Frequently Asked Questions*
* As on every other website, “frequently asked questions” means “questions we feel like answering.”
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Mercury Improv was founded to teach improv to people who don’t think of themselves as performers. Learning improv reawakens your creativity and allows you to connect with people in a way that doesn’t happen that often in daily life, and it does this regardless of whether you ever get onstage or play a show.
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Mercury Improv classes are for any adult who wants to learn improv and can function in a group class setting. The only requirement for being a Mercury Improv student is that you not act like a jerk. (So far we have a 100 percent success rate, good work everybody.)
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Absolutely! The name of our flagship class is designed to reassure people who don’t see themselves as big-personality performers, but EVERYONE is welcome.
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Only if you stretch the definition of “kid.” We’ve had some students in their late teens, but in general if you’re looking for youth improv classes you should check out Excused Absence Comedy, run by the amazing Kristin Henn.
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Thankfully, no. (Just to be clear: the founder of Mercury Improv is a white guy who has nothing against his fellow white guys.) We can’t claim any credit for this, but Mercury Improv classes have included a mix of men, women, and nonbinary people; BIPOCs; LGBTQ+ and disabled people; and people who didn’t grow up in the US. This diversity really elevates the class experience for everyone when it happens.
That said, it’s the luck of the draw, so there’s no telling who’ll be in a specific class. Last year was the first time we had a class that was all white dudes, who were absolutely fantastic to work with; no shade on them whatsoever. But they did stand out for that reason. -
No.