What to Expect in Your First Improv Class
If you’ve thought about taking an improv class, there’s a good chance you’ve also thought: “I’m not funny enough,” “I’ll freeze,” or “Everyone else will know what they’re doing.”
The good news is that a beginner improv class is usually much less intimidating than people expect. At National Comedy Theatre in San Diego, most Level 1 students arrive with little or no performance experience, and nobody expects you to walk in ready to entertain the room.
You Won’t Be Thrown on Stage
Your first class does not begin with an audition, a solo performance, or someone pointing at you and saying, “Be funny.”
Classes start with simple group warm-ups and interactive exercises designed to get everyone listening, responding and playing together. You ease into the work gradually, and the focus is on participation, not performance.
One of the first things many students notice is how normal everyone else seems. NCT classes attract people from all kinds of backgrounds: professionals, teachers, engineers, students, retirees and plenty of people who haven’t performed since they were kids.
What You’ll Actually Do in an Improv Class
Improv is learned by doing, not by sitting through a lecture. Most of class is spent on your feet participating in exercises that gradually build from simple group activities into characters, stories and scenes.
Start with Simple Group Exercises
Classes usually begin with warm-ups and easy games that get everyone moving, talking and participating together. The goal is to get out of your head and become comfortable responding without overthinking every choice.
Learn to Listen and Respond
A huge part of improv is paying attention to what someone else gives you instead of planning what you want to say next. You’ll practice accepting ideas, adding to them and discovering what happens when you stay genuinely present.
Build Stories and Characters Together
As the exercises develop, you’ll begin experimenting with characters, relationships and collaborative storytelling. Nobody has to invent an entire scene alone. You and your classmates create it together, one idea at a time.
Gradually Work Your Way into Scenes
Once everyone is comfortable with the fundamentals, the class begins applying those skills to short improvised scenes. By that point, it feels much less like being “put on the spot” and much more like playing with people you’ve gotten to know.
The important part: you are not competing with your classmates. Improv is collaborative. The goal is to support each other, build on each other’s ideas and make the whole group successful.
What If I’m Nervous?
Being a little nervous before your first improv class is completely normal. In fact, many of the people walking into class with you are probably wondering exactly the same things.
Do I Need to Be Funny?
No. Improv isn’t about arriving with jokes or trying to be the funniest person in the room. Some of the funniest moments happen simply because people listen carefully, respond honestly and commit to whatever is happening in the scene.
You don’t need a collection of clever things to say. You just need to be willing to participate.
What If I’m Shy?
Plenty of people take improv precisely because they’re shy, nervous in groups or uncomfortable speaking in front of other people. Beginner exercises start small and give you something specific to focus on, rather than asking you to simply “perform.”
As the class gets to know one another, most students find that the room becomes considerably less intimidating.
Will I Have to Perform in Front of Everyone?
You’ll participate throughout class, and eventually some exercises and scenes will happen in front of your classmates. But you won’t walk in on day one and suddenly be expected to put on a show.
The progression is gradual, and by the time you’re doing scenes, you’ve already spent time playing and working with the same group.
You just have to be willing to try something new.
A Few Practical Things to Know
You don’t need to study improv before you arrive, and there’s nothing special you need to prepare. A few basic details can make your first class feel a little easier.
No Preparation Needed
You do not need to memorize anything, prepare a monologue or come in with jokes. Level 1 assumes you are starting from the beginning.
Adult Classes Are 18+
NCT’s adult improv classes are for students ages 18 and up. Separate programs are available for teens.
Level 1 Runs for Six Weeks
Level 1 meets once a week for six weeks, giving the group time to build skills gradually and become more comfortable working together.
Check Your Class Location
Classes are held either at National Comedy Theatre on India Street or at NCT’s rehearsal studio on Upas Street. Your registration page will list the location for your specific class.
Most important: show up ready to participate. Everything else is taught once you’re there.
You Don’t Have to Be a “Theatre Person”
One of the biggest surprises for many first-time students is discovering that most of the people in class aren’t actors.
NCT students come from all kinds of backgrounds. We’ve had engineers, teachers, scientists, lawyers, business professionals, college students, retirees and plenty of people who simply decided they wanted to try something completely different.
Some people take improv because they want to perform. Others want to become more comfortable speaking in front of people, think more quickly on their feet, meet new people or shake up their routine. And some sign up for no more complicated reason than it sounds fun.
That mix is part of what makes a beginner class work. Everyone arrives with different experiences, personalities and reasons for being there, but everyone starts Level 1 in the same place.
A Few More Things You May Be Wondering
Still have questions? Here are a few of the practical things first-time improv students often want to know before they walk through the door.
What should I wear to an improv class?
Wear something comfortable that allows you to move around easily. Improv isn’t a workout class, but you’ll spend much of the time standing, moving and participating rather than sitting in a chair. There’s no need to dress up.
What happens if I make a mistake?
You will. So will everyone else. Improv is built around responding to unexpected things, so there usually isn’t one “correct” thing you were supposed to say or do. Something that feels like a mistake can easily become the most interesting part of an exercise.
What if I don’t know what to say?
That’s one of the reasons you’re taking the class. The exercises teach you how to stop searching for the perfect response and work with whatever is already happening. Your instructor and classmates are there to support you, and nobody expects a beginner to know what to do before they’ve learned it.
What happens after Level 1?
Students who want to continue can move into NCT’s Level 2 and Level 3 classes, where the training develops into more advanced scenework, character work and live performance. NCT also offers continuing and specialty classes throughout the year.
You can see the complete training path on our San Diego improv classes page .
Your First Class Starts with Level 1
Level 1 is where most NCT students begin. You don’t need acting experience, improv experience or a collection of clever things to say. The class is designed to teach you everything you need to know from the beginning.