This is where the laughs are

Little John Improv brings the best improv shows to Nottingham. From our own homegrown talent to some of the highest regarded improvisers from the UK and around the world, we provide a stage for fantastic shows. We also help develop local talent with workshops and courses. We exist to keep the aims of the Robin Hood International Improv Festival alive all year round, by creating the best in improvised theatre and comedy. Check out a show or come take a workshop.

Little John Improv also offers more courses and workshops in Nottingham than anyone else and has fast become the destination for those wanting to learn improv. We have world-class improvisers part of our teaching faculty including those who run the improv programme at Nottingham Playhouse. If you are interested in classes check out this page, or get in touch for more information at littlejohnimprovnotts@gmail.com

September Shows & Workshops

  • Tues 8th: Loose Goose Free Workshop - Let's Build A Character

    19:00 - 20:00 (FREE BUT BOOKING REQUIRED)

    Teacher: Naomi Murden

    Let's build a character! Ever wanted to build a character that walks into a scene fully formed and doesn't let go? Naomi will spend this class working with you on creating characters with real depth and specificity, and how to use that character work to enrich your scene partnerships, making your teamwork sharper and more connected across the board.

    About your teacher:
    Naomi Murden is an improviser and musical improviser from Los Angeles, California, where she trained at UCB and Second City and was lucky enough to be on the house teams at both theatres. During her time in LA, she also worked in film, television, and a lot of internet shows. Since moving to Nottingham, she teaches the core improv course at Nottingham Playhouse, as well as musical improv at Little John Improv. You can also catch her performing throughout the Midlands with The Secret Show and Rhymes Against Humanity.

    Book your free place now. Only 12 places.

  • Loose Goose Improv logo with a goose head pictured in a circle and the words Loose Goose Impro written underneath

    TUES 8TH: LOOSE GOOSE

    20:00 (FREE)

    Loose Goose is fun, friendly and FREE to come along. It's where improvisers come to create new work for the evening and where anyone can come to see the chaos unfold.

    A gaggle of improvised funtimes. All experience levels welcome. Anyone can play and be put into a team for the night - or you can just watch if you prefer.

    Want to play? Sign up on our Facebook event of just turn up on the night.

    Join us every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at Fisher Gate Point. 1 Fisher Gate Point, Nottingham NG1 1GD.

    Want to play? Sign up on our Facebook using the button below.

    This is an open to all improv performance in Nottingham on Tuesday 8th September 2026.

  • A group of musical improvisers gather around a keyboard

    Mon 14th Sept - Mon 19th Oct: Musical Improv 301

    18:30 - 20:30. Mondays (£180)

    This one's for the musical improvisers who've got song structure down and are ready to push further. In this course, the group works together to find their own show format, building toward a performance at the end of term where you'll bring that format to life.

    We'll also dig into genre and how to use it to your advantage, playing with the tropes and conventions of different musical styles to shape stronger scenes and songs.

    Prerequisite: Some musical improv experience and a working understanding of song structure.

    Teachers:
    Naomi Murden and Sam Marshall

    This is a six week improv course in Nottingham. It will run each Monday night from 6.30pm - 8.30pm from 14th Sept to 19th Oct. There will be a class showcase on Tuesday 27th October at the Loose Goose Improv Jam.

  • Sat 19th: The Secret Show

    19:30 (£8)

    Juicy confessions, awkward mishaps and scandalous secrets all get exposed at The Secret Show. What’s the one thing you’ve never told a soul? The Secret Show turns your anonymous whispers into laugh-out-loud scenes.

    It’s funny, it’s daring, it’s unique… and it’s all about you. Don’t miss the chance to see your secrets come to life in ways you never imagined. Confess. Laugh. Repeat.

    THIS MONTH’S GUEST ACT: TALES FROM THE DARKIVE

    In this "improv comedy show", the audience is granted exclusive access to the many strange case files buried in the Institute's Dark Archive. A clock that ticks like death. A lost dimension in a car park lift. A dog that MIGHT have a gun. When confronted with the true horrors of the universe the human psyche has but one response, uncontrollable laughter!

    This is an improv show from Little John Improv on Saturday 19th September 2026.

  • Tues 22nd: Loose Goose Free Workshop - Secret Missions (with Lloydie)

    19:00 - 20:00 (FREE BUT BOOKING REQUIRED)

    Want to give your scene an extra edge? In this one hour workshop, everyone is going to have a secret mission. Every time they perform, they are going to have to try to fulfil that mission… but there’s a catch….

