The Lowlands Improv Retreat #1 Revisited

Last weekend’s improv retreat was pretty great

For the past few weeks I’ve been organising and preparing for an improv retreat in the Belgian countryside. This stressed me out a little bit, because organising means being aware of all the pieces and not wandering about haphazardly and doing what comes. But it worked. We had a great time, and much more besides.

The weekend was really about getting down to work on improv skills (scenes, games, presenting and editing were the themes of the workshops). Rod ben Zeev and I led about twelve hours of workshops, and over the weekend we witnessed some amazing development in confidence, trust and scenework.

But that wasn’t all: we also had great meals (cooked by the incomparable Chiara), comfortable beds and some good late night parlour games on the Saturday. How did we have the energy to stay up on Saturday night? I think we were aided by our Saturday afternoon post-lunch nap.

And on Sunday the rain let up, so we had our sessions outside.

In short, it was everything we wanted it to be, or could’ve hoped it to be. Total win.

I definitely had fun.

And now we’re looking ahead to the next one, which is looking like winter 2014.

By Liesbeth Smit|2017-09-14T08:43:42+00:00September 20 2013|

“I’ve learned so much from you and thank you for giving me that nudge to get out of my comfort zone.”

Imaan, Amsterdam

“Ryan is a great teacher, very serious (and very funny!) gives great coaching during scenes! I had a great time studying with him!!”

Alon, Tel Aviv

“Ryan is a natural at teaching and you get the feeling he puts his heart and soul into helping others. I look forward to doing more workshops with Ryan.”

Shauna, Tunbridge Wells

“Because of you my fear of speaking or presenting in front of an audience has lessened a great deal.”

Samora, Amsterdam

“Ryan really made the most out of the workshop. No time-wasting. He gets to the point quickly, in a clear and effective way.”

Pedro, Lisbon

“Ryan is an extremely qualified, talented, and professional teacher and coach. I’d recommend Ryan’s services to anyone!”

Derek, Amsterdam,

“The skills I learned from those two weekends, which were two of the most enjoyable weekends I’ve ever had, have been an invaluable tool I use to this day in my daily life, both at work and in personal interactions.”

Andy, Brussels

“I LOVED the fucking GREAT and positive energies in the workshop. They so got me going. Perhaps the highest moment during this festival was laughing in the workshop (to the dances… :)).”

Ben, Tel Aviv

“Ryan’s improv workshop is incredibly fun but also ruthlessly effective. Participants are taught to drop their inhibitions, let their imagination flow and and embrace the positive attitude at the heart of improv. They are also treated to Ryan’s personal blend of enthusiasm, wit and generosity.”

Jeremy, Brussels

“Plenty of energy, enthusiasm, good clear guidance on how to make the scene ‘deliver results’ without killing the improviser… Ryan’s enthusiasm for improv is infectious.”

James, Brighton

“Ryan is the most enthusiastic, positive workshop leader I have ever had the pleasure of working with. I’ve been to several of his workshops and after each session I came away with a sense of achievement and feeling that I had learnt something new.”

Chris, London

“I loved loved loved your workshop. I liked the way it was structured and meaningful. Time flew unnoticed. I liked the shortness of the exercises, the surprise and fun, and the fact that you gave me so much to explore. I now can be in an empty prison cell or in a desert island and never feel alone or bored anymore. Now I can expand my world.”

Elsa, Lisbon

“Thank you for your positive spirit, energy and creativity. Your public speaking sessions really helped me feel more comfortable standing in front of a group of people.”

Serena, Amsterdam

“As a coach Ryan’s ability to zone in and identify the main agenda for each sessions was amazing. His coaching helped me reflect, make decisions and make positive changes in my business.”

Tracy, Dublin

“I really admire your energy, creativity and knowledge and I’ve learned a lot from your training sessions.”

Natasha, Amsterdam,

“I’ve benefitted immensely from this journey which I would recommend to anyone looking to learn more about themselves in a fun, immersive way.”

Simon, Amsterdam

“Absolutely brilliant! Exceptional work!”

Anonymous, Impro Hotel

“Ryan is an incredible teacher. He took a straggling group of beginners and turned us into a viable company of improvisational actors who regularly perform together – in front of actual, paying, repeat customers.”

Carrie, Brussels

“I especially enjoyed the clarity in all of what you were doing – I always understood what it was that you were teaching. I never felt lost. That was really awesome.”

Martin, Tampere

“Very inspiring and useful workshop. Picked me up from where I’m at and helped me develop strategies to improve developing scenes and my performance skills.”

Anonymous, Switzerland

“Working with you was an absolute blast! I’ll take your writing advice with me wherever I go.”

Marton, Budapest

“Thank you so much for passing your writing knowledge onto me. I learned a lot and had a lot of fun too.”

Larissa, Amsterdam,

“I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop. I learned how beautiful authenticity is, with such little moments as sharing your breakfast. Being in the moment is so amazing to see and to feel.”

Laura, Amsterdam

“Ryan’s coaching sessions really improved my public speaking skills and made my presentations much more interesting for my audience.”

Furio S., Berlin

“Your Taking It Easy session helped me relax more into the truth of a scene and let it grow more organically instead of pushing too hard to make it funny or dramatic. I loved that you were really clear about what you wanted us to get and how the exercises played into the scene work we did later. I really got a lot from one short session.”

Andrew, Brighton

“Ryan seemed to know just what to do to get the best from everyone. I would jump at the opportunity to do another workshop led by him.”

Calum, Brighton

The Lowlands Improv Retreat #1 Revisited

How was working with Ryan?

Contact Ryan Millar

The Lowlands Improv Retreat #1 Revisited

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