Terms & Conditions / FAQ
Improv Theatre Sydney teachers are proven industry professionals in acting, theatre education, writing and directing all with international experience. Among our teachers and faculty are award winning performers and writers who aren’t just teachers, but also seasoned practitioners of improv, comedy and performance. ITS holds their faculty to a very high standard and we are vigilant in training and supporting continuing education.
Our curriculum is consistent across all levels, so no matter who your teacher is, when you complete a level, you’ll have had the experience similar to anyone else who has completed that same level. This way, if you change nights, delay for a term or even substitute a class, you will have the same expected standard as the reset of the people at your level.
Our curriculum has been formed from years of international industry experience and is also constantly revamped to keep up with the most progressive way of teaching improv, as is indicative of the numerous troupes that come out of ITS and perform in national and international comedy and improv festivals. Improv troupes of ITS graduates have performed at the Adelaide Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Sydney Comedy Festival, Sydney Fringe, The Del Close Marathon in New York, Edinburgh Fringe and beyond.
ITS faculty are regarded internationally and have a excellent relationship with the leaders of improv from around the world. As a result, we often have the opportunity to present workshops from those gurus who we call friends. ITS students often have the opportunity to take those workshops at a reduced rate with their ITS student card.
ITS student cards also allow students to see shows at reduced rates and find cheaper eats and/or drinks around the Redfern area. Talk to your ITS teacher for more details.
Lastly, ITS has a super cool community. Many ITS grads, as previously mentioned, form troupes but more stay friends and come to shows and ITS events to hang out with each other. We are Sydney’s first and only dedicated improv theatre and are inclusive, diverse and open to all voices that don’t try to marginalise other voices. You’re very welcome to join us.
You are entitled to ONE make-up class per term.
In the case that due to misadventure or change of circumstance you are unable to attend multiple classes, you may request ONE additional make-up class per term. The provision of an additional make-up class is at the discretion of the GM.
You may miss a maximum of TWO classes before you are unable to automatically proceed to the next Level. It is then up to the discretion of the ITS faculty to decide on your progress from one level to the next.
You must attend at least SIX of your 8 (or 9 for advanced levels) week course to be able to automatically progress to the next Level.
If you have missed more than TWO classes and wish to continue to the next level, please contact your Teacher or the General Manager. It will be at their discretion whether youare able to progress without the required attendance.
To progress through the workshops, you much also achieve a basis of understanding each level is meant to inculcate, as well as show a continued regard for the ensemble and the basic precept of listening positively to the rest of the class. If a student doesn’t show a continuing understanding of the levels, they may be required to repeat a level.
If any participants in the workshop are party to behaviour that is counter-productive to creating a safe and constructive workshops environment, that student may be told that continuing the workshops is not available to them. ITS has no space for jerks.
From level 3 on, you have the opportunity to perform with your class in week 9 of a regular term in a grad performance. The performances are optional, though we highly recommend the experience of putting everything you’ve learned over the level in place in front of an audience of friends and family. It’s awesome every time.
Teachers have discretion over who can perform a grad show. If attendance is low such that it means a class participant would not have a full understanding of the grad show, or if a participant just isn’t picking up what the teacher has been trying to get across during the term, then the teacher may decide that it is not fair for the rest of the class ensemble to allow that participant to perform with them, similar to how a teacher has discretion in how a student progresses through the levels.
Absolutely. People are busy and we get that life can get full. Our normal policy allows for a year of having missed the workshops before possibly being considered by the ITS faculty on what level you should return on.
If you decide not to continue with your ITS improv workshop, you’re entitled to a full refund (minus the 7.8% transaction fee) if more than 7 days notice is given. Refunds will not be given less than 7 days before your first class. Once your term has started, you may be entitled to have your fees deferred until the following term if you make us aware you cannot come to the workshop within the first two weeks of the term. We can defer your registration only once. After two weeks, your full fee will be paid towards the term you paid for.
