Improv Workshops

Contact me for coaching, bespoke classes, or to book one of my touring workshops below.
Katy is just about the most positive, enthusiastic teacher, with insightful notes, a collaborative mindset (she shares so many improv tools), and is so very giving of herself.  You can tell that Katy loves improv and wants that for the rest of us." - Sacha Ryder, Hoopla student

You can book one of the following,
​or I can create a bespoke workshop or coach your team.

Sometimes they Improvise Back: Scenes Inspired by
​Stephen King

When I was a kid, my Mum told me not to read Stephen King, so - of course - I read loads. If you haven't read his work, you probably know Carrie, Misery and IT. Did you know that Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile and Stand by Me are all based on his stories too? His style is rich, characterful, scary and exciting. Terrifying and ridiculous baddies meet coming-of-age stories and slow-burn character scenes. Come play smalltown cops, frustrated writers, clowns, vampires and er... killer trucks in this super fun, low-pressure class. You don't need to know the genre to come and play. 
Length: 3hr / 6hr 
People: 10-14
Level: Intermediate and above
Platform: Live or online

Play Like Brené

Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston who rose to fame from her Ted talk on The Power of Vulnerability. She’s spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. We'll be playing with her wisdom - gamified through improvisation - and taking the time to talk about what we notice in ourselves as well as our work.
Length: 3hr / 6hr / two days
People: 10-14
Level: Any
Platform: Live or online

Time Travel

Take a look at the timeline of your show and learn smart ways of making it clear if you're flashing back or forward. Mess around with Back to the Future scenarios; how different would this character/moment be if something had been different in their past?
Length: 3hr 
People: 10-16
Level: Intermediate and above
Platform: Live or online

Silence and Subtext

We will be looking at how to pick up on subtle cues from your co-performer, from their physicality, their tone and chosen words to find and play with subtext. We'll use improvised scene work, games and Chicago-style 'slow comedy' using more than one layer of understanding to create realistic and truthful moments with depth and subtlety.
Length: 3hr / 6hr / two days
People: 10-16
Level: Intermediate and above
​Platform: Live or online

Two Person Improv

With only two performers, how can you move fluidly from one scene to another, how do you hold more than two characters in one scene, what can you do with object and environment and what is your show's dynamic?  Working on techniques for rehearsing and performing two-person improvisation, this workshop builds your trust and skills around that one other person. You can bring a duo partner if you wish, but you do not need one to attend.
Length: 3hr / 6hr / two days
People: 10-16 (even numbers)
Level: Any
Platform: Live or online

Magical Team Play

Physicality is the building block of dynamic and engaging ensemble scenes. Whether you’re a newcomer to improvisation or a veteran of the art, getting back into your body and being hyper aware of the physical choices made around you allow for incredible group work. With everyone playing almost the whole time, this class gets you back into your body; creating powerful, beautiful stage images. Tell your onstage stories through safe, magical team play. 
Length: 3hr / 6hr / two days / more
People: 12-20
Level: Any
Platform: Live
*This class can be catered to musical staging too.

Improvising with Folklore

This is less of a class and more of a celebration; using improvisation as a ritual to link us to nature and to one another. We'll be digging into local (and personal) stories and using them to inspire improvised games and scenes. We'll celebrate the time of year, the moon and the land with comedy, creative fun-times and collaboration.
​Length: 3hr / 6hr
People: 10-16
Level: Any
Platform: Live or online

Never Walk Through a Mime Table Again

Fly a jet, drive a mega-robot, stroll through verdant gardens or throw a can of beer to your flatmate. Learn how to create environments and objects that the audience will really see and remember as if your blank stage was a film! Use imagined surroundings to find out about your character. Discover the secrets to recalling where you and the rest of your team 'put' everything and never walk through a mime table again.
​Length: 3hr / 6hr
People: 10-16
Level: Intermediate and above
Platform: Live

