Improvising Babies There has been a lot of talk about a lockdown baby boom. In Bristol, 6 women all on one street  got pregnant during the first lockdown, and in case you missed it, as well as making a LOT of banana bread, last year two of us Maydays made a baby!  We have joked...

A Year of Polarities A year ago I was preparing to go and play in the ensemble team at IMPRO Amsterdam 2020. This epic festival brings improvisers from across the planet for one magical week of high quality improvised theatre, workshops and party. It was a truly wonderful experience. For me, it was part of...

Three tips for Responding to Questions in Scenes There’s something I’ve felt quite conflicted about in improv: I am of the opinion that questions are an integral part of language and, when you think about them that way, it seems odd to avoid them in improv scenes. However, it is no secret that asking questions...

Ring-lights, phones and computer screens: online improv has been an amazing lifeline for some, and a welcome distraction for others, but don’t forget to take some time away from the bright lights and get some green-time (and I don’t just mean green-screens) this festive season. I have to be honest. While this year’s been terrible...

Online Improv Course: The Fundamentals of Stupidity – Interview with Britt Pay   Your Online Improv Course: The Fundamentals of Stupidity starts on 9th January. What gave you the idea for this course? I love clown & improv and wanted to combine the two, so we can all be joyous and stupid together! What excites...

Jennifer Jordan talks about her obsession with Improvised Puppetry and her top 5 tips to help bring your puppet to life.   I’ve been trying to work out why I love puppets so much, and honestly, I still can’t put my finger on it. It must be the same reasons I love silent comedy, BSL...

Online Beginners Improv Course – Interview with Jon Nguyen   Your online beginners’ improv course starts on 4th January, what do you like about teaching beginners improv courses? I love the connectivity that improv generates, as well as the positivity and a beginners course is easily the best way to get onto that road. Seeing...

2021 – the year to be excited about improv? I’m bursting. You know when someone keeps filling a cup of coffee until it spills over, that’s how I’m feeling right now about improv. Like many of us, I need to get myself on a stage before I overflow (is this metaphor working?) I’m writing this...

Online Longform Improv – Two Forms: Interview with Dan Ryan   Your online longform improv course Two Forms – Four Track and Pretty Flower kicks off on 6th January, what gave you the idea for this course? I have an obsession with matching scenes, so that drove the desire to do some Four Track, and...

Improv Genre Selection Box: Meet your teachers This year we are excited to bring you not one but three holiday time intensives! Here we meet the teachers of the improv genre selection box. We find out about their class and what they are hoping to get from Santa!   So, who are the teachers of...

There has never been more need for connection, laughter and escape than 2020.  With the end of the year approaching fast, it is clear that the traditional celebrations, parties and events will be stripped back or will not take place at all.  As for socialising online, we all know it can be awkward and tiring. ...

I am not a carpenter.  I would go a little further and say that most things I have attempted to construct from wood in the past have stayed together more through optimism than joinery.  So when I conceived the idea of a bespoke bedside table for the rather unique space to my left as I...

All views expressed are authors own. by Rhiannon Vivian To preface this slightly scatterbrained blog, I want to say that I’m aware I have a mighty privilege. And I’m beyond grateful for it. I want to always consider how I can use it to help others. * * * I might have just free fallen...

Silence in Improv: Interview with Rebecca MacMillan   Your course ‘Beyond Words’ focussing on silence in improv starts soon. What gave you the idea for this course? For me, there are two things about silence in improv. I realised some years back that in my own improvisation my ‘panic response’ is to be overly verbal....

Between March and October 2020, we’ve delivered around 580 online improvisation classes and in so doing, we’ve become one of the world’s foremost providers of online improvisation courses, classes and experiences. We have also had a big impact on people’s online communication skills. Here we take a look at how we did it, where we’re...

Improvised Puppetry: Interview with Jennifer Jordan   What excites you when it comes to improvised puppetry? Improvised puppetry has so many possibilities. The fact that puppetry opens up possibilities which are restricted in human improv by the laws of physics. I also love the different sides of improvisers which get revealed when performing through a...

Regency Square Maydays Studio closure It is with great sadness that we announce the closure of our Brighton studio, primarily due to the on-going effects of the coronavirus pandemic. We have loved our studio (and we know a lot of you have too) but the space is too small to hold classes safely, and in...