About Us
London’s improv comedy theatre and school. Funny shows and serious training, since 2014.
What is The Free Association?
The Free Association started in 2014 with a small group of improvisers, hungry for stage time and great shows.
Graham Dickson, Max Olesker and Ivan Gonzalez approached a new East London theatre and its owners, Jonny Collis and Ryan Dench, looking for a night to showcase their work.
The night went well. Mike Orton-Toliver joined shortly after to help build the school. With early support from Jim Woods - one of LA’s finest - Graham, Mike, Jonny and Ryan built The Free Association from the ground up: a real syllabus, a curated programme, and a clear point of view about what good improv looks like.
A decade on, we’ve taught thousands of students, worked with some of the world’s biggest companies, and performed on some of London’s most prestigious stages. Our alumni have won Olivier Awards and BAFTAs, taken shows to the West End, and written and directed for Marvel, Netflix and the BBC.
Formerly based at the De Beauvoir Arms for 10 wonderful years, The Free Association school and theatre now has a permanent home at our very own stunning venue in Southwark.
Join us. Light your creative spark, make friends and meet collaborators, do brilliant stuff, and let us ride your coat-tails to the top.
Pick your door.
Watch a show
A proper venue with a bar, a buzz, and a programme of shows that are predictably funny (and hilariously unpredictable). Visit us at Union Yard for our own home-grown shows alongside the finest visiting companies, and see top talent – as well as emerging stars – take to the stage.
We’ve been putting on long-form improv in London long enough to know what works and what doesn’t. Come on your own; for a date; or with friends ... and come back again and again.
Take a class
If you’ve ever thought about trying improv, the FA is where you can learn it properly. Structured courses, expert teachers, real progression … from a 2-hour taster class, to performing on our stage (if that’s where you want to end up).
Come and try a genuinely fun way to spend your time, with people who take the craft seriously. You will see why people who come here to “try something new” end up doing every level, plus additional workshops. Getting funnier is addictive.
Book corporate training
We apply the principles of improvisation to help teams at some of the world’s leading companies communicate better, collaborate more effectively, and think in genuinely new ways.
Improvisers have no script and no idea what’s coming next. But they do have the ability to listen fully, support the people around them, and make something unique and impactful out of uncertainty.
These are the skills every great team runs on – and we know how to teach them.
“The Free Association is an incredible hub of vibrancy, talent, imagination and hard work. A place for a great night out with friends or to explore your own creativity. I’m in awe of the people and place and the impact they have.”
Meet the team.
The Free Association comprises a hugely talented roster of performers, around 30 super-experienced trainers, and our amazing front of house team.
