It’s a new year. I don’t know if you’ve noticed?

Anyway, here’s what I want to do in improv this year.

Relaunch YesBot

I have a lovely little podcast where every episode a different improviser programmes a robot to be their perfect scene partner. It’s basically an excuse to talk about what’s most important to them in improv. I haven’t done an episode for years and years so I want to restart it in 2024. I already have a bunch of unedited shows but I also want to get out there and talk to all the new people I’ve met since.

Build an ensemble

I miss being part of an ensemble - that is a larger group of people who regularly put on a show. Since leaving the Maydays, this has been a huge gap in my improv experience. I want to build a new ensemble and start putting on shows again. I want those shows to be ambitious and theatrical in nature - to use costumes and set and tech to tell big, powerful, funny stories. I also want to put on a regular night in London for other people who do this kind of improv.

Create an improv company

I want to order my improv activities under an umbrella identity. I’m not sure exactly what this will entail - I’ve been thinking about a school, a theatre, a festival, a corporate training company - I can’t decide exactly where I want to put my effort yet but I know I want it all to build into a cohesive identity. And I want to have a cool logo.

Curate an improv community online

This feeds into the last one but deserves it’s own heading. I recently closed down the premium tier of my newsletter (as well as leaving social media for a year) and I want to replace it with an online community like a scaled-down version of what Katy and I did with the International Improv Station. A place to share thoughts on improv and talk to like-minded improvisers.

This one is already in the works, so watch this space!


That seems enough for now! What are your improv resolutions?

Let me know by replying to the newsletter.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

<aside> 💡 Hey, my name’s Chris Mead. I write an article about improv almost every week. You can get the latest in your inbox by subscribing to my newsletter. Or check out the archive.

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