Introduction to Science Fiction

Science Fiction is about building worlds and seeing the human perspective alongside visions of the future, different universes or new technology. Science Fiction can be a huge and sprawling genre, so we learn to find out which strand we are playing in and hone in on the style at play.
Length: 3hr / 6hr
People: 10-16
Level: Intermediate and above
Platform: Live or online

Group Scenes

Group scenes can sometimes seem busy and daunting, but a good group scene can be both easy to play and a total delight for the audience. Learn a whole cache of tools and tactics to keep your group scenes patient, funny and grounded no matter the style or setting. Learn when a show needs a group scene and how to initiate and support in a group.
Length: 3hr / 6hr
People: 10-16
Level: Any
​Platform: Live or online

Break Your Patterns, Shake It Up

This workshop allows you to try out different styles of improvisation. Get away from comfortable patterns you fall into in every show, break the rules, try something new. Perhaps your characters are strong, but you find game difficult, maybe you are amazing at story, but you never have an emotional reaction. We all have go-to choices and playing in the same group can sometimes leave you as 'the one that does that'. Not any more! Let's shake it up.​
Length: 3hr 
People: 10-16
Level: Intermediate and above
Platform: Live
I took two of Katy's workshops at Neverending Improv Festival in Bucharest: Ensemble Bodies and Game of the Show. 
Ensemble Bodies opened my eyes to new ways of exploring physicality to create new characters as well as play with the space on stage. We had an absolute blast diving into some really great exercises and Katy's enthusiasm created an awesome atmosphere in our group.
Game of the Show was such a fun workshop! I still look back and laugh at some of the scenes and characters we created: our Tom Hasselhoff spy thriller is one of my favourite memories of the festival. I feel this workshop gave us practical tools we can use to create new shows and I can't wait to get practising them with my group." Frances Ransome

Improv Formats
I create bespoke and original forms; just tell me what you need.

Tiles

My original format using various techniques to make improv in Zoom look cool! We work hard on agreement with images and themes being shown visually. It teaches similar skills to a Harold (characters returning, group games, heightening, etc.)
Length: 6hr / two days / intensive
People: 6-12
Level: Advanced
Platform: Online

Groundhog Play

My original format, based on films and TV series which repeat the same day in a lesson-learning time-loop; Groundhog Day, Russian Doll, Happy Death Day and more. We look at the form itself, plus narrative storytelling, specific editing and character/point of view.
Length: 6hr / two days / intensive
People: 6-12
Level: Advanced
Platform: Live

Game of the Show

Get away from rules and structure, learn to follow your instincts and fail, fail, fail until you find something totally new and magical.  Learn how to clearly communicate what you want to happen, even if it’s something we’ve never seen before.  Mess with time, space, story and character in a whole new way.  This workshop is particularly useful for improvisers that have worked exclusively with linear, narrative improv and want to try a new approach.
Length: 3hr / 6hr / two days
People: 10-16
Level: Advanced
​Platform: Live or online

Flicker

An original Project2 format which alternates light and dark/camera on and off scenes then speeds up towards the end. We work on skills for cool visuals as well as good radio play world-creation and clarity.
Length: 3hr / 6hr
People: 6-12
Level: Intermediate and above
Platform: Live or online

Parent/Teacher Night

My original format that does just what it says on the tin. A simple structure with lots of character work and cause and effect. A fairly non-narrative show that can be played fast and funny or slow and realistic. 
Length: 3hr / 6hr
People: 6-10
Level: Intermediate and above
Platform: Live or online

The Living Room

A format by The Family from IO Chicago. There is a sofa on one side of the stage and an open playing space on the other with a couple of chairs.  The form starts with an audience suggestion, the players chat, the players do one scene, the players chat, they do one scene and so forth until the time runs out.  The Living Room is a fast, funny and revealing form where we alternately get to know the players and watch improvised sketch comedy. This form originates from the Family at IO Chicago.
Length: 3hr / 6hr
People: 10-16
Level: Intermediate and above
​Platform: Live or online

