OK, what makes these workshops special? It's because they enable ordinary, worried, frustrated, doubt-ridden people - in other words, pretty well everyone - to break through their protective shells and rediscover the creativity, flexibility, spontaneity and trust that are the inalienable birthright of every human being on the planet - even northern Europeans, who often feel they lack these faculties.

I have seen again and again that the practise of fundamental improv skills - trust in mutual support, faith in human resourcefulness, and the readiness to accept others' ideas and input - releases a flood of playful energy, intelligence and creativity which many find amazing and inspirational. These workshops are especially beneficial to any group of people wishing to unlock more of their potential to work and create together in a spirit of collaboration and productivity.

I am particularly interested in how the fear of sound itself (voice, music, or instruments) can obstruct spontaneous, playful, emotional exchange between people, and how attenuating these fears releases a new level of energy, playfulness and engagement. Concentrating on this area is particularly useful to theatre groups, music groups, public speakers, and others for whom human sound is a medium for a message, a mood, or the projection of confidence and charisma.

For long-form improv theatre groups looking for new training input and challenges, this workshop focuses on the undervalued roles played by vocalization, articulate and 'inarticulate' sound, and music. It shows how our innate understanding of the complexities of sound and music can be used to build powerful emotional scenes, complex situations, and a strengthened group mind and mutuality; and it demonstrates the organic connections that sound and music provide between the concrete and the abstract.

For more details about these workshops, drop me a line.

Testimonials

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You're just born to teach! I really appreciated the way you interacted with us, so easy, positive and trustful. 
As for the workshop itself: this was really useful! The work on abstraction is really important for us; and I 
found the work on the body really enlightening. I improved a lot my way of hearing and feeling the global situation 
in an impro; where are the others, what they're doing or saying. I think the power of the work we did was in the 
mixture of abstract sounds or gesture, and storytelling; we in Italy work a lot with creativity but not so much 
with acting, so we needed to know that we can stay on a scene for minutes just doing things, even without a 
character! My fantasy in situations is now more wide.
I would like you to know our way of improvising - you will see how useful your work has been for us, and what to 
work on next time; because I really hope we will have a next time! 

Big hug,

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I will speak with you par tous les languages 'cause it's a symbol of the freedom que nous avons respirés ces jours-là.
Un Improvvisazione senza frontiere, an empowerment of our bodies, minds and souls.
J'ai voulu attendre une semaine pour laisser vivre les effects de ton stage: j'ai verifié que les effects sont vifs et 
efficaces. Let me explain:
jeudi on s'est retrouvé avec le group professionel de Milan pour travailler sur l'impro, comme d'habitude, et on a crée 
de belles choses, les autres sont entrés dans le climat de 'l'improjazz' et on a très bien joué... et c'est pas fini: 
hier soir on a joué un "Imprò" (più o meno come il Match d'Improvvisazione) et on a cherché de jouer avec le rhythm de 
l'improjazz dans le coeur et dans le corps and... it's been a wonderful show, the pleasure of taking time, of the 
simple mouvements, de la création pure, sans utiliser forcément l'idée, the brain.
Donc c'est verifié, mon cher Ralph: ce que tu as semé va commencer à devenir fruit... je sais que ça ce n'est que le 
début.
That's the meaning, the true meaning of the words "Grazie Ralph, tu sei stato un grande maestro per noi, ci hai 
comunicato passione e serietà; sei stato attento alle singole persone e sei riuscito a valorizzare ciascuno di noi: 
sei stato un grande insegnante!".

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I really loved the work we did in Follonica, the energy you brought to the group and the feeling of enjoying 
ourselves together. I wanna thank you for your interest for each one of us, we felt you so near and we could 
see the enthusiasm grow. I think I will take with me what I’ve learn in our stage as a new mind disposition, 
feeling the music in every improvisation!

Un abbraccio grande, sperando di rivederti presto,

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I wanted to thank you for the wonderful workshop. To me it was the best workshop I've had in years. I liked the 
fact that you had a schedule and that you knew where you were taking us. I know it should be always like
that... but too often teachers "improvise" and the results are poor. You're very professional but at the same 
time you put your heart in the things you do. You also give attention to everybody and are not afraid
of showing your feelings.

The exercises we did during the workshop were very interesting and gave me a new "boost". And this is true not 
only for the improv work, but also for my job. I should try to put more of myself in class with my students.

On Tuesday I had an improv class and I realized how much I had learnt from your workshop. I was willing to try 
and experiment with sounds..... and so I did! I was so happy I had dared to try something different!

Ciao,

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I'm writing on behalf of Tongue & Groove to thank you for the stellar workshop you 
facilitated for us on November 15, 2007! Your passion for exploring organic sound, 
music and rhythm is contagious - the company was inspired by your knowledge, energy 
and dedication to this form of expression. The workshop was thoughtfully designed and 
you delivered it with great care and nurturing. I was impressed by your ability to quickly 
assess our strengths and challenges and spontaneously adjust your exercises to the needs 
of the group. For a company whose work is based on Realism, your guidance through the 
world of abstract vocal and physical expression was a breath of fresh air and, quite 
simply, a lot of fun! I was particularly happy with our final exercise in which we applied 
your abstract training to our realistic scenework with great results! Everyone in the 
company was joyfully buzzing about the experience at our next rehearsal. 

