SAVE THE DATE! 🎉

CHRIS Wells

Saturday 18 April 2026 from 10AM - 1PM

📍 Covert Theatre, 51 Mackelvie Street, Ponsonby, Auckland 1021

All levels

Bring your characters to life by unlocking the power of your voice. In this workshop, voice actor and improviser Chris Wells shares practical tools for developing and using distinct vocal choices in your scene work. You’ll walk away with a few new voices you genuinely enjoy performing — and the know-how for when and how to use them for maximum comedic or dramatic impact.

Patti Stiles

Saturday 18 April 2026 from 10 AM to 5 PM (including 1 hour break)

📍 LyLo, 54 Cook Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010

Improvisors have no hesitation playing critical, cynical, argumentative but ask them to be sincere, empathic or intimate and they run for the hills. This is an exploration and celebration of love in all its many glorious forms.

Patti Stiles

Sunday 19 April 2026 from 10 AM to 1PM

📍 Covert Theatre, 51 Mackelvie Street, Ponsonby, Auckland 1021

A workshop focused on Keith Johnstone’s improvisation techniques. Keith Johnstone was unconventional. His observations and philosophy redefined approaches to theatrical improvisation. Bring your curiosity, playfulness, and mischief as we dive into classic Keith Johnstone exercises and unleash spontaneity, embrace the obvious and be present in the moment.

CHRIS Wells

Sunday 19 April 2026 from 2PM - 5PM

📍 Covert Theatre, 51 Mackelvie Street, Ponsonby, Auckland 1021

All levels

What do you do with an audience suggestion? Too often, improvisers grab it immediately and burn through its potential. This workshop explores how to use timing and pacing to make suggestions truly shine. You’ll practice when to bring a suggestion in right away — and when to consciously shelve it, letting it sit in the background until the perfect moment.

JUN Imai

Monday 20 April 2026 from 10 AM to 5 PM (including 1 hour break)

📍 Covert Theatre, 51 Mackelvie Street, Ponsonby, Auckland 1021

For six hours, step into a transformative journey with Jun Imai through the world of trance masks. Drawing on the teachings of Keith Johnstone, Jun introduces participants to masks he has personally carved and created using Japanese washi paper and sand clay. Each mask holds a unique style and spirit, guiding you into new characters, impulses, and states of being. By putting on a mask, you may find freedom from the limits of your everyday identity — and discover creativity that flows from somewhere deeper, stranger, and more alive.

CHRIS Wells

Tuesday 21 April 2026 from 10 AM to 5 PM (including 1 hour break)

📍 Covert Theatre, 51 Mackelvie Street, Ponsonby, Auckland 1021

Level: Intermediate+

Step into the world of The Therapist’s Couch, an improv format where each block of scenes begins with a “therapy session.” A character sits with their therapist to talk about an issue (suggested by the audience), and their words unlock a cascade of interconnected scenes. What follows is a blend of comedy and drama — grounded, human, and surprising.

This workshop explores psychological concepts such as family dynamics, shadow work, the subconscious, attachment styles, and defense mechanisms — not as therapy for participants, but as storytelling tools. Improvisers will learn how to weave these principles into scene work that feels truthful, imaginative, and emotionally rich.

Nicola Renton

Wednesday 22 April 2026 from 10 AM to 1 PM

📍 Covert Theatre, 51 Mackelvie Street, Ponsonby, Auckland 1021

Step forward. Speak up. Make the offer.

This high-energy workshop is all about confidence in improv — in your voice, your choices, and your presence. Learn how to make strong offers, commit fully, and trust your instincts without hesitation.

Whether you tend to hold back or want to elevate your stage presence, this session will push you to be braver, clearer, and more decisive — because bold choices create unforgettable scenes.

Patti Stiles

Wednesday 22 April 2026 from 2 PM to 5 PM

📍 Covert Theatre, 51 Mackelvie Street, Ponsonby, Auckland 1021

Enrich your characters and play dynamic scenes by using the improvisation / acting exercises of attitudes, objectives and Fast food Stanislavsky.

