by Jason Blackwater During a car discussion to Yorkshire…I think it was Yorkshire…it was a few months ago now and everything north of the Hollingbury turn off of the A23 feels like coal mine country to me, such is my soft southern-ness…it might also have been back from Yorkshire, or wherever it was…but all of...

By John Cremer As an experienced performer and trainer I condense the underlying value of practicing improvisation to one word – presence. In order to improvise well one acquires and develops a specific set of skills. This skill set greatly enhances personal effectiveness through an ever deepening level of presence in the here and now....

by Jen Rowe Last year, I ran a couple of workshops at our residential called ‘Improv and Creative Writing’. It was partly based on my lamenting the fact that we create so much wonderful stuff in improv classes only to lose it forever, except for dim and distant memories. That, and the fact that I...

by Jason Blackwater Well, that was fun! I’m feeling excited. You are a brilliant person, Jane. For the purposes of this blog, Jane, you’re name is Jane. Is that OK, Jane? Jason Chin was over last week for bit of focussed work with the Maydays and boy did he hit the emotion button. Brilliant! I could...

We  have many people coming to our workshops who claim that they “Cannot sing”. When  asked to do scale warm ups, they claim that they have a very limited range and they find it hard to pitch a note. In my experience, people can  find it hard to  sing at the right pitch, but it is very rare...

by Jason Blackwater Now, hold your horses! I know what you’re going to say. I’ve heard it before. “How do you rehearse improv?” “I thought you made it all up?” “can’t you just turn up and do it?” No. No, no and thrice no. Over the last three years of being a Mayday I have...

_ 1.       Osho Leela – This was our third year running our residential improv festival and the best yet.  5 days of Improv heaven hosted by The Maydays and Osho Leela. Apart from being immersed  in classes and shows, I love embracing my inner hippy. Veggie food and ‘Osho’ hugs are the order of the...

We learn through playing. Okay, we learn through other methods also like practise, repetition,experience and tutoring, but play is surely the most joyful and, more importantly, sub-conscious method of them all. Playing is a broader term for me than sitting down with a board game, or playing tag in the playground.  As I watch my...

The Maydays have been recruiting. Last night we held our most recent audition and with some success I might add. The strongest collective of auditionees I’ve certainly seen in my 2 and a half year stint as a Mayday and hopefully someone new will don the coveted grey shirt of destiny in the coming months....

I was teaching the Maydays Drop in class recently and two of the students who are recent converts to improv and now completely obsessed with the form (you know who you are you two!) cornered me afterwards and asked me, “How do we get to be good?!” I gave them my best answer but came...

So this week has seen the start of a (hopefully) beautiful relationship with improv for some, and the new chapter of improv for others. On Wednesday, I waited patiently to meet my new Beginner Improvisers at the Evolution Arts building. I have lost count of how many courses I have taught in the main studio,...

A fabulous night was had on Thursday as our Beginners Improv course showcased their comedic talents in front of a packed audience of family and friends at The Iambic Arts Theatre.After just 10 weeks of incubation The Wit Nits emerged from their chrysalis to provide a night of riotous laughter from start to finish. Highlights...

Our most recent show was the second of our new Saturday slots at the Komedia.  No more beating ourselves up about not attracting an audience, we were sold out by Tuesday!  It was heart-warming to feel the tingling excitement as the Studio Bar filled.  Snack food was available for the first time, and to the...

One thing that I hope improv has brought to my life in the wider sense is the abilty to be open to anything so when John suggested that the Maydays spend the day with a spiritual Guru called Prasadam who he described as a cross between the Dalai Lama and Spike Milligan I knew I...

Last night’s Maydays show at the Komedia was a fine example of how an audience can make a show take off.  The studio bar was bulging not only with people, but with a warm excitement, a radiant benevolence for the show they were about to witness.  30 paying customers were turned away at the door...

 It is healthy to be reminded why we do what we do sometimes. Last night was a prime example of this. The quiet village of Poynings nestles snugly behind the South Downs, safely shielded from the brashness of Brighton, guarding the lower entrance to Devil’s Dyke. The Maydays were playing in the Village Church as...

This week saw the start of two Maydays courses, the first of 2011. Last night I was lucky enough to be teaching the first session of our longform course and what a great group they are. I’ve worked with everyone before with the exception of Jo, but having seen her shortform showcase last year felt...

Happy Xmas everyone (yes i know it’s a bit late but us Maydays always celebrate with a trip to Poynings in the new year). Today we’ve been treated to an amazing meal by Tom and John, penguin impressions from Isaac, a lovely walk round Devil’s Dyke, and the company of ALL THE MAYDAYS and their...

Happy New Year everyone – here we are in 2011 and as usual I’m wondering what the hell happened to 2010, but I suppose time flies when you’re busy and we were definitely busy. TWO new Maydays – Liz Peters and Steve Roe – both of whom have fit like Cinderella’s dirty (and perfectly-formed) feet...

It is universally agreed (at least amongst us Maydays) that today was a bit of a bloody brilliant success. Little did we realise at the beginning of the month that we would be organising the first Edinburgh Fringe Improv Symposium (or Improsium as we now call it). To be fair, it was actually Heather that...