flow of cause and effect, deftly weaving themes and concepts together, or just finding something funny to do again (but bigger), how you approach a scene helps to define how it plays out. 

Singing Songs is the course for anyone who’s ever fancied making up songs on the spot, and for those who don’t think they can sing but would love to have a go!

Big feelings. Bold choices. Characters who actually care. Join Comedy Store Player Monica Gaga for a playful, practical workshop on building richer, more human characters. Explore motivation, backstory and emotional truth in a supportive, joy-filled room.

Want to charm a crowd instantly? Seem calm and relaxed in front of an audience? Join this class to develop your hosting, public speaking and audience interaction skills- with Comedy Store Player, international performer and powerhouse host, Monica Gaga!

A 5-day theatrical improv intensive inspired by Sartre’s No Exit. Develop a brand-new long-form format exploring connection, belonging, and judgement in limbo. For improvisers with some experience and actors. Culminating in a showcase on Saturday night at Bristol Improv Theatre.

Stuck playing the same scenes on repeat? Join international theatremaker and Artistic Director of Improv Theatre Sydney, Jim Fishwick, for a joyful creative reset. Spot your default patterns, stretch your range and rediscover curiosity in your improv. More colours. Fewer habits. Bigger possibilities. For improvisers with some experience, ready to expand.