The We Are Improv Podcast

The Joy of Improvising online. A We Are Improv Substack post - published 7th July 2025 Get full access to Katy Bateson - We Are Improv substack at weareimprov.substack.com/subscribe

Let’s start with the age old question of what is a monoscene?Basically a monoscene is a single, unbroken scene that unfolds in real time, all in one location.It can be a real challenge for our improvisation skills. There’s no editing and no fancy techniques. There is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. It’s just you and your scene partner.Back in 2015 I was performing a 3 person monoscene called Four Walls. I loved performing Four Walls, it really pushed us. We had 3 improvisers on stage for 50 minutes, the scene happened in real time and we couldn’t leave the scene. We had a timer on stage counting down and we had to get the last sentence in before the timer hit 00:00 and the lights went down.(The beautiful poster created by Kaci Beeler from Pgraph - Austin, Texas)The audience gave us character names and an inside location such as a bank vault, submarine or basement. We also started by placing chairs on stage in a random order which I loved doing, it’s amazing how much inspiration you can get from chairs! And we know that all improvisers love chairs ;)(Audience suggestion cards)We performed locally as well as at Improv Fest Ireland, Impro Fest UK and The Bristol Improv Theatre Festival. It was a really joyful time.I’ve always loved travelling with improv and performing at festivals is thrilling. We were lucky enough to perform at Improv Fest Ireland 3 times with 2 different shows and it was amazing. If you ever get a chance to head over to Dublin for the festival I’d really recommend it.(Photo of us onstage at The Bristol Improv Theatre Festival.)One of the main things I love about monoscenes is they allow you to really dig deep into emotions and relationships. You can explore your characters vulnerabilities, their hopes, dreams, fears and worries in a way that you don’t in other formats. Because you can’t cleverly edit or bring in new characters you have to really focus on what you’ve already established. Adding in too many new ideas is a sure fire way to make a monoscene difficult to perform and difficult to watch.Obviously monoscenes don’t have to all be 50 minutes long, that’s an extreme monoscene! They can happily be 5 or 10 minutes. Whatever time you choose impacts on the stories you tell and often the intensity. 50 minutes allows for slow burn stories.One thing that monoscenes teach you is pacing. If you’re going to be on stage for 10 minutes and 10 seconds in you’ve launched into a heated argument you’re going to struggle maintaining that level of momentum and energy for the rest of the scene. So chances are you’re going to have a lull where the improv feels flat. It’s easier and more enjoyable to build up the energy and tension but to do this you have to really trust yourself and your scene partner. It can be really daunting being onstage for that length of time knowing that no one is going to save you. You have to put your faith in your storytelling skills which you have in abundance, we all do, we just don’t trust them enough.(Bristol Improv Theatre Festival Poster)You can dig right down into the structural details of story with monoscenes if that’s your bag. Focusing on the beginning, middle and end, applying the likes of Kenn Adams’ story spine to the time you have on stage, working out when a significant events needs to happen.I prefer to let the story develop naturally, start positive and conflict free, establish the relationships, explore their feelings about each other and let it unfold from there. Ultimately all stories are about relationships and keeping characters stuck in one space for a period of time can act like a pressure cooker for their true feelings.I loved having the timer on stage, slowly ticking down. It added energy and tension to the show. Speaking the last line just before the lights went out was a real thrill and the buzz of getting a really weighty or poignant sentence was delightful.(On stage with the countdown timer - Photo by Ginny Koppenhol)Monoscenes offer us so much room to be creative. They can be comic or serious, we can set them in any place or time in history, we can tell love stories or stories of redemption. The only limit is our imagination.If I’ve made you curious about Monoscenes then you might want to check out the upcoming online course I’m running in January 2025. You can find out more here.I’d love to see you there,Katy x Get full access to Katy Bateson - We Are Improv substack at weareimprov.substack.com/subscribe

We Are Improv presents Fish Tank, an improvised 6 part show set at F.A.F. aquarium!Come and join our lovable band of misfits as they navigate day to day life working at the aquarium.In Episode 5 it’s date night and Charlotte has a plan up her sleeve. John tries to avoid birthday celebrations and Barry drives a jag. Starring:Katy Bateson as Scarlet PetersonTabitha Konstantine as Charlotte BennettSam Morgan as Barry CoddBrendan Nisbet as Thomas WallaceLewis Nisbet as John MacDonaldMatthew Worsley as Simon Salmon Get full access to Katy Bateson - We Are Improv substack at weareimprov.substack.com/subscribe

We Are Improv presents Fish Tank, an improvised 6 part show set at F.A.F. aquarium!Come and join our lovable band of misfits as they navigate day to day life working at the aquarium.In Episode 4 the staff are dragging their heels as they head to their monthly meetings with Thomas. Simon concocts a plan to sweeten the deal. Starring:Katy Bateson as Scarlet PetersonTabitha Konstantine as Charlotte BennettSam Morgan as Barry CoddBrendan Nisbet as Thomas WallaceLewis Nisbet as John MacDonaldMatthew Worsley as Simon Salmon Get full access to Katy Bateson - We Are Improv substack at weareimprov.substack.com/subscribe