    About your teacher:
    Lloydie is a professional improviser and podcaster. He co-founded the Robin Hood International Improv Festival and Rhymes Against Humanity - The Improvised Musical. He also improvises with Liam Webber as “The Clones” and with Katy Schutte and Sam Marshall in the Sondheim inspired “Brand New Musical”. He is producer / voice artist on the award nominated National Trust podcast “Ranger Rae and the Wildlifers”.

    Book your free place now. Only 12 places.

    This workshop is free thanks to generous funding from Arts Council England.

  • The logo for Loose Goose Improv featuring a the head of a goose wearing a santa hat

    Tues 22nd: Loose Goose

    20:00 (FREE)

    Loose Goose is fun, friendly and FREE to come along. It's where improvisers come to create new work for the evening and where anyone can come to see the chaos unfold.

    A gaggle of improvised funtimes. All experience levels welcome. Anyone can play and be put into a team for the night - or you can just watch if you prefer.

    Want to play? Sign up on our Facebook event of just turn up on the night.

    Join us every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at Fisher Gate Point. 1 Fisher Gate Point, Nottingham NG1 1GD.

    Want to play? Sign up on our Facebook using the button below.

    This is an open to all improv performance in Nottingham on Tuesday 22nd September 2026.

October Shows & Workshops

  • A picture of Rick Andrews, a male wearing glasses, smiling

    Sat 3rd: Really, Really Active Listening - with Rick Andrews

    10AM - 4PM
    £50

    Teacher: Rick Andrrews

    Really, Really Active Listening - with Rick Andrews
    Almost every strong choice on stage can be traced back to listening -- listening to your partner, and listening to the choices you've made in the scene. Great improvisers take every small moment, look, gesture, word choice, tone, pause, movement and use it to intuit even more of their scene partner's headspace. Not just what could be true, but rather: what do I think my partner thinks is true? The more we hear in every moment, the more powerful our scenework gets.

    About your teacher:

    Rick Andrews is a facilitator, instructor, and performer from the Magnet Theater NYC, who recently moved to Amsterdam. He was Head Instructor at The Magnet Theater, and has been studying, performing, and teaching improvisation since 1999. He is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University, teaching improvisation in the MFA Acting program. 

    As an applied improvisation facilitator and trainer, Rick has worked with hundreds of organizations using improvisation techniques and exercises to help meet their needs and grow their skills. Clients have included Google, J.P. Morgan, Spotify, NBCUniversal, PepsiCo, Chobani, Ogilvy, Verizon, Salesforce, Microsoft, Citibank, SEIU, Bloomberg, American Express, and many more. 

    As an instructor, Rick has traveled internationally teaching and performing and has been a featured instructor at dozens of festivals and theaters.

    Book your place now. Only 14 places.
    There is a bursary place available for this workshop. If finance is a barrier to your participation, please email littlejohnimprovnotts@gmail.com

  • A picture of Owen Scrivens, improviser, looking to the right of the frame

    Tues 13th: Loose Goose Free Workshop - The Real And The Ridiculous with Owen Scrivens

    19:00 - 20:00 (FREE BUT BOOKING REQUIRED)

    The Real and The Ridiculous

    This workshop looks at the idea of bringing bits of ourselves to our improvisation and how we allow others to take control of our stories.

    We will also look at how surreal scenarios can benefit from a dose of reality!

    Owen has been improvising for over 20 years. He loves improvisation that is theatrical without forgetting the joy of laughter.

    Book your free place now. Only 12 places.

    This workshop is free thanks to generous funding from Arts Council England.

  • Loose Goose Improv logo with a goose head pictured in a circle and the words Loose Goose Impro written underneath

    TUES 13TH: LOOSE GOOSE

    20:00 (FREE)

    Loose Goose is fun, friendly and FREE to come along. It's where improvisers come to create new work for the evening and where anyone can come to see the chaos unfold.

    A gaggle of improvised funtimes. All experience levels welcome. Anyone can play and be put into a team for the night - or you can just watch if you prefer.

    Want to play? Sign up on our Facebook event of just turn up on the night.

    Join us every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at Fisher Gate Point. 1 Fisher Gate Point, Nottingham NG1 1GD.

    Want to play? Sign up on our Facebook using the button below.

    This is an open to all improv performance in Nottingham on Tuesday 13th October 2026.