I happily recommend you as an outstanding workshop designer and facilitator. I hope 
we can work together again in the future. 

Sincerely,

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One goal of the IFS' initial training programme for upcoming filmmakers is to 
strengthen their creative and professional personalities. The first year of the 
programme is identical for producers, writers and directors. We consider it very 
important that future filmmaking partners build their professional craftwork on 
the same foundations of creativity, communication and 'filmania' (film enthousiasm). 
With the help of your workshop, students discovered talents and abilities they 
were unaware of before. They let go of fears and blocks and sensed large creative 
opportunities. 

I must also mention a fabulous side effect in view of the group dynamics. The 
workshop took place after the first three months of the programme, when negative 
competition and subgroups had started to become an issue. It was just the right time 
to join your workshop and to make all these negative vibrations obsolete. The whole 
school was effected by your attendance, and I can promise you that the whole of the 
staff would have joined the workshop if they could have! We thank you and your 
colleagues for the great job you did and for the warmth and the joy you brought to 
the IFS. We strongly believe and hope that we will continue our partnership and work 
together soon. All the best for you!

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"The workshop I really enjoyed. Firstly the sense of openness and generosity from all 
four of you as facilitators, the genuine desire to share the work. The exercise in 
the morning really helped to open everyone up and feel safe. The swarm I really liked 
the large group ones and the three people ones - such a clver, extremely watchable  
and efficient way of changing a scene, moving a scene on, exploring emotional depths - 
v.good. Then the long improvisation in the afternoon. I had never done anything like 
it before - it was great to have a large group of people depending on and supporting 
each other. I was amazed at how easily a narrative emerged.

Thanks to all for of you. Please come to England again!"

All the best,  Carey

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"Impromptu's workshop at the SHIFTI Festival was a great invitation to learn from their practice.  
It was playful and generous, and huge fun to work with the tools that they use in making 
performance, finding a story and ways to make it grow."

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I attended a 4-day workshop with Ralph last January. The aim was learning how to go from 
concrete scenes to abstract ones and back, within a longform perspective.

I found the workshop very interesting, well planned and organized. Ralph gradually led us 
through a learning path made up of experimentation proposals and subsequent group 
discussions during which we shared the feelings about what we just did.
I especially found very original the idea of using our own instruments (we carried them 
from home!) in the workshop.

Anyway, working with Ralph is not only participating to a work group, it is a real 
experience! He was not only our teacher: he was really part of our group, generously
participating in the experimentations.

I personally consider him a perfect example of the first rule of improv: supporting is everything! 
That's why I absolutely recommend Ralph as a teacher at least once in your life!

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Ralph's workshop on abstract-concrete improvisation has opened a new point of view in my way of 
being on stage. Mostly, I was used to using my body only to follow the words I said; now I've 
learned that stories can begin before I start to speak.
And I've also learned that it is much stronger to start an improvisation with an abstract scene, 
because the relationship between the characters becomes much clearer.
I loved finding the connection with my improvisation partner only with movement or sound. I think 
it makes improvisation much more interesting, and my relationships with other actors much more real.

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Your workshop was a great experience because it allowed me to experiment with a different way to improvise that 
I didn't know very well, and I didn't (and unfortunately) don't use often.
Your way to lead the workshop was great for me, because it wasn't based on words and boring theories but was 
built on feelings, looks and experiences. I liked very much that you experimented with us, because this changed 
the atmosphere of the workshop from "lesson-style" to "experimentation-style": fantastic! :-)
I liked so much the intersections between theatre and music, this made your workshop very emotional.

Well, it has been four great days that i will always remember with joy and melancholy :-).

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For me your workshop was very interesting because it forced me to focus on the body language and on the movements. It is an area 
that normally I tend to consider less than speech. The exercises you proposed were very effective in leading me to put my whole 
body in the improv: the "copy and modify" activities led me to pay a great attention on what the others were doing, on what I was 
doing, and most of all on what I would like to do.
The "choreographic" exercises, the ones where we had to wander round the room and follow others and perform abstract actions or 
play abstract sounds, were really funny, and obtained what for me a good improv activity has to be: when I was performing the 
exercises I had the sensation to enter a room full of toys I had to interact with. I had only to choose what to do or what to be 
and put my self in the play session. It gave me a great sense of freedom and made me really think less than normally I do. The 
long form realistic-abstract structure we tried to improv with during the last day was really new to me, complex and enriching.

Thank you very much Ralph.

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The course was wonderful full of energy and perfectly directed by Ralph. It was very interesting and touched aspects of 
improv that are not alwys dealt with. The atmosphere and group building were very good. The work was hard but very enjoyable. 
I definitely  recommend it!!

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