In some special circumstances, we may consider some special deferments, so speak to us about your case.
Our teachers are industry professionals who sometimes become unavailable due to professional commitments and also human beings who, on occasion become unwell or have family issues to attend to. We try our best to avoid conflict in scheduling as best we can, but in the event there is conflict, we will either substitute your teacher for another with comparable skill and experience (which at ITS, all teachers are of high standard) or we will postpost the class and reschedule when appropriate to accommodate as much of the class as possible.
Improv Theatre Sydney strives to make its workshops and shows accessible to people with all abilities. Our home at Botany Rd, Redfern is fully wheelchair accessible for all shows and workshops.
When we have shows in venues that aren’t our own, we always do our best to ensure they are fully accessible but unfortunately we can’t always guarantee this.
If you have any questions regarding accessibility, please email us at the details below.
Yes. You must have completed all six improv levels with us to audition for an ITS house team. There are multiple opportunities to audition throughout the year.
We take any concerns that breach our ITS Improv Students Bill of Rights (a document you will receive upon registration to our workshops) very seriously. The first point of contact should be your instructor either during or after class, face-to-face or over email. If you’re unable to communicate your concerns to your instructor, or it is inappropriate to do so, we have a dedicated position to hear students concerns. Our Student Welfare Officer has experience in mediation, and the person in that role is attentive and thorough. They are available at welfare@improvtheatresydney.com.au. Further to that, should the person in that role not be appropriate, you can email info@improvtheatresydney.com.au. This email is directed to the operating directors of the company including the Managing and Artistic Directors.
ITS has very clear policies on anti-harassment, anti-discrimination and anti-bullying and very clear processes on managing them, which are in line with contemporary Australian law and best practice. If necessary, ITS is prepared to use a third-party mediator to manage certain situations.
Yes. On occassion, we take photos in class for educational and promotional purposes. We take educational photos or videos to show the class an example of a certain exercises that we want them to be able to revisit after having experienced. Our photos taken for promotional purposes are only used on our social media and only in relation to the context of the photo taken.
You have absolute license to tell us you do not want your likeness distributed in photo or video on ITS social media, just tell your teacher or contact info@improvtheatresydney.com.au. You do not have to explain yourself, just let us know.
You can find out more in our ITS Improv Students Bill of Rights.
That’s great that you’ve taken workshops before coming to ITS. That experience will only help you moving forward with ITS workshops though it’s important to remember that every improv school has their own philosophy, style of play, level of experience and standard of quality. For that reason, like most improv theatres of repute around the world, we expect students coming to our program for the first time to start at level one.*
Our level one is constructed so that the fundamentals of good improv are rooted firmly before even starting with scenes.
We do allow for people to begin in the ITS program past level one, but only upon successful audition (held after our free taster workshops before every term) or by letter of recommendation from an established institution. It should be noted that the rate of success for the auditions is pretty low as our standard is quite high.
We feel pretty strongly about our level one. Our faculty and ensemble players sign up to it quite regularly to get back to the fundamental elements of play, creativity and ensemble work.
We’ve also seen time and again that those who’ve come from other schools and are starting at ITS level one are able to immerse themselves more fully into the ensemble and move forward through the program creating a tight troupe with their peers in the class starting from the beginning.
Performers at ITS shows will often ask audience members for suggestions. On less frequent occasions, performers may ask audience members to participate on stage with them. Audience members are welcome to participate or not participate, at whatever level of comfort they feel. No performer will be hurt with a simple “No thanks” from any audience member, and it will be respected.
There is a clear expectation that audience participation is something to be initiated by the performers and not by the audience.
Audience behaviour that disrupts a show will not be tolerated, and audience members who engage in such behaviour will may asked to leave without refund. No warnings may be given, as per the judgement of the show’s tech, front of house, host or any of the performers.
When you register, make sure to enter your Service NSW Voucher Number and we’ll be in touch about refunding you after your registration. The refund will go back onto the credit card you made the full registration payment to.