Improv Workshops
with Alan Marriott
Alan Marriott
Alan got his first taste of improvisation with Vancouver Theatresports where he was taught by Keith Johnstone and Phil Savath followed by four years with V.T.S.L., working closely with Colin Mochrie and Ryan Styles. Alan has worked with or taught many groups in London, Vancouver and throughout Europe including: Showstopper, The Comedy Store Players, Grand Theft Impro, South of the River and Holsten Impro (with Steve Frost and Jeremy Hardy) Scratch (with Ruth Bratt) Impropera (a two act improvised opera), Lust Boulevard (an improvised soap opera directed by Phelim McDermott), Alliances (London's first 2 act improvised play), The Impro Musical, Friday Night Live, Vancouver Theatresports League, The Chip Butcher Quartet, Made Up Like Tarts, Dogs on Holiday, Hamlet Improvised, Impro Lear, Brickbats Volunteers, and Omelette Broadcasting (with Lee Simpson). Alan was the original Artistic Director of Theatresports London at the Donmar Warehouse.
As a teacher Alan has been spreading improvisation and impro thinking, world wide for over 30 years. A list of Alan's former students includes Eddie Izzard, Alan Davies, John Sparks, Jake Arnott, Stella Duffy, Gordon Kennedy, Neil Ashdown, Fay Ripley, Ben Keaton, Dylan Emery, Pippa Evans, Ruth Bratt, Phillip Pellew, Andy Stanton, Abandoman and many more.
Alan regularly performs in London and throughout Europe with the Grand Theft Impro Team and Slattery Night Fever (with Tony Slattery). He recently directed and performed in Will Shakespeare's Impro Musical for the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival
These workshops are aimed at those with some experience of classes or courses. If you are a beginner please see: Beginners or Performance Course.
You can book one, some or all four of these 'stand-alone' workshops without repetition of content.
WORKSHOP ONE:
Status, Story, Scene Dynamic
January 20th (3hrs 2pm – 5pm)
A three hour practical overview of improv technique. This workshop goes through the three main pillars of improvisation: Spontaneity, Status transaction and scene dynamic, and Narrative (story telling). Students will learn how to get their ideas out of their heads and onto the stage, how to build solid relationships and characters in scenes, and how to recognize and put together elements needed for a good story.
This workshop is suitable for those with some experience of classes. Fee: £25 + booking fee. SOLD OUT
WORKSHOP TWO:
Being Spontaneous
January 27th (3hrs 2pm to 5pm)
This workshop takes a three hour look at spontaneity. Starting with the three-ways-of-thinking creative process (Instinct – Intuition – Intellect) Alan takes students through a series of exercises and games designed to free up your mind and create content fearlessly! Concepts like 'Yes and..'/accept and build, visualisation in improvisation, and 'observe-react-respond' are all covered in the three hour session.
This workshop is suitable for those with some experience of classes. £25 + booking fee BOOK
WORKSHOP THREE:
Creating Characters
February 3rd (3hrs 2pm to 5pm)
How do you create believable characters on the spot and sustain them? Find out in this three hour workshop using techniques and exercises developed over Alan's thirty plus years working in improvisation and voice-over, students learn the basics of 'five point character creation' (speed, pitch, tonal shape, gesture, and musicality). Five point character technique is an integrated system where students learn about character pace, sound manipulation, character mantras, motivations and temperaments, physicality, and patterns.
This workshop is suitable for those with some experience of classes. £25 + booking fee BOOK
WORKSHOP FOUR:
Story Telling in Improv
February 10th (3hrs 2pm to 5pm)
What are the elements of good story telling? How do you move an audience with a story you just made up on the spot? This three hour workshop teaches students forms and techniques used by pro writers, to tease out great stories in impro. Combining ideas from screen writing and mythic structure (with particular attention paid to Robert McKee, Christopher Vogler, and Joseph Campbell) Alan takes the class through techniques like: 'what happens next?', free association/re-incorporation, turning points and tilts, with special emphasis on 'The Hero's Journey' This workshop is suitable for those with some experience of classes. £25 + booking fee BOOK