Terms & Conditions

Please ensure you read these terms carefully before booking a class or tickets.

They apply to tickets, memberships, classes and anything else you buy from The Free Association (“FA”, “we”, “us”) via thefreeassociation.co.uk or at our venue - by completing a purchase you agree to them.

The Free Association is a trading name of FA Improv Limited, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 09448430), registered office Arch 26, Old Union Yard Arches, London SE1 0LR. We don’t have a phone line - email is the fastest way to reach us. Write to hello@thefreeassociation.co.uk and we’ll come back to you within two working days.

School

Payments

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

Refunds

You can cancel your place 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.

Changing your booked class

More than two weeks before the start date, there is no additional charge 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, this will be treated as a cancellation.

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

Attendance and progression

You must attend at least six out of eight classes in order to progress to the next level. If you miss more than two classes, you will be required to repeat the course before progressing.

Entry to Level 2 and above requires completion of all prerequisite levels. Placement at Level 2 without completing Level 1 is at the Headteacher’s discretion.

Liability

Improv training involves physical movement and performance-based activities, which carry inherent risk. By attending, you accept responsibility for your own wellbeing, and for telling us about anything - an injury, a health condition - that might affect your ability to take part safely. We’re not liable for injuries that aren’t our fault, but nothing here limits our liability where we’ve been negligent.

Conduct

The Free Association reserves the right to remove any student from class and refuse access to further training.

Full details of our conduct, anti-harassment, and dismissal policies are set out in the Student Manual.

Theatre

Refunds and exchanges

Tickets are non-refundable except in the event of a cancelled or rescheduled show.

If a show is cancelled, you will be offered a full refund or the option to exchange your ticket for another show. If a show is rescheduled, you will be offered the same options if you are unable to attend the new date.

We are not responsible for any additional costs incurred as a result of a cancellation or rescheduling, including travel or accommodation.

Resale

Tickets may not be resold for profit. The Free Association reserves the right to cancel tickets obtained in breach of this policy.

Entry

All shows are 18+. Valid ID may be required on entry.

Entry may be refused if we have reason to believe tickets have been resold, or if the ticket holder’s behaviour is considered disruptive or inappropriate.

Latecomers may not be admitted until a suitable break in the performance. Advertised start times are approximate.

Recording

The recording or live streaming of shows, in whole or in part, is not permitted without prior written consent from The Free Association.

Memberships

FA Membership is a monthly auto-renewing subscription: your chosen payment method is charged on or around the same date each month until you cancel.

You can cancel at any time from your account. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period - you keep your benefits until then, and no further payments are taken. We don’t give pro-rata refunds for part-used months. If you’ve only just joined, see “Buying online” below: you have 14 days to change your mind.

Member benefits (discounted tickets, monthly member ticket, bar discount, and so on) are as described on the membership page at the time you join, are personal to you, and can’t be exchanged for cash.

If a renewal payment fails we’ll retry and email you; if payment can’t be collected your membership will lapse.

We may change the membership price or benefits with at least one billing period’s notice - you can cancel before the change takes effect.

General

When your booking is confirmed

Prices and availability on our site are an invitation to book, not an offer. Your booking becomes a contract between us when we email your confirmation. Very occasionally we may need to decline one - a class is full, or a price has been listed in error - and if that happens we’ll tell you why and refund you in full.

Prices

Prices include VAT at the current rate. Any booking fee is shown before you pay. We change our prices from time to time, but never after your booking is confirmed.

Buying online

When you buy online, consumer law usually gives you 14 days to change your mind. That right doesn’t apply to tickets, classes or workshops booked for a specific date - the refund and exchange terms above are what apply instead. It does apply to FA Membership: cancel within 14 days of joining and we’ll refund you, less the value of any member benefits you’ve already used.

Changes

Line-ups, casts and teachers are advertised in good faith and can change. Where a change is significant we’ll tell you and offer you a refund or an exchange. We may also make changes needed to comply with the law or to keep everyone safe, and we’ll let you know when we do.

We’ll provide our classes, shows and everything else with reasonable skill and care. Nothing in these terms affects your legal rights as a consumer.

Things outside our control

If something genuinely beyond our control stops us doing what we’ve promised - a power cut, a transport strike, extreme weather, an emergency at the venue - we’ll tell you as soon as we can and do what we reasonably can to put it right. Where that means cancelling a show or a class, the terms above apply.

Our liability

We never exclude our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or for anything else the law doesn’t let us exclude. Beyond that, we’re responsible for loss that was a foreseeable result of us breaking these terms, and not for business losses - we sell to you as a consumer, for personal use.

If something goes wrong

We’d always rather hear about it. Email hello@thefreeassociation.co.uk within 14 days and tell us what happened - we’ll come back to you and try to put it right. This doesn’t affect your legal rights.

Your privacy

Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle your personal data, and our Cookie Policy covers cookies.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. You can bring a claim in the courts of England and Wales - or, if you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, in your local courts. If part of these terms is found unenforceable, the rest still applies.