  • Sat 16th: The Secret Show

    19:30 (£8)

    Juicy confessions, awkward mishaps and scandalous secrets all get exposed at The Secret Show. What’s the one thing you’ve never told a soul? The Secret Show turns your anonymous whispers into laugh-out-loud scenes.

    It’s funny, it’s daring, it’s unique… and it’s all about you. Don’t miss the chance to see your secrets come to life in ways you never imagined. Confess. Laugh. Repeat.

    THIS MONTH’S GUEST ACT:
    BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

    Made up of experienced improvisers from across the Midlands, Breakfast of Champions will make up an entire show based off a single prompt from the audience. Sometimes poignant, often silly, they promise stories that will make you laugh and characters you’ll root for.

    This is an improv show presented by Little John Improv on Saturday 16th October 2026.

  • The Little John Improv Logo comprising of an L a J and an I shaped like a candle flame

    Tues 27th: Loose Goose Free Workshop

    19:00 (FREE)

    More details and booking opening date to be announced mid-September

  • The logo for Loose Goose Improv featuring a the head of a goose wearing a santa hat

    Tues 27th: Loose Goose

    20:00 (FREE)

    Loose Goose is fun, friendly and FREE to come along. It's where improvisers come to create new work for the evening and where anyone can come to see the chaos unfold.

    A gaggle of improvised funtimes. All experience levels welcome. Anyone can play and be put into a team for the night - or you can just watch if you prefer.

    Want to play? Sign up on our Facebook event of just turn up on the night.

    Join us every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at Fisher Gate Point. 1 Fisher Gate Point, Nottingham NG1 1GD.

    Want to play? Sign up on our Facebook using the button below.

    This week we also have a new act trying out their work for the first time.

    Vox Pox take two: Julie & Betty are back, sort of. Taking their former group VoxPops journey and redeveloping it for the mid 2020s, they’re going to take your life experiences and reimagine it .

    This is an open to all improv performance in Nottingham on Tuesday 27th October 2026.

  • An outline of a man holding a guitar with the words Abridged The Solo Improvised Musical

    Sat 31st: Abridged: The Solo Improvised Musical // Nottingham Improv All-Stars

    18:00 (£7)
    Fisher Gate Point, Nottingham

    Little John Improv present an improv double bill as part of our incredible improv line-up for Nottingham Comedy Festival.

    Nottingham Improv All Stars

    Get in the mood for an incredible weekend of improvised comedy as some of the finest improvisers from the local area get together to perform.

    Drawn from Nottingham and the surrounding area, the All Stars will take your suggestions and make mischief on stage.

    Abridged - The Solo Improvised Musical

    An improviser, a guitar and an audience create a brand new Musical together.

    All of the story, all of the emotion, all of the songs that you would expect from a west-end musical but made up on the spot by a single performer using audience suggestions.

    And as this is Halloween... this might be the scariest solo improvised musical there has ever been…

    Want to see our entire line-up of comedy festival shows over the halloween weekend? Grab a weekend ticket for just £32.

  • The words "The Secret Show - an improvised comedy confessional" are written with black markings either side as if something has been redacted. Four performers are in a picture below with one pulling a secret from a hat

    Sat 31st: The Secret Show

    19:30 (£7)
    Fisher Gate Point, Nottingham

    Little John Improv present The Secret Show as part of our incredible improv line-up for Nottingham Comedy Festival.

    Juicy confessions, awkward mishaps and scandalous secrets all get exposed at The Secret Show. What’s the one thing you’ve never told a soul? 

    The Secret Show turns your anonymous whispers into laugh-out-loud scenes.

    For this special Secret Show we are after the spookiest secrets you have. Maybe you saw a ghost, maybe you played a ghoulish prank? It’s time to spill the beans.

    Slip us your secrets before the show—no names, no judgments, just pure inspiration. Our cast of improvisers will transform your hidden truths into outrageous sketches, and unforgettable stories—all made up on the spot.

    Confess. Laugh. Repeat.

    Want to see our entire line-up of comedy festival shows over the halloween weekend? Grab a weekend ticket for just £32.

  • A man looks at a green light with the words Tales from the Darkive underneath

    SAT 31st: Tales From The Darkive

    21:00 (£7)
    Fisher Gate Point, Nottingham

    Little John Improv present Tales From The Darkive as part of our incredible line-up for Nottingham Comedy Festival.

