#173 Deeper look
Experience. Quality. Theatre. Voice. Feedback.
2 JULY 2025

📸 Christoph Paulik
Hello, everyone.
Something a little different this week. I’m devoting the whole newsletter to one final push for The Pretend Company’s Improv Actor Training programme, running 16 weeks on Tuesdays from 2nd September 2025 in London and Southend. It’s less than a week until our application deadline.
We’ve gone into exhaustive detail about the course here - so please click that link for the long version but tldr; here’s five reasons why I think we’re building something special.
Experience All three of our directors are hugely respected improvisers, both locally and internationally. We have written the syllabus together and are passionate about giving applicants an experience like nothing you’ve ever had in an improv class before.
Quality AND quantity Our cohorts will be smaller (8-10 performers depending on applications) and our sessions will last longer than most improv classes (2.5 hours) and are scheduled for twice as long (4 months). You will also get a mid-term showcase as well as a final showcase, allowing us to give performance notes with plenty of time to work on them as we continue through the syllabus.
Theatre All three directors love theatrical improv. That means we’re teaching something that is rarely focussed on in improv - performance skills like voice, body, stage picture - the things that elevate a good performer into a great one.
Artistic voice We have no wish to churn out cookie-cutter improvisers. That’s why part of our core offering is a chance to identify and refine your own artistic voice. What are your improv superpowers? How can you use them to create art that is uniquely and wholly your own?
Feedback We’re not going to be afraid to give specific individualised feedback, consistently and often. This is something that we believe improvisers are crying out for - someone who can give them simple actionable notes that will improve their performance in real time.
And finally, we’re reducing the cost of the course to £625 after some brilliant feedback and a deeper look at what other improv schools are offering. We believe that this makes us an extremely competitive option.
As I said, deadline for applications is just under a week away - 8th July 2025 - as ever I’m available to chat to anyone who has questions - just reply to this email.
Full course description
Application form
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