Troupe Impro FX host improv workshops to unleash creativity The fortnightly drop-in comedy sessions will begin at 7pm this coming Tuesday and cater for all levels of performer, whether you are an experienced veteran or a budding newbie. Mini-games, exercises and scenes will be thrown at participants in a fast-and-furious workshop designed to prevent reflection on your performance, whether good or bad. Impro FX director Harry Gooch said: "We like to keep things moving so there isn't too much time to feel bad if something didn't go well. We don't give too much explanation about the exercises and games, we just get started and it's a rapid turnover, so you can't reflect on mistakes on bask in glory. Whether you've been good or bad, you've got to be ready for the next moment in improv. Gooch has brought shows to Edinburgh's fringe for a number of years, having began improvisational comedy while studying at University of St Andrews. Immediately hooked by the "liberating experience," his most recent fringe run was last year in the Impro FX show, Men With Coconuts. "Everything is completely unplanned and based on audience suggestions, but we do train together so I know if I say a particular thing in a particular way, I can expect a certain response from my colleague Steve," said Harry. It's a freedom you don't get with scripts. You can say pretty much anything safe in the knowledge that the players performing with you will support it. The key thing is group agreement. It's not just about saying yes, but taking your fellow performers ideas and suggestions as gospel and building on them. Once beginners become seasoned veterans, Harry says they realise nothing is truly a mistake. "There's a weird paradox that when someone becomes too good, the audience feels cheated because it's not what they came to see," Mr Gooch continued. With Ryan Stiles on 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?', he makes his songs more clunky because he's too good and the audience think what he's doing is prepared. The audience likes to see people screw up and shaft each other. Once people realise that anything goes, you can get applause for getting something completely wrong. While the workshop should introduce beginners to improv, Harry also expects it to sharpen the skills of the hosts themselves. Harry said: "You can't really practice improv without an audience, it's not like stand-up where you can come with a routine. It relies on reaction and the relationship with the audience, so the workshops should be really good for both the participants and the troupe. I've always practised with all levels from beginners to experts because anyone can bring each other along. Will you be releasing your inner improv skills on Tuesday?