Genre

Learn to create a template for any genre you care to play in; using tropes more than structure, we can quickly help the audience feel like they're watching Horror, Romantic Comedy, Action or anything else.
Length: 3hr / 6hr
People: 10-16
Level: Intermediate and above
Platform: Live or online

Musical Improv

Musical Improv for Beginners

Learn how to create melody, lyrics and song structure in the moment.  Through games and scenework we will learn techniques for rhyming, emoting, finding the right time to sing, identifying and creating choruses, bridges and verses plus a whole lot of silly stuff.  Ideally students will have done some improvisation before, but there is no prerequisite to be a good singer!
Length: 3hr / 6hr / two days
People: 10-16
Level: Any
Platform: Live

Rhyme Club!

Just loads of rhyming games. That's it. Do rhyming over and over again in different ways.
Like a gym cardio-attack class but for rhyming
Length: 1.5hr / 3hr
People: 10-16
Level: Any
​Platform: Live

Space Operas in the Dark

Taking the 'Bat' format to a musical place. We'll be sitting or lying around and singing huge sweeping space operas and concept album stories, painting pictures with our minds.
Length: 3hr
People: 10-16
Level: Any
​Platform: Live

Movie Songs

All those films you love that should have been musicals - we're going to put the songs in. You don't have to know movies and you don't need a great singing voice!
Length: 3hr
People: 10-16
Level: Intermediate and above
​Platform: Live

Truth in Song

Learn how to improvise songs in the moment based on your personal truths, opinions and stories. Practice organic ways of rhyming, creating melody and finding the structure of a song as you go along. In a supportive and relaxed environment we will help you create musical theatre inspired by the styles of Sondheim and Jason Robert Brown and weave rich tales and scenes through teamwork and group mind. Suitable for intermediate to advanced improvisers with zero to lots of experience in musical improv. Ability to sing is not a pre-requisite.
Length: 3hr / 6hr / two days
People: 10-16
Level: Any
​Platform: Live

Game of the Song

Discover the structure of the song you're in while you're singing it. Make your songs sound much more 'written' without planning how many verses and choruses you'll have. Discover melodic hooks and double-down on weird and interesting new staging and layers of song. Find and heighten the joke in comedy songs without working too hard!
Length: 3hr / 6hr
People: 10-16
Level: Intermediate and above
​Platform: Live
​Here’s a name check of some of my inspirational directors and teachers from iO, The Annoyance, Second City, UCB, Groundlings and elsewhere: 
Charna Halpern, Susan Messing, Rich & Rebecca Sohn, Bill Arnett, Brandon Gardner, Lee White, Jay Rhoderick, Tim Sniffen, Jet Eveleth, Shad Kunkle, Dylan Emery, Chris Johnston, Nancy Howland Walker, John Cremer, Marshall Stern, Alex Fendrich, Brian Posen, Mary Scruggs, Bina Martin, Claudia Wallace, Adam Whit, Al Samuels, Alex Tindal, Tara DeFrancisco, Jason Chin, Shannon O'Neill, TJ Jagodowski, Dave Pasquesi, Kevin McDonald, Anthony Atamanuik, Michael Orton-Toliver, Jill Bernard, Mel Cowan, Craig Cackowski, Julie Brister, Rich Talarico, Joe Bill, Michael J. Gellman, Jorin Garguilo, Mick Napier, Adal Rifai, Farrell Walsh, Kristen Schier, Brian James O'Connell, Kevin Scott, Shenoah Allen, Jon Bolden, Armando Diaz, Will Luera, Douglas Widick, James Robilotta, Mark Martin, Anna Renzenbrink, Patti Stiles, Felipe Ortiz, Erin McGathy, Amy Moule, Laura Doorneweerd, Dan Seyfried, J.R. Zambrano, Carla Cackowski, Holly Mandel.