FAQs
Simply put, improv is comedy that is made up on that spot, usually as a part of a team. Just like a team sport, such as basketball or volleyball, you practice different skills and techniques with your teammates to be able to perform together and support each other's choices. So, while in basketball you may practice dribbling, shooting, passing, or blocking, in improv you practice creating characters, listening and being aware of what is happening around you, making up environments or objects, performing emotions and making bold choices all in support of building comedic scenes together with your teammates.
Generally speaking, improv comes in two forms - short form improv and long form improv. Short form improv (think “Whose Line is it Anyway”) leverages games, objects (sometimes) and prompts to help the players think on the spot and practice “yes…and” in a structured way. This is the approach we take for introducing improv to our younger players in the Funables and Unbreakables programs, as short form teaches the core principles of improv in a very digestible and fun way.
Long form improv (think full scenes that may resemble an SNL sketch, except made up on the spot) typically consists of building characters, relationships and full scenes based on a suggestion from the audience. As the players progress through the Unthinkable programs, we will begin to introduce long form improv exercises and frameworks to practice long form improv.
Saying “yes, and” is one of the most important “rules” of improv. In improv you are building a scene from scratch, “yes” empowers you to jump on board with whatever world and choices are being made in the scene, while the “and” encourages you to add more information, allowing you and your scene partner(s) to continuously build upon each others ideas and successfully perform an improv scene!
Improv is a character building artform that empowers kids and teens to build confidence, expand their listening and communication skills, practice teamwork, indulge in their imaginations and so much more! It’s a team sport that is all about collaboration, creativity and following the fun, and it ultimately harnesses many life skills that will continue to benefit your child and teen’s development outside of comedy!
This is a GREAT question! Here are some suggestions to help you talk about improv with your kiddos:
Improv classes are a great place to practice using your imagination and building stories and characters with other kids.
Improv is kind of like a sport. The more you practice, the better and funnier you get!
Improv is a place where you come up with super fun ideas on the spot and build them out in scenes with other kids.
Improv isn’t the same thing as acting out a play or show that you rehearse, all you have to do is show up, be a great listener and follow the funny ideas during class.
Each improv class will be filled with super fun comedy games and exercises with your team!
If you try improv and like it, you can keep taking classes and move up to more advanced levels!
You know who did improv? Blippi, Melissa McCarthy (Ursela from Little Mermaid), Keegan-Michael Key, Jim Carrey, Amy Poehler (the voice of ‘Joy’ from Inside Out), Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool), Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Supreme Court Justice Ketanjii Brown Jackson and soooo many more cool people!
While children will have moments of speaking up and “performing” with their teammates (including class Showcases at the end of every session), Unthinkable is NOT an acting school, nor are we teaching our players any specific acting skills or techniques other than the skill to listen and respond openly and honestly while participating in group improv games.
Improv is for…wait for it…EVERYONE! Whether your child/teen is calm, shy, outgoing, loud, or anything in between, improv has been proven to positively impact all types of people’s social and emotional learning (SEL) in many different ways. Unthinkable’s curriculum accommodates any child of any age 6+ who wants to try improv to see if it’s right for them, while also offering those kids/teens who want to continue exploring improv as a comedy and performance structure to do so with our more advanced classes.
If you have questions or concerns about whether or not your child/teen will have a positive experience or any feedback for us on what we can do to ensure Unthinkable is accessible for all children/teens, feel free to email us at info@unthinkablecomedy.com.
We can absolutely understand that the idea of creating something new on the spot, in the moment, with no preparation can be scary - but what we love about improv is you aren’t the only one who is creating something new up on the spot - everyone else in your class/group is as well - so you’re in it together and working together as a team to create the unthinkable. Our goal at Unthinkable Comedy is to create an environment and teach improv in a way where ANYONE will feel comfortable trying out this art form simply by leaning into saying “yes…and” and supporting each other’s ideas. We encourage you (and your child/teen) to embrace the possibility of what might happen if we listened more and said “yes…and” in more of our conversations. You might be surprised how often you’re already doing improv in your everyday life.
No experience in acting, improv or any performative arts is necessary. In fact, we LOVE having players who have never performed at all. We offer improv classes for all ages 6 and up and we have an entry point for everyone within our programming.
As improviser Will Hines once wrote, “the game of the scene means (very roughly) “the funny part.” The funny part starts when we find something that’s different from what we expect: “the unusual thing.”
As we continue to roll out new programming at Unthinkable Comedy, our primary focus is creating spaces for kids to learn and practice improv. As we continue to grow, we will be offering workshops and select classes for kids of all ages, even grown ups! If you’re an adult and interested, we encourage you to sign up for our newsletter to hear more. Or, if you want to host an improv workshop for your next party or friend group (get 6+ friends together, and we’re ready), reach out to us directly!
As corporate professionals themselves, the founders of Unthinkable Comedy can attest first hand that improv does, in fact, help in the workplace. We have run workshops for doctors, engineers, interns, advertising execs, nurses, musicians, researchers, designers, the list goes on. Whether the objective is to get better aligned during an offsite, create deeper connections and trust among colleagues, or simply just doing something fun and different with your team, - improv in the workplace is a proven method to build more confidence, communication and trust among teams, all while creating hilarious memories together! All of our Unthinkable @ Work workshops are completely customizable based on your goals, so reach out today to book one for your company and/or team!
While we have been teaching improv for years, Unthinkable Comedy is still quite new! With that, we are slowly rolling out recurring sessions and new sessions for players of all ages. Be sure to subscribe through our site and follow us on Instagram to be the first to know when new sessions become available!