We Are Improv presents Fish Tank, an improvised 6 part show set at F.A.F. aquarium!Come and join our lovable band of misfits as they navigate day to day life working at the aquarium.In Episode 3 our motley crew are without their captain when Thomas goes on a training course, Barry finds himself in more trouble with Linda and John needs a break. Starring:Katy Bateson as Scarlet PetersonTabitha Konstantine as Charlotte BennettSam Morgan as Barry CoddBrendan Nisbet as Thomas WallaceLewis Nisbet as John MacDonaldMatthew Worsley as Simon Salmon Get full access to Katy Bateson - We Are Improv substack at weareimprov.substack.com/subscribe

We Are Improv presents Fish Tank, an improvised 6 part show set at F.A.F. aquarium!Come and join our lovable band of misfits as they navigate day to day life working at the aquarium.In Episode 2 the back of house staff are pushed into the limelight when half of the staff are poorly. Starring:Katy Bateson as Scarlet PetersonTabitha Konstantine as Charlotte BennettSam Morgan as Barry CoddBrendan Nisbet as Thomas WallaceLewis Nisbet as John MacDonaldMatthew Worsley as Simon Salmon Get full access to Katy Bateson - We Are Improv substack at weareimprov.substack.com/subscribe

We Are Improv presents Fish Tank an improvised 6 part show, originally recorded for Youtube but shared here for your audio pleasure.In each episode we join our lovable band of misfits as they navigate day to day life working at the aquarium.Starring:Katy Bateson as Scarlet Peterson - AquaristTabitha Konstantine as Charlotte Bennett - Front DeskSam Morgan as Barry Codd - Tour GuideBrendan Nisbet as Thomas Wallace - Team ManagerLewis Nisbet as John MacDonald - TechnicianMatthew Worsley as Simon Salmon - Marketing Department Get full access to Katy Bateson - We Are Improv substack at weareimprov.substack.com/subscribe

Hello and welcome to the We Are Improv Podcast. Join Katy Bateson as she shares her love for narrative improv and gives hints and tips that she's learnt so far on her improv journey. Join us for episode 17, Marketing your improv. This week Katy is doing something a little different and looking at how we can market our improv shows and courses.Lucky Dip online course - https://buytickets.at/weareimprov/1242152Fish tank on Youtube - https://youtu.be/KBifs32jm-o?si=r0m6H6fD2zELonVCGet your FREE Triptych guide here - https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/767295/110081760110315246/share You can find more about Katy and We Are Improv here: Facebook - www.facebook.com/weareimprovlancs Instagram - www.instagram.com/weareimprovuk Website - www.weareimprov.co.uk Subscribe to the Improv Geekery mailing list - https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/767295/110081760110315246/share Buy my course books on my Etsy page - https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/WeAreImprov Get full access to Katy Bateson - We Are Improv substack at weareimprov.substack.com/subscribe

Hello and welcome to the We Are Improv Podcast. Join Katy Bateson as she shares her love for narrative improv and gives hints and tips that she's learnt so far on her improv journey. Join us for episode 16, Audience Suggestions, where Katy explores the different audience suggestions we can use to inspire narrative improv.Lucky Dip online course - https://buytickets.at/weareimprov/1242152Fish tank on Youtube - https://youtu.be/KBifs32jm-o?si=r0m6H6fD2zELonVCGet your FREE Triptych guide here - https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/767295/110081760110315246/share You can find more about Katy and We Are Improv here: Facebook - www.facebook.com/weareimprovlancs Instagram - www.instagram.com/weareimprovuk Website - www.weareimprov.co.uk Subscribe to the Improv Geekery mailing list - https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/767295/110081760110315246/share Buy my course books on my Etsy page - https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/WeAreImprov Get full access to Katy Bateson - We Are Improv substack at weareimprov.substack.com/subscribe

Hello and welcome to the We Are Improv Podcast. Join Katy Bateson as she shares her love for narrative improv and gives hints and tips that she's learnt so far on her improv journey. Join us for episode 15, Being Boring, where shares her love of being boring, specifics and details.Fish tank on Youtube - https://youtu.be/KBifs32jm-o?si=r0m6H6fD2zELonVCGet your FREE Triptych guide here - https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/767295/110081760110315246/share You can find more about Katy and We Are Improv here: Facebook - www.facebook.com/weareimprovlancs Instagram - www.instagram.com/weareimprovuk Website - www.weareimprov.co.uk Subscribe to the Improv Geekery mailing list - https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/767295/110081760110315246/share Buy my course books on my Etsy page - https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/WeAreImprov Get full access to Katy Bateson - We Are Improv substack at weareimprov.substack.com/subscribe