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MUSICAL IMPROV

LEARN HOW TO MAKE UP LYRICS TO IMRPOV SONGS AND SHOWSTOPPING NUMBERS.

MAKE IT UP.
SING IT LOUD.

Burst into song at one of our musical improv workshops. Whether you want to improvise full musicals, play song games, or drop improvised hip hop bars, find your voice at Dingbats Improv. We offer courses and drop-in classes for all experience levels, across a range of styles.

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WHAT IS MUSICAL IMPROV?

Musical improv is making up lyrics, songs, and scenes on the spot.

Like all improv, it comes in different styles. You might have seen short-form song games, where quick, funny rhymes are created from an audience suggestion to a set tune. Or longer pieces where full stories unfold like a mini musical, with opening numbers, solos, duets, scenes that burst into song, and big group finales. Some styles lean into comedy, others into story and emotion, and some bring in genres like hip hop.

Whatever the format, at Dingbats Improv we teach you to jump in, commit, and have as much fun as possible through games and exercises. You’ll be waxing lyrical about it in no time.

DO I NEED TO BE A good singer?

No. For many of our classes, you don’t need any improv or singing experience at all. Just a willingness to be creative.

We’ll give you simple song structures, clear tools, and plenty of support so you can jump in and have fun. It’s not about sounding perfect, it’s about committing and enjoying it, regardless of how many Grammy Awards you have.

Our drop-in workshops and courses vary in difficulty, and each event clearly states the level so you can find the right fit.

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OUR CLASSES

From single drop-in sessions to full courses and from musical theatre to hip hip, we've got a class for you!

MUSICAL GAMES DROP-IN

Play fun games where you have to make up comedy lyrics.

Occasional Mondays in Crawley.

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IMPROV HIP HOP DROP-IN

Practice freestyle comedy rap and increase street cred.

Occasional Mondays in Crawley.

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MUSICAL SCENES DROP-IN

Learn how to improvise songs whilst in scenes like Showstopper!

Occasional Mondays in Crawley.

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MUSICAL IMPROV COURSES

Develop your skills over a number of weeks in a specific style.

TBA

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OUR TEACHERS

We've got lots of great teachers at Dingbats Improv! Many with years of performance and coaching experience. One thing they all have in common is passion for improv and seeing people unlock their inner creativity.

Dave Heron

Dave Heron

Dave has been improvising in the UK and internationally for a number of years and has been trained by Dingbats, Hoopla, TJ and Dave, The Maydays and other established Improv coaches. 


In addition to improvising, he is a multi award-winning film maker, whose projects are regularly added to on his YouTube channel: nanonanofilm.

Ed Pithie

Ed Pithie

Ed is an experienced improv coach and founder of Dingbats Improv. He first started improvising in 2009 at university. Since then, Ed has been part of groups Play it by Ear, Slow Loris, Fireflies, Dingbats House Team, The Obscene, and City Impro, with whom he performed sell-out shows at the Camden Fringe, Brighton Fringe, and Edinburgh Fringe. Ed has trained with The Maydays, Hoopla, the Nursery, and the UCB. In 2014 Ed began running workshops as Dingbats Improv and has never stopped - now Ed  runs classes, courses, shows, and corporate team building.

Elodie Foray

Elodie Foray

Elodie (they/them) has been with Dingbats since 2015, and might be the only person ever with four Dingie Awards to their name. So, a pretty big deal. Elodie’s background is in theatre, where they spend most of their time, and where they first discovered improv.


They occasionally perform short form with their group, The Faculty.


Most likely you will hear Elodie before you see them.  

George Butcher

George Butcher

George has been teaching improvised comedy for more than 18 years and has worked with groups all over the UK and abroad. He is a professional teacher of physics and enjoys things like mountains, hedgehogs, Lord of the Rings, Taskmaster, folk music, and bonfires. Currently performing in Horley, Crawley, Horsham and London, George now performs primarily narrative and long-form formats, but has his origins in short-form, and solely performed short-form shows for his first 10 years in improv.

Harry Hunter

Harry Hunter

Harry was born 457 years ago in a cavern deep below the earth. He enjoys breathing, typing and of course, improv comedy! When he discovered improv in 2019, he was instantly hooked. He has been teaching for over a year and enjoys running engaging, fun classes that help improvisers achieve their true potential. Harry sleeps on a mound of gold doubloons, rubies and other precious gemstones from which he draws strength, but is weakened by dark magic, balsamic vinegar and the music of Oasis.

Jamie Kinrade

Jamie Kinrade

Jamie has been improvising for 8 years. With his day job as a secondary school teacher, a passion for improv, a can of Coke Zero, and a spoonful of scouse charm, he’s become one of our regular Dingbats Improv teachers.


He loves all forms of improv, from short form, with its fast-paced energy and joyful chaos, to long form approaches that dig into what makes characters tick. He aims to create an environment that’s fun, encouraging, and open to exploration.

Jon Mizler

Jon Mizler

Jon is a freelance musician who has been performing with Dingbats for over 3 years as our In-House Pianist. He studied music at Royal Holloway University and started his career as a musical director, working with musical theatre groups across London. He discovered a love of teaching which took him on a 10 year career as a secondary school music teacher. He has an MA in composing Music for Film and TV and is the owner of Sussex Stage Academy who run Musical Theatre training for adults.

Lewis Hill

Lewis Hill

Lewis is a seasoned improviser who has been doing improv for over 10 seasons. He returns to the retreat to deliver more hip-hop improv, continuing to promote the art form known to knock the socks off of its audiences (many of last years’ socks are still missing, presumed dead).

Sara Hussein

Sara Hussein

Sara has been improvising for 6 years and performed at Fringe, part of WHOOSH!

Wendy O'Mahony

Wendy O'Mahony

Wendy has been doing improv with Dingbats for 10 years and has also trained with The Maydays, Chris Mead and Katy Schutte. Wendy is an artist/art-tutor/muralist/face-painter/character-actor/storyteller and is currently on a slow tour with ‘Perfect Show For Rachel’ (5* in The Guardian). Who needs a steady career anyway?

WHAT PEOPLE SAY

"Ed created a fun atmosphere and made sure nobody felt under pressure.."

— Craig | Google Reviews

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New to improv? Join our drop-in workshops open to everyone.

Upcoming MUSICAL CLASSES

Has the class you want to attend sold out?
Join the Waiting List WhatsApp Group where you'll be notified if a space becomes available on any class.

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