Student Manual

By attending, you confirm that you have read and agree to abide by the policies and standards of conduct set out here, including the anti-harassment and violence policies. These policies are subject to change at the FA’s discretion.

Improv training involves physical movement and performance-based activities, which carry inherent risk. By attending, you accept responsibility for your own wellbeing. The Free Association and its trainers are not liable for accidents or injuries during sessions.

Questions? Email us at hello@thefreeassociation.co.uk.

1. Welcome

The Free Association is home to some of the most exciting improvised comedy in London. We run a one-of-a-kind long-form improv syllabus: based on the American long-form tradition, but with our own methodology – developed over more than a decade of training thousands of students. Our courses teach you to say yes, to build with others, and to discover how much creative confidence you already have … whether you’re here to be a performer or not.

We’re glad you’re here.

2. Before your first class

Payment

Your full course fee should be paid before your first class. If you paid a deposit at the time of booking, you’ll find a link to pay the remainder in your tax invoice email. Late payments incur a £25 fee.

Deposits and refunds

• You can cancel for a full refund up to two weeks before the course start date.

• Your deposit (25% of the course fee) is non-refundable within one week of the start date.

• If you cancel between one and two weeks before the start date, we will refund half your deposit.

• For one-off workshops and short courses: half the fee is refundable if cancelled more than two weeks before the start date, and non-refundable within one week.

• In some circumstances we may be able to defer your place to a future course, at our discretion.

• If you drop out during a course, you are not eligible for a refund and must pay any outstanding fees.

Switching classes

• More than two weeks before the start date: free to move to another available class.

• Within two weeks of the start date: a £25 admin fee applies, and you can only move to a course running concurrently over the same weeks.

• Intensive courses cannot be moved within two weeks of the start date. If you can no longer attend, it will be treated as a cancellation.

• It is not possible to change class once a course has begun.

What to wear

Wear comfortable clothes you can move freely in. Shoes must be worn at all times in class.

Special requirements

If you have any requirements or information you’d like your teacher to know about, you can:

• Enter them at the time of booking

• Contact your teacher directly once you’ve received your welcome email

• Contact our Head Teacher: alex@thefreeassociation.co.uk

3. Your Classes

Class times

Your class day and time should remain the same throughout the course. Please aim to arrive ten minutes early - there’s a lot to get through and we start promptly.

Attendance

You are expected to attend every class. Missing more than two sessions can affect your progression and your ensemble.

• You must attend at least six out of eight classes in order to progress to the next level.

• If you miss a class, it may be possible to attend a make-up class in the same week, free of charge. Speak to your teacher as early as possible to arrange this. This is not guaranteed. 

• Make-up classes still count as absences from your regular class. You are allowed a maximum of two make-up classes per course.

• If you miss more than two classes, you will be required to repeat the course before progressing.

Watching shows

Watching great improv is part of learning to do it. All students are required to attend FA shows during their course. The requirements by level are:

• Levels 1-3: 1 FA in-house show

• Performance Pathway classes: 1 FA house show in relevant format (premise-based, organic or narrative)

Students receive discounts on most FA shows, and some –  including class shows and Harold Night – are free. Check the website for details. 

Show attendance will be discussed briefly in class, and you will be expected to confirm you’ve been.

Brand new Level 1 students: we’d particularly encourage you to attend at least one show during your first course. It will give you a clear sense of where the training is heading –  and a chance to meet teachers, current students, and alumni.

Your teachers

Every member of the FA teaching team has been specifically trained in the level they teach and brings substantial personal improv experience. All courses follow a core syllabus, so whoever is leading your class, the quality of tuition is consistent.

Our teachers are working performers and freelance professionals, so we occasionally need to make last-minute changes to cover a class. When this happens, we ensure a proper handover so the new teacher is fully up to speed. If we are unable to cover a class due to last-minute illness, we will contact all students as soon as possible and reschedule for the following week.

You will receive your teacher’s contact details in your welcome email. Please use this contact only for the duration of your course, and be respectful of their time outside class hours. Teachers are contracted to work during class time only, and will respond to out-of-class queries at their discretion. Where possible, save performance-related questions for class time or the break. If a teacher does not reply, they will incorporate a response into your notes at the next opportunity.

Classroom rules

FA classes are designed to be spaces where students feel free to play, try things, and make mistakes. To make sure everyone can do that:

• Be kind, mindful, and respectful to everyone in the room.

• Respect your classmates’ personal space. Do not assume people are comfortable being touched. Unless you know otherwise, assume they are not.

• Support your classmates, both on stage and off.

• If you tend to talk a lot, make space for others. If you tend to be quiet, know that your contribution is genuinely valued.

• If personal things are shared in class, the learning can be discussed – but respect the confidentiality of the person who shared it.

• Please do not eat during class, and keep phones away. There is a 15-minute break in every class for calls, snacks, and so on.

• Shoes must be worn at all times in class. 

• Please do not run or put yourself or others at risk.

• Only students who have signed up to the class (or who are doing a make-up from another class) may attend.

• Please do not bring pets to class.

• Valuables are your own responsibility. The building has public areas, so never leave belongings unattended. The FA is not responsible for lost or stolen items.

If something makes you uncomfortable during class, you are encouraged to raise it. You can speak to your teacher directly - in the moment or over email - or contact our student liaison team:

• Student Liaison: studentliaison@thefreeassociation.co.uk

• Diversity and Inclusion Liaison: mariam@thefreeassociation.co.uk 

Repeating a course

The FA reserves the right to ask students to repeat a level if needed. If you are required to repeat by a teacher, you will be offered a 40% discount. If you choose to repeat, or are required to do so due to absences, no discount applies.

