LEARN LONG-FORM IMPROV

Long-form improv is fully improvised scene work, sketches or narrative pieces, inspired by a suggestion or improvised opening, that is often held together by a practised structure.

See All Upcoming Classes

CORE CURRICULUM

Our core program has been designed to help you build a strong foundation to start your improv journey.

101: Intro to Long Form

An intro to long-form, 101 requires no prerequisite. Here you will learn how to start scenes, how to deliver convincing object work and how to really focus on and listen to your scene partner.

201: The Game of The Scene

We start to explore the concepts around Game of the Scene. “Game” is a popular concept originally coined at Improv Olympic by Del Close and taught in many of the big improv schools. In this level, we look at how to heighten and explore comedic ideas in scenes as well as discuss some of the theories around comedy.

301: The Harold

You will use all the skills you’ve learned so far and apply them to The Harold form. The Harold was an improv show structure conceived at The Second City theatre and developed over at Improv Olympic and The Upright Citizens Brigade. Today it is taught at many of the major improv schools in the U.S. and was a key part of training for many of the biggest comedy stars in America, like Donald Glover, Tina Fey, Ben Schwartz and Amy Poehler. The Atom is the only school in Liverpool where you can learn this challenging but rewarding style.

WORKSHOPS & DROP-INS

We also offer a variety of specialty courses and drop-ins.

The Atom Jam

Every fourth Sunday of the month we run a Jam at the Studio Beyond in Liverpool. You can even bring your whole team to come play! £4 entry per person and you can sign up on the door. Keep an eye out for updates on our Instagram.

Specialist courses and intensives

We offer courses and intensives focusing on specific skills and improvisational forms, such as stagecraft or the Improvised Documentary. Keep an eye out for these classes on our Instagram and the Upcoming Classes page.

Guest workshops

Here at the Atom we are in the unique position to be able to collaborate with other improv establishments across the globe. We’ve built a great reputation for giving our guests great teaching and performance opportunities. We frequently host special guest tutors from the likes of The Free Association, The UCB and WGIS who teach one-off classes for us. Guest tutors have included Will Hines, Monika Smith, Sarah Claspell, Sebastian Conelli, Graham Dickson and many more. Keep an eye out for special guest workshops on our Instagram and the Upcoming Classes page!

SEE ALL UPCOMING CLASSES

CORPORATE TRAINING

Is your workforce struggling to find collaboration? Do you find that communication and listening often fall short? Does your team pull in different directions instead of working together to solve a problem or task? Or does your team simply need more confidence when speaking in a public scenario? Well, perhaps improv is the solution. Improvisation requires all of these skills and more, and most of all, it’s a really fun way to develop your team. If you’re interested, please get in touch and we can tailor a fun team-building day to suit your needs.

Please reach out to inquire.

FAQ

  • Our classes specialise purely in long-form improvised comedy. We focus predominantly on Game of The Scene-style improvisation, a play style that originated at the Improv Olympic and was popularised at The UCB theatre in New York and LA. “Game” gives us a more grounded way to play, and we use comedic structures to challenge you and help you grow. We put the student experience first and are committed to creating as many performance opportunities as possible. Although our classes can be fun for hobbyists, our main aim is to help build our students into well-rounded and capable comedy performers.

  • Our classes start at £100 per course, and the shorter workshops start at £40. Depending on the length and who’s teaching, these can vary. Our prices are highly competitive and substantially more affordable than many of the other courses in the area.

  • We currently offer a few different options: 5-6 week courses, one-day workshops, a monthly open jam, and weekend intensives that we run sporadically throughout the year. If you have a group of 6 or more that would be interested in taking a class but can't find one that suits you, please get in touch and we can see if we can arrange to run one specifically suited to your availability.

  • All of our classes take place in or close to Liverpool city centre. The bulk of our shows take place at VideOdyssey in Toxteth and The Studio Beyond on Wood street, in the city centre. Our classes will be in varying venues depending on availability and specific needs. We tend to run them from The Studio Below on Rodney Street or The Liverpool Arts Bar on Hope Street. If you’d like to take a class and have specific access needs, please get in touch in advance so we can try to find a suitable venue.

  • Unfortunately, accessible venues are few and far between in Liverpool, as there tends to be a focus on heritage over access. This is something we (and actually many of the venue owners) find hugely frustrating. Many of the spaces that do have access operate classes internally or charge a very high cost for their use. However, we do have a couple of options available to us on occasion and want to find a solution to this long-term, so if you have any specific access needs, please reach out to us here. We’d love to talk and see if we can run a course in a space that works for everyone.

  • In your first class, we cover the basics. We make sure everyone is eased into the session with basic introductions and some simple warm-up games. We cover the ground rules and code of conduct while in class and start to explore scene work. We strive to keep our students as safe and comfortable as possible in our sessions.

  • Diversity is hugely important to us at The Atom Improv and we believe in creating equitable opportunities for people from all walks of life. Starting in 2025 we will be offering a diversity scholarship for our core curriculum. We are opening this up to anyone who believes that they qualify, so please get in touch with us via our contact page and tell us a bit about yourself, what sort of comedy you’re into, why you’d like to take our course and why you feel you qualify for the initiative.

  • Sometimes life gets in the way, and we understand that. If you’ve signed up for a multi-day course and miss a session, as long as you notify us, it’s usually not a problem. If you miss two or more OR a full day of an intensive, it is at the discretion of the facilitator if you are allowed to return. We cannot offer refunds for this.

  • Yes, it can be found here: The Atom Code of Conduct

  • Our classes are carefully designed to help our students build a solid foundation in a specific framework. We therefore suggest everyone starts with 101 regardless of previous experience. However, we recognise some schools teach very similar techniques, so if you have completed levels from The UCB, WGIS, The GIT, The FA or IO, please get in touch with us, as there is some crossover with what we cover.