Conditions of Participation

We expect that the overwhelming majority of students will begin our workshops program via our Level 1 courses, even if they possess prior Australian acting, writing or improvisation experience. Rare exceptions may be made at the discretion of the Education Director, most likely if a student has prior class experience at one of the big American comedy schools which we've vetted (iO, UCB, etc.). If you think you might qualify for placement into a higher level, please contact us.

Unless explicitly listed as a youth/teen class, all Improv Conspiracy courses are intended for people aged 18 years and over.

Students who aren't fluent English speakers often have a difficult time in our courses. We'd love to work with foreign students as long as you're confident in your ability to communicate.

Course registration fees are non-refundable for most reasons, including change of mind.

However, should your situation change, we are happy to offer internal credit towards a future class – less a change of registration fee. The full schedule of change of registration fees is described in-depth during the course checkout process.

Our teachers and office staff will use email as our primary method of communication with you outside of class hours. You agree to receive a reasonable number of emails from us during the class term, at the email address you provide when signing up. In rare/urgent cases we may contact you via phone or text message.

By registering for workshops you also opt-in for the Improv Conspiracy newsletter mailing list, which you can always unsubscribe from later.

We promise not to share any of your private contact information with third parties. Even if you unsubscribe from our mailing list, you may still receive relevant class-related email from us during the term.

In our normal eight-week courses, you must attend a minimum of six of the eight class sessions you've booked for, with your assigned instructor, in order to be considered for passing the course. Missing more than two of eight sessions in your booked course with your assigned instructor will result in an automatic recommendation to repeat the course.

Sketch Students Physically attending class without bringing your written sketch homework to share with the class will count as an absence.

Intensive Students The equivalent policy is that you must attend a minimum of 75% of your course hours with your assigned instructor.

In order to limit disruptions in our classes, we are not always able to guarantee "make-up sessions" for students who need to miss a week of class due to illness, travel or other reasons. In exceptional circumstances we may allow students to sit in with other classes, however permission is granted on a case-by-case basis and should not be relied upon. Note that even if approved, sitting in with another class still counts as a strike against your attendance record in your default class, as your assigned instructor is unable to track your progress. Always plan on attending at least six of eight sessions in your assigned class.

Arriving more than 15 minutes late to a workshop, or leaving more than 15 minutes early will result in an absence being marked, despite your presence at the class session. No latecomers will be allowed to enter the classroom after 30 minutes have passed.

All Improv Conspiracy improv courses come with at least one performance opportunity during our student showcase weekend. We strongly suggest that you participate in all showcase opportunities, as they are a major part of the experience we offer. If you know that you can't attend your showcase, please inform your instructor as soon as possible.

One of the best ways to get better at improv is to watch and analyse professional shows put on by experienced performers. For that reason, each of our classes begins with an open discussion of the shows students have seen during the prior week at our theatre.

All students participating in eight-week courses must attend a minimum of TWO qualifying shows at our theatre during term – there's no additional cost to fulfil this requirement, with two complimentary tickets included in your course fees. (Note: these tickets are for you to book a single seat on two separate occasions – not for you to bring a friend along to watch a single show. Your mates are welcome to buy their own tickets and join you!)

Qualifying premium shows are generally offered every night we're open — for a full list of which shows count towards your quota, please check our show viewing quota page which allows you to make complimentary student reservations online. Only tickets booked through this student reservation system will count towards your quota.

We certainly encourage you to watch more shows than the minimum requirement! Once you've used up your free tickets, students can purchase standby tickets to any show on the door for a flat rate of $5. If there is room in the theatre after all conventional ticketholders are seated, you can enter via a standby ticket. If we can't squeeze you in, you can save your standby ticket for use at a future show.

Intensive Students As your class sessions take place over a single week, this allows you fewer opportunities to attend shows during term. The viewing requirement may not apply – please discuss with your instructor.

Improvising requires you to have a clear head in order to perform at the top of your intelligence. Do whatever you want after class, but please don't show up to class under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Anyone who is suspected of being under the influence will be asked to leave and will be marked as absent for the day. In extreme cases our Anti-Harassment & Community Safety Policy may come into play.

To limit disruptions, please eat all food items before class begins, or during your mid-class break. To limit spills, all drink containers should have lids. At the end of class, please dispose of your rubbish.

For safety and hygiene issues, we require that you wear footwear with a sole during class and while performing on stage. Bare feet or socks are not appropriate.

In order to create a safe space, gratuitous sexual or violent behaviour and content will not be tolerated on stage in our workshops. Any other sufficiently disruptive behaviour is similarly forbidden. Students who feel uncomfortable or threatened by other students should inform their teacher ASAP. In extreme cases our Anti-Harassment & Community Safety Policy may come into play.

Other than the aforementioned areas which are not tolerated, we DO support your right to express yourself freely on stage, as long as you aren't endangering yourself, your classmates, or the trust that exists between the group. Desperate to do something edgy and unconventional? Please discuss boundaries and best practices with your instructor first, so you can work out a game plan for how to do it safely. Once you have a bit of experience and guidance there's almost always a way to express yourself freely without endangering that precious trust.

Don't provide notes or feedback for your fellow students inside or outside of class. Unsolicited compliments are great, but unsolicited criticism is unacceptable, no matter how constructive the intention.

The Improv Conspiracy is committed to providing its students and performers with a safe community to train, perform and socialise in that is free from harassment. Sexual harassment, or harassment based on race, age, religion, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression are all forbidden. Please read our comprehensive Anti-Harassment & Community Safety Policy for more information, including how to report known or suspected harassment.

Proceed with caution! Not recommended, but if you and another consenting adult insist on dating within the company please understand that this is a small community full of people with whom you'll likely be interacting with professionally and socially for years to come. Please use common sense and treat each other with respect and integrity. There are additional policies in place to prevent people in positions of power in the company from taking advantage of newer community members. Quid pro quo sexual harassment is forbidden, and any relationships between community members with unequal status must be reported to theatre management in order to eliminate bias in teacher assignments, casting decisions, etc.

After reading our Anti-Harassment & Community Safety Policy, if you'd like to report an issue relating to a community member's personal conduct, you should speak with your instructor, a venue manager, a membership of the company's management team or the Company Director.

Your ability to advance to higher workshop levels is based on teacher recommendation. You'll be judged on your understanding and ability to execute the goals of each workshop level, as well as your attendance (a combination of your workshop session attendance, student showcase attendance, and your four-show quota for ensemble performances). Any appeals will be decided by the Education Director.

When repeating most workshop levels (either voluntarily or based on teacher recommendation), you'll receive a 50% discount on course fees. Be sure to ask when registering. Note that there are no discounts offered for our elective courses.

Completing our public workshops program does not guarantee you a position on one of our house performance teams, or a regular opportunity to perform at The Improv Conspiracy Theatre. Every few months a round of auditions will be held, and only the top performers will be offered opportunities. As these auditions are highly competitive, our graduates are strongly encouraged to start their own independent teams before or after the completion of our program, and to create their own performance opportunities around Melbourne regardless of what we are able to offer them.

Improv Students Auditions for house improv teams are only guaranteed to those students who have successfully completed Improv Level 6 or higher in our core workshops program.

Sketch Students Auditions for house sketch teams are only guaranteed to those students who have successfully completed Sketch Level 3 or higher in our core workshops program.