An expert in improvisation – the art of making things up as you go along – is teaching the skills required in Farnham.

Chris Mead has arranged ‘improv’ classes and events at Farnham Maltings this autumn. He explained what it’s all about.

What is improv?

It refers to any theatrical offering without a script – where plot, characters and dialogue are made up on the spot – but particularly the style of performance popularised by The Second City and Improv Olympic in Chicago.

Beginning with Viola Spolin, who worked with immigrant children and needed games that let them play together without speaking the same language, it grew into quick-fire comedy shows inspired by audience suggestions.

Performers like Bill Murray, Alan Alda, Dan Ackroyd, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Mike Myers, Robin Williams, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig started in improv. In the UK it is most associated with Whose Line Is It Anyway?, comedy icons like Eddie Izzard and Paul Merton, and West End improvisers in Austentatious and Showstopper! The Improvised Musical.

Do you have to be a performer to benefit?

Absolutely not. Improv merely teaches you to be inspired by the unknown, in everything from making friends to managing companies. Improv is now taught as a module in many business schools. Students report more confidence, less social anxiety and a sense of happiness and well-being akin to regular meditation.

Who are you, Chris Mead?

I started improvising in 2001 when I met a Chicago improv troupe at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. I now make my living as an improviser. I’m one of the head teachers at Hoopla Improv, the largest improv school in the UK. I’ve visited 25 countries under the auspices of improv, from Saudi Arabia to New Zealand.

Why Farnham? Why now?

I was content to travel into London for my improv but since the pandemic I’ve realised how long I spent on trains. So now I want to bring improv to Farnham. I began by hiring a room at the Maltings for six weeks last year. Now that group of students have started performing shows. We had a brilliant night with a capacity crowd at the Blue Bear Bookshop.

Farnham Maltings will host weekly classes in Improv Comedy for Beginners (September 15 to October 20, 7pm-9pm) and Improv Comedy: Next Steps (October 27 to December 8, 7pm-9pm), plus Improv Jam social events (September 28, October 26, November 30 and December 14, 9pm-10pm). To book visit https://farnhammaltings.com/