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The Black Women Transforming London's Improv Theatre Scene

Last November, I reluctantly took my first improvisation theatre class. For the uninitiated, improv can be described as unrehearsed performance theatre, where inspiration is drawn from monologues or suggestions from the audience, or as somebody once described it, “Improv is a whole bunch of adults playing with each other on stage.”

When a friend recommended that we try out an improv taster session, my immediate response was no! As a self-professed control freak and perfectionist, I couldn’t think of anything worse than paying to make a fool of myself. But I took the bold step and attended an afternoon taster session class with Hoopla as I remembered the importance of doing things that scare you in order to grow. 

Despite my apprehension, the most comforting thing was how much emphasis was placed on not needing to be funny, and most importantly, the teacher created an atmosphere of support, trust, encouragement and embracing mistakes. A year later, I’m on my fifth course and can confidently attest to how much I’ve grown and how grateful I am for the friends I’ve made. Improv is transformative.