"Oxford Impro gave us a delightful and skilled performance with special thought for the occasion"
Sue Shaw on 'It's All About You' performed at a birthday party
Performing in a marquee at a birthday party |
What can Oxford Impro offer?
The answer to that is just about anything! (within reason! And probably within the entertainment genre) Just contact us and we'll see what we can do!
Shows
We can offer a variety of things to suit individuals or companies. The most common event we are asked to do is an improvised sketch show, which we then tailor according to the event. Whether it's a party, street theatre, after dinner entertainment, spicing up a meeting, a local village hall, or the National Theatre! - we'll be there to create a unique performance as individual as your occasion.
Please do not hesitate to contact us no matter what your requirements.
Workshops
We also run a wide range of workshops, from basic impro skills for both children and adults, to more focused work on masks or storytelling.
'Moving Bodies' at a workshop |
Through the use of games and fun techniques we can help build confidence and develop skills in an enjoyable and friendly environment.
One thing Oxford Impro always strive to do is make sure workshops are a supportive process by creating a safe and friendly environment to work in, and hopefully by the end of the day everyone would even realise how great failure is, as long as you remain happy!
Whatever the structure, our workshops aim to teach people to get back to their childlike roots by using their creativity and imagination that may have stayed buried for years.
You might just have a fun day, you might realise something you never knew about yourself, you might decide you want to do more, but you’ll never know until you take the risk and give it a go.
In training
Some organisations find it beneficial to have people like us come and perform at meetings as it can lighten the atmosphere and encourage people to go along.
Many companies are now realising the value that artists can have in helping their business and the many different areas where it can help. Arts-based training can help staff interact with customers, or aid management communicate better with their staff.
Oxford Impro at The Prince's Trust
Annual Inaugural Meeting in Ireland |
Improvisation can also be done as part of a team-building exercise, where colleagues can have fun together and see different aspects of each other; it is well known that “happy workers are good workers”!
Actors naturally possess the ‘3 C’s’ – confidence, communication and creativity; all vital ingredients to a successful business.
There a two different styles of workshops Oxford Impro can run:
- Working with your ideas and an independent business consultant, together we can construct the ideal training sessions to perfectly suit your needs
- A team-building session that is there purely for the purposes of enjoyment! Or even just some entertainment, to brighten up that dull meeting or as some light relief after an important dinner meeting.
For the past 3 years we have been working with City Councils around the counrty as well as The Prince’s Trust, who have both found the role-plays we did with them very beneficial for improving such things as assertiveness and communication.
For Schools
Children of all ages can benefit from Improvisation in a huge variety of different ways. And believe it or not, they are usually the best at it! Their imaginations are still very strong, although over-stimulation from modern technology such as video games and television is destroying this. They can build confidence through not only learning how to be comfortable with themselves but also understanding that failure is not always bad.
The workshops are designed to help with life skills, and not just how to get up and perform on stage, which not everyone wants to do. We will encourage them to think less negatively and say more positive things as well help them understand why people do some of the things they do.
One of our main aims is to make people feel relaxed and comfortable so that they feel happy to try out anything without the fear of criticism in a warm and enjoyable atmosphere. Whether they choose to take away anything from it or not, we hope they will have a fun time full of laughter, and maybe without having even tried, they may have learnt something.
Workshops for younger generations can be booked as part of a school/college (secondary upwards) or as a community centre, and can take many different forms. You have the option of choosing how long the workshop is and whether or not there is a performance afterwards.
Street theatre with Trestle masks |
The options are:
- Half day workshop
- Half day workshop + Oxford Impro performance
- Full day workshop
- Full day workshop + Oxford Impro performance
- Full day workshop + performance by the attendants of workshop
We are also happy to just come in and do a performance, or to lead longer workshops, or to do them on a regular basis.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or would like more information on any of the above