All the Paints in the Paintbox with Jim Fishwick

Ever feel like you’ve only been using three colours from the box?
In this energising, curiosity-fuelled workshop, theatremaker, writer and Artistic Director of Improv Theatre Sydney Jim Fishwick helps you shake off creative autopilot and rediscover the full range of your improvisational palette.

Even experienced performers develop “default settings” - familiar tones, recurring character types, predictable structures. This workshop invites you to spot those habits and gently (or boldly) push beyond them.

Together, you’ll:

• Identify unconscious assumptions shaping your scenework

• Notice repeated tonal and structural patterns

• Experiment with new choices in character, relationship and staging

• Expand your creative range in a playful, ensemble-led space

Jim brings international festival leadership and big-picture thinking to the room. Alongside leading Improv Theatre Sydney, they’ve been Artistic Co-Director of the New Zealand Improv Festival, faculty with Impro Melbourne, and even write fiendish questions for the BBC’s Only Connect. They combine structural insight with a deeply playful teaching style that helps performers stretch without snapping.

Participant-led and ideal for improvisers comfortable performing without side-coaching.
More curiosity. More risk. All the paints in the box.

About the Teacher: Jim Fishwick

Jim Fishwick is a theatremaker, writer and internationally respected improv leader currently based on Gadigal and Wangal land in Sydney. They are the Artistic Director of Improv Theatre Sydney, where they teach and perform, and General Manager of Jetpack Theatre. Alongside their theatre work, Jim writes fiendish questions for the BBC’s Only Connect - a fitting side quest for someone fascinated by structure, surprise and possibility.

Previously, Jim has served as Artistic Co-Director and Workshops Director of the New Zealand Improv Festival, faculty and ensemble member with Impro Melbourne, teacher with the Academy of Improvisation, and Senior Producer with Fever Originals. Their broader arts experience includes producing, curating and advisory roles across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Jim is known for their ability to balance deep structural insight with curiosity and play. They respond to group dynamics in real time, helping ensembles move past their habitual patterns and into new creative territory.

As one NZ Improv Festival participant shared:
“An inspiring experience… Jim’s encouragement to push us past the point where we were collectively struggling for new ideas made it memorable and enriching.”

Another described their workshops as:
“…a series of nuanced revelations that feel like self-discoveries.”
Expect rigour, generosity and a quietly expansive creative push.

Testimonials

An inspiring experience. It was a true creative journey, and Jim's encouragement to push us past the point where we were collectively struggling for new ideas made it a memorable and enriching experience. - NZ Improv Festival participant, 2023

Jim has the ability to respond to and redirect group dynamics moment by moment, allowing them to build a curious and playful feeling in the group. … Their workshop was delightful to experience, like a series of nuanced revelations that feel like self-discoveries. - NZ Improv Festival participant, 2023