Students returning from a break

If you need to take time off, please let us know as soon as possible. When you return, we may place you at a level appropriate to where you are. Any student returning after more than a year must rejoin at a level determined by the FA. Returning students pay the fee applicable at the time of re-joining.

 

6. Progression & auditions

Moving up levels

Entry to Level 2 and above requires completion of all prerequisite levels. Some students with significant improv training elsewhere may be permitted to join at Level 2 - this is at the Head Teacher’s discretion.

For Level 3 and all “Performance Pathway” courses, there is a public class performance at the end of the course. The date will be discussed at the start of the course.

Auditions

The FA hold auditions each year for their in-house teams. House team auditions are only open to students who have completed the relevant courses:

• Harold Team Auditionees: must have completed Premise Level 2 (Harold)

• Organic Team Auditionees: must have completed Advanced Organic Level 1

• Narrative Team Auditionees: must have completed Narrative Level 1

House Team auditions are not open to improvisers who have trained elsewhere. We do plan to hold open auditions for improvisers who have trained outside the FA, for paid opportunities.

Audition dates and sign-up details are posted approximately one month in advance. You must have no outstanding fees to be eligible to audition for a house team.

Listing the FA on your CV

Please represent your training and experience accurately in any audition or professional context. Some examples of how to do this:

• Harold Class Show – Ensemble – The Free Association, London (for someone who has performed in a Harold class show)

• The Free Association Improv – Levels 1–3 (for someone who has completed up to Level 3)

Performing in a class show does not entitle you to list “The Free Association” as a performance credit without further qualification.

7. Keeping everyone safe

Improv and comedy are art forms where the boundaries of what is deemed appropriate or politically correct are often blurred. You may, at times, encounter ideas or behaviour in class that you find uncomfortable or disagreeable. We ask that you approach your training with an open mind and take into account the range of viewpoints, beliefs and backgrounds in the room.

By the same token, please exercise good judgment and avoid conduct that constitutes abuse – particularly targeted attacks on a specific individual. If something crosses a line for you, you are never required to participate. Please raise it with your teacher or our student liaison team.

Anti-Harassment Policy

Harassment of any kind is strictly prohibited. This includes harassment by or towards instructors, staff, students, and visitors. Harassment is defined as unwelcome conduct – verbal, physical, or visual – that is sufficiently severe or pervasive to interfere with a student’s participation in FA programmes, or that creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment. This includes epithets, slurs, negative stereotyping, threatening behaviour, and denigrating jokes directed at an individual.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is strictly prohibited. It encompasses a range of conduct, from sexual assault to unwanted touching, persistent unwelcome comments, sexual advances, and requests for sexual favours. Sexual advances or requests for favours constitute harassment when submission or rejection is used as a basis for any academic or professional decision, or when such conduct is directed at someone despite being rejected.

Please note that due to the nature of improv and comedy, sexual innuendo or suggestive content arising in the course of a class exercise or performance may not constitute impermissible harassment if it serves a genuine educational or artistic purpose and is not targeted at an individual.

Violence

The FA operates a zero-tolerance policy on violence. This includes threats or acts of physical violence, intentional destruction of property, harassing or threatening communications, harassment by surveillance or stalking, and unauthorised possession or use of weapons. 

This policy does not apply to fictional or simulated acts of violence within a class exercise or performance.

Drugs and Alcohol

The use, possession, sale, or distribution of illegal drugs or unauthorised controlled substances on FA premises or during FA activities is strictly prohibited. 

Students must not attend class under the influence of alcohol or drugs. 

Violations may result in disciplinary action, including permanent expulsion.

8. If something goes wrong

If something makes you uncomfortable (whether in class or outside it) please tell us. You will not face any retaliation for raising a concern in good faith.

Who to contact:

• Student Liaison: studentliaison@thefreeassociation.co.uk

• Head Teacher: alex@thefreeassociation.co.uk

• For sexual assault or serious incidents, contact Jonny Collis: jonny@thefreeassociation.co.uk

You can also submit an anonymous report using the form at the bottom of this page.

All concerns are treated with confidentiality to the extent possible, and investigated thoroughly and promptly. Where possible, we will attempt to resolve issues informally. More formal action will be taken where necessary.

Sexual Assault

Sexual assault is a criminal act and will not be tolerated. Any student who believes they have been sexually assaulted – by a fellow student, faculty member, or visitor – should report the incident to our student liaison or to Jonny Collis. We also encourage students to report to the police and seek medical care as soon as possible.

Whistleblowing

Students should report any activity they suspect to be illegal, a serious violation of FA policy, or otherwise inappropriate or unethical. There will be no retaliation for making a report in good faith.

Dismissal and Expulsion

The FA reserves the right to remove anyone from class and refuse access to further training.

Immediate dismissal: If a teacher believes a student’s behaviour is threatening, dangerous, or highly disruptive, they may ask the student to leave for the remainder of that session. The student may not return until they have spoken with FA management. Grounds for immediate dismissal include acts or threats of violence, intoxication, and serious violations of our harassment or conduct policies.

Warnings: Students whose behaviour a teacher considers detrimental to the ensemble may receive a verbal warning, which is then reported to FA management. A pattern of warnings may result in a transfer, a repeat of a level, a leave of absence, or permanent expulsion. Conduct considered detrimental includes excessive lateness, missing more than two classes, inappropriate behaviour, harassment, and inability to keep up with class progress.