JUN Imai

Wednesday 22 April 2026 from 10 AM to 5 PM (including 1 hour break)

📍 LyLo, 54 Cook Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010

Zen teaches us to be present, to let go of judgment, and to trust what arises in the moment. In this workshop, Jun Imai explores how these principles align with improvisation. Through silence, awareness, and simple exercises, you will discover how freeing the mind of fear and expectation opens the door to authentic creativity and effortless play. Impro becomes more than performance — it becomes a practice of presence.

JUN Imai

Thursday 23 April 2026 from 10 AM to 1 PM

📍 Covert Theatre, 51 Mackelvie Street, Ponsonby, Auckland 1021

Improvisation is most powerful when we are fully present. In this workshop, Jun Imai guides participants into “the zone” — that state of flow where thoughts disappear and authentic connection emerges. Through exercises that heighten awareness, trust, and spontaneity, you will experience what it means to be truly here and now. By learning to respond instead of plan, you’ll discover the joy of improvising freely, with presence as your foundation.

CHRIS Wells

Thursday 23 April 2026 from 2PM - 5PM

📍 Covert Theatre, 51 Mackelvie Street, Ponsonby, Auckland 1021

All levels

Improv comes with a lot of terminology — game, platform, tilt, offers, wimps, justifications — and it can get confusing fast. That’s It! is a simple, powerful tool developed in Tokyo that cuts through the jargon and helps improvisers zero in on what really matters in a scene: the moments that satisfy both you and your audience.

JUN Imai

Friday 24 April 2026 from 10 AM to 1 PM

📍 Covert Theatre, 51 Mackelvie Street, Ponsonby, Auckland 1021

Improvisation moves between the fantastic and the everyday. In this workshop, Jun Imai invites participants to play at both extremes: creating vivid imaginary worlds while also exploring the power of realism on stage. Through guided exercises, you will learn how to balance heightened imagination with truthful presence, and discover how these two approaches can enrich one another. The result is improvisation that feels both boundless and deeply human.

Patti Stiles

Friday 24 April 2026 from 10 AM to 5 PM (including 1 hour break)

📍 LyLo, 54 Cook Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010

An outside perspective provides a different point of view on your work to help you reflect and learn. This workshop focuses on constructive honest feedback relevant to the scene and skill level of the student. Notes will focus on skill and narrative technique, stage craft and needs of individual players. The aim is to shine a light on areas to work on.

Patti Stiles

Saturday 25 April 2026 from 10 AM to 1 PM

📍 Covert Theatre, 51 Mackelvie Street, Ponsonby, Auckland 1021

Essential skills such as developing Platform, understanding the circle of possibilities, the story promises we make, plus spotting whose scene it is and how to advance the story will be explored.

JUN Imai

Saturday 25 April 2026 from 2 PM to 5 PM

📍 Covert Theatre, 51 Mackelvie Street, Ponsonby, Auckland 1021

Fear is the greatest block to creativity. In this workshop, Jun Imai invites participants to explore what lies beyond fear and self-judgment. Through improv exercises that emphasize presence, impulse, and trust, you will discover how letting go of fear opens the door to authentic expression and play. By stepping out of your own way, you can unlock true freedom — both on stage and in life.

CHRIS Wells

Saturday 25 April 2026 from 10 AM to 5 PM (including 1 hour break)

📍 LyLo, 54 Cook Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010

Level: Intermediate+

Think you “can’t sing”? Perfect. This workshop is for improvisers who love scenes but panic the moment someone starts playing piano.

In this playful, low-pressure session, we’ll work with a live pianist to explore how songs in improv don’t require a Broadway voice, music theory, or confidence bordering on delusion. They require commitment, listening, and a willingness to let the music carry you.

You’ll learn simple, repeatable tools for jumping into song, building lyrics from character and emotion, and expressing yourself musically inside a scene. We’ll focus on joy over polish, connection over perfection, and discovering that singing badly on purpose is often more fun — and more theatrical — than trying to sing “well.”

Whether you’re stepping into your first improvised song or looking to feel more relaxed in musical scenes, this workshop will help you find freedom, playfulness, and your own musical voice.