    In this "improv comedy show", the audience is granted exclusive access to the many strange case files buried in the Institute's Dark Archive. A clock that ticks like death. A lost dimension in a car park lift. A dog that MIGHT have a gun. When confronted with the true horrors of the universe the human psyche has but one response, uncontrollable laughter!

    Want to see our entire line-up of comedy festival shows over the halloween weekend? Grab a weekend ticket for just £32.

November Shows & Workshops

  • An outline of a man holding a guitar with the words Abridged The Solo Improvised Musical

    Sun 1st: Play It again // moustrapped

    18:00 (£7)

    As part of our evening of improv duos for Nottingham Comedy Festival, Little John Improv present Play It Again and Moustrapped.

    Play It Again

    In the beginning, there was nothing. Then God said… let there be lounge! Sam and Emily are immortal beings bound forever to bring lounge music to the world. From luscious love songs to hot gossip about your favourite historical figures, this truly is improv for the ages. So, slide into a velvet suit, sip on something sweet, and prepare your suggestions for a sultry serenade from the most ancient entertainers in the business!

    Mouse-Trapped

    ‘Mouse-Trapped’ sees two individuals embark on an adventure inside the world of the audience's favourite board game. Follow them as they discover and interact with the occupants, explore the uncharted location and overcome challenges along the way. Can they work out how to return home? Do they even want to!

    Whether the journey takes us to the library world of the infamous game Boggle, or the wintery planes of ICECOOL, by the time we return to our universe, you'll feel a deeper connection to the table-top adventure.

    Lovers of Jumanji need look no further.

    Want to see our entire line-up of comedy festival shows over the halloween weekend? Grab a weekend ticket for just £32.

  • Sun 1st: Two Part Harmony // Witless

    19:30 (£7)

    As part of our evening of improv duos for Nottingham Comedy Festival, Little John Improv present Two Part Harmony and Witless

    Two Part Harmony

    Naomi and Hannah take you on a fully improvised musical journey songs, scenes and stories spun out of thin air ,and your suggestions. No script, no setlist, just two voices, big harmonies and wherever the moment leads. Every show is brand new, made up on the spot, and gone forever.

    Witless

    Making a scene from your daily routine. This show takes an ordinary everyday event and turns it into a drama.

    Witless are:

    Chris Collins and Adam Hodgson

    Witless are absolutely delighted to be at this year’s festival, mostly because it gets them both out of the house.

    Want to see our entire line-up of comedy festival shows over the halloween weekend? Grab a weekend ticket for just £32.

  • Two improvisers, one sitting in front of the other. The one at the front is miming driving a car. The one behind looks quizzical

    Sun 1st: The Clones - A Two Person Improvised Play

    21:00 (£7)

    As part of our evening of improv duos at Nottingham Comedy Festival, Little John Improv present The Clones - A Two Person Improvised Play

    “Lloydie and Liam expertly weave tenderness into one of the funniest improv shows you’ll ever see.” - Elana Fishbein, Magnet Theater, New York


    The Clones are seasoned performers Lloydie James Lloyd and Liam Webber. With no script, no staging and only a pair of chairs for a set, they spin a simple audience suggestion into a hilarious, spontaneous one-act play. Plots and sub-plots galore, and a cast of characters effortlessly juggled by the veteran improvisers. This is comedy theatre like you’ve never seen it before. You will laugh, you may cry… Who knows what’ll happen? They sure don’t.

    This show has been performed to high acclaim in London, Belfast, Dublin, Chicago, Sydney and Nottingham.

    Want to see our entire line-up of comedy festival shows over the halloween weekend? Grab a weekend ticket for just £32.

  • A group of musical improvisers looking out to someone off camera and smiling or laughing

    Mon 2nd Nov - Mon 7th Dec: Musical Improv 101

    18:30 - 20:30. Mondays (£180)

    Ever wanted to burst into song and actually know what you're doing? This is the class for you. Musical 101 is the friendly, no-pressure entry point into musical improv.

    You'll learn the building blocks of song structure, how to sing with confidence, and how to weave scenes into songs so the story and the music work together.

    A little improv experience helps, but it's absolutely not required. Just bring your voice and a willingness to be a bit silly.

    Your teachers:
    Naomi Murden and Sam Marshall

    This is a six week improv course in Nottingham. It will run each Monday night from 6.30pm - 8.30pm from Monday 2nd November to Monday 7th December with a showcase on Tuesday 7th December at the Loose Goose improv jam.