In partnership with
Old Fire Station, OX1 2AQ
Thursday 29 Jan – Sunday 1 Feb 2026
Programme
View the full festival programme at a glance (PDF). All shows and workshops in one place.
Workshops for 2026
Nathan Peter Grassi and Ida Berglöw Kenneway: Creating Instant Characters
Thu 29 Jan 2026, 4:30pm–6pm
Members of The Dead Secrets will lead an energetic workshop exploring how to create instant and believable characters. Participants will learn to approach characterisation through improvisation and discover new characters along the way by learning some simple and fun techniques.
This workshop is for anyone: whether you’re entirely new to improv, haven’t tried it in years, or have lots of previous experience and want to brush up on your skills.
Standard £10 | Pay more £15 | Pay less £5
Orson Hart: Improv 101
Fri 30 Jan 2026, 10am–11:30am
Been thinking about trying improv but not sure where to start? Come along to House of Improv’s Improv 101 Workshop. We will help develop the basic skills required for performing improvised comedy by playing some fun games and working collaboratively to create scenes.
The workshop will be run by performers from the Oxford-based troupe with years of experience in getting new performers started with improv. If you’re completely new or looking to brush up your improv skills, then this workshop is perfect for you.
Standard £10 | Pay more £15 | Pay less £5
Tim Goldman and Amy Kerstein (Quirky Yurti): Anyone Can Improvise
Fri 30 Jan 2026, 12pm–1:30pm
Come and join us for 90 minutes like you’ve never experienced before!
We will share some of the fundamentals of improv and also some of the more natural and free aspects of the artform that can turn anyone into an improvisor in just 10 minutes. It will be a hoot!
Standard £10 | Pay more £15 | Pay less £5
Neil Curran: Working with Strangers
Fri 30 Jan 2026, 2pm-3.30pm
There are no safety nets in immersive, interactive improv shows but that doesn’t mean it should be a high wire, death defying act. Growing comfort with performing with strangers also builds our resilience and ability to perform with inexperienced or difficult teammates too. In this workshop we explore performing with strangers, be it non-improvisers or inexperienced performers, levering our strengths, and theirs too, even if they don’t know they have them!
Learning Outcomes:
- Handling resistance on stage
- Finding offers when you feel your partner is not giving you any
- Dealing with curveballs
- Performing with strangers
- Making a show of it!
Standard £10 | Pay more £15 | Pay less £5
Matt Sparkes: Telepathy for Improvisers
Fri 30 Jan 2026, 4pm-5.30pm
You step into a scene. Your partner doesn’t say a word. They just sit there… still, watching, maybe a flicker of emotion across their face. For a moment, it feels like you’re alone, carrying the whole weight of the scene. But then something shifts. You notice the tilt of their head, the way they won’t meet your eyes, the tension in their hands. Suddenly, you realise: there is a story here. It’s not being told, it’s being shown.
In this workshop, you’ll explore the telepathic side of improv…playing as if your character instinctively knows what their partner is thinking and feeling. You’ll heighten your awareness of subtle behaviour and emotion, discovering how to create scenes that feel intuitive, alive, and deeply connected.
(For improvisers with some prior experience).
Standard £10 | Pay more £15 | Pay less £5
Paul Z Jackson: Improvisation for Life
Sat 31 Jan 2026, 10am–11:30am
Step into a lively, supportive space where improvisation becomes more than performance – it’s a way of engaging with life.
You’ll take part in playful activities that build confidence, spark creativity, and uncover hidden strengths.
Explore the core principles of improv – listening, noticing, and responding – in a safe, encouraging atmosphere. Discover how these tools can sharpen communication, elevate collaboration, and help you thrive in a changing world.
Through laughter and connection, you’ll gain practical insights to apply right away – boosting creativity, innovation, and resilience.
No experience needed – just curiosity and a willingness to play.
