Belfast Improv Festival 2026 - Workshops

Workshop costs are £40 half day/ £80 full day

ALL = open to everyone with improv experience
INT = participants should have 6 months of performance experience
ADV = participants should have 1 year of performance experience

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Sat 26th Sept (10am - 5pm) - 'Long-Form Clap-In' (ADV)

Sat 26th Sept (10am - 5pm) - 'The Odyssey' (INT)

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Sun 27th Sept (10am - 1pm) - 'Scenes about Nothing' (ALL)

Sun 27th Sept (10am - 1pm) - 'The Biggest Loser' (INT)

Sun 27th Sept (2pm - 5pm) - 'I Am Not Afraid To Exist' (ALL)

Sun 27th Sept (2pm - 5pm) - 'The Hook and The Anchor' (ALL)

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Monday 10th Sept (workshops to be added if demand is present).

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SATURDAY

'Long-Form Clap-In' - Navaris Darson

Learn about Groundlings-style long-form improv! During this workshop, improvisers will play within the structure of The Groundlings’ Crazy Uncle Joe Show, exploring how to quickly generate ideas, make bold choices, heighten relationships, and successfully weave through multiple expanding storylines.

'The Odyssey' - Maro Lesioti

Participants explore how the structure, themes, and poetic devices of "The Odyssey" can serve as tools for improvisers to build expansive, immersive worlds. By examining how the poem balances reality with myth, performers will learn to craft compelling narratives that stretch beyond conventional storytelling, embody heightened characters, and transport audiences into uncharted, imaginative realms.

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SUNDAY

'Scenes About Nothing' - Bodei Brower

Don't make it personal, don't build a relationship and whatever happens: no conflict! Scenes about nothing are wonderful palette cleansers in a busy show. In this workshop, Bodei will give you the 3 factors that make scenes about nothing some of the most entertaining scenes around.

'The Biggest Loser' - Navaris Darson

Losers get the laugh! In this workshop, we’ll explore the improv principle of “choosing to lose” – including how to drive the comedy with character flaws; winning arguments by losing; and embracing negative labels as gifts and using them as gateways to specific character information.

'I Am Not Afraid To Exist' - Maro Lesioti

This workshop explores the irreverent act of acceptance. Going beyond the mechanics of “yes, and,” this workshop invites participants to embrace themselves, without using acceptance as an excuse to overstep boundaries. Through exercises that cultivate trust and deep listening, they will practice saying “yes” to their identities. Freedom will be unlocked on stage and in life.

'The Hook and The Anchor' - Erica Maity

The Hook and the Anchor: a simple method for creating characters that are unique and memorable. You'll learn to link characters to your own life experience (the anchor) to give them a clear point of view, lock them in with physicality and repetition (the hook), then send them off on autopilot, freeing up your own brain to connect with your scene partners and discover the moment.