Standard £10 | Pay more £15 | Pay less £5
Kevin Tomlinson: The Keith Johnstone Improv System
Sat 31 Jan 2026, 12pm–1:30pm
Would you like to be more creative? A better storyteller? Better actor? Better improviser? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, then this is the workshop for you. In this workshop you will explore the ideas of Keith Johnstone (author of the famous book “Impro”) and how his ideas are designed to release everyone’s imaginations.
This workshop explores the 10 ways in which we block our imaginations (and other people’s) via; wimping, hedging, bridging, ignoring, under accepting, side tracking and killing ideas.
Standard £10 | Pay more £15 | Pay less £5
Oxford Imps: Musical Improv
Sat 31 Jan 2026, 2pm–3:30pm
Join the Oxford Imps for a fun, welcoming Introduction to Musical Improv workshop! Discover how to create songs on the spot through playful games, teamwork, and creativity.
No singing or improv experience needed – just enthusiasm! Perfect for anyone wanting to experiment and unleash their inner musical genius.
Standard £10 | Pay more £15 | Pay less £5
Awkward Actors: How to Be Awkward
Sat 31 Jan 2026, 4pm–5:30pm
Here’s your chance to get playful and creative with the Awkward Actors! Join us for a gentle set of exercises and games that will focus on building your spontaneity skills- whether you plan to use them on stage or off.
Be you a seasoned improv veteran or an absolute beginner fulfilling a New Year’s resolution, there’s never been a better opportunity to embrace your “Inner Awkward”!
Standard £10 | Pay more £15 | Pay less £5
Alex Jones: How to Make Your Improv Scenes Pop
Sun 1 Feb 2026, 10am–11:30am
The funniest scenes don’t come from trying to be funny — they come from being real. In this improv workshop, Alex from Atomic Wasp will introduce how to use the ‘who, what, and where?’, listening and reacting, exploring stakes, and heightening your choices to help your scenes.
By focusing on building real-life scenes, relationships, and situations, your scenes will feel easy, alive, and engaging; your audiences will be captivated, and the comedy will naturally pop.
Experience level: Must have completed a beginners improv course.
Standard £10 | Pay more £15 | Pay less £5
Mark Smith: Creating Images and Sound: Listening with Your Eyes and Ears
Sun 1 Feb 2026, 12pm–1:30pm
This workshop is built around play and spontaneity. You’ll explore how group images, stage pictures, and shape (both literal and abstract) can enhance transitions and offers within scenes. You will also learn to use your voice in a non-textual way to deepen your work.
When paired with spoken text or song, these elements create an exciting additional layer that you can apply to both short and long-form improv.
This workshop is perfect for those who are new to improv or for experienced improvisers who want to explore a new approach to how their work looks and sounds on stage.
Standard £10 | Pay more £15 | Pay less £5
Stuart Moses: Using Movement To Inspire Character And Subvert Cliché
Sun 1 Feb 2026, 2:00–3:30pm
Do you catch yourself creating the same kinds of characters? Do you lean too heavily on words to show who you are and how you feel? In this workshop, we’ll unlock ways to build unique and interesting characters through physicality.
Drawing inspiration from movement theoretician Rudolf Laban, we’ll explore his three Efforts – Space, Weight, and Time – through playful movement.
We’ll float, punch, glide, slash, dab, wring, flick, and press, expanding our physical vocabulary to reveal what’s happening inside our characters, and ultimately inside ourselves.
Standard £10 | Pay more £15 | Pay less £5
Book your workshops
Please arrive 10 minutes before the session starts.
Wear comfortable clothing and shoes.
Bring a water bottle.
Each session lasts an hour and a half. Depending on the teacher, there may or may not be a short break in the middle… but of course, feel free to use the bathroom whenever you need to.
Tickets are now available
Workshops
Standard £10, Pay more £15, Pay less £5
Maximum 16 participants per workshop
(Telepathy for Improvisers is limited to 12 participants)
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