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Very Very Academy is VVI’s improv training program and focuses on equipping folks in the Fraser Valley for improv performance opportunities. ​Academy offers a range of training sessions during the 2025/26 season - a little something for everyone. All Academy training takes place at The Bez Arts Hub unless otherwise stated.
​ FALL ACADEMY: BIG, BOLD & BRILLIANT
​Sunday Afternoons | Oct 26-Nov 16 | 2-4 pm​
​Tia’s Fall Academy class is perfect for beginners or experienced improvisers looking to sharpen their character work and rediscover the fun of short form. Each session focuses on the classic improv games VVI is known for, finding the funny in scenes, and building the confidence to play boldly. You'll learn the tools to create strong characters, connect with scene partners, and feel at home on stage — all in a playful, low-pressure environment.
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IINSTRUCTOR - TIA COOKE has been part of Vancouver’s improv community for over a decade. She has performed on stages across the city and beyond, including Tightrope Impro Theatre, the Vancouver Improv Festival, and the Seattle Festival of Improvised Theatre. She has appeared as a guest cast member in the long-running improvised soap opera Sin Peaks, co-created the duo Bleeders, and devised the delightfully oddball show: “The Feast.” With a background that spans longform, genre-based improv, sketch, and stand-up, Tia is known for bringing curiosity, playfulness, and an open heart to both the stage and the classroom.
STORY TIME WITH CLIFF
Wednesday Night | Feb 18 | 7:30 - 9:30pm
"All you have to do is make up your own scene; create your own plot; develop a fully realized character; make your own environment seem real; introduce a conflict; and include a beginning; a middle, and an end, complete with climax and denouement. And you must do all of this while the other actors are trying to do the same thing in different ways.” Greg Atkins IMPROV 101 - a guidebook for the actor
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Improv is terrifying to many seasoned actors. But not you ;). Join professional comedian and VVI Artistic Director, Cliff Prang, to discuss the internal conflicts associated with putting ourselves on stage and then let's tackle the practical applications to ensure our grand entrance is a success.
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Winter Academy: Long Form Fundamentals
Wednesday Nights | Feb 25 - March 18th | 7:30 - 9:30pm
This four week improv course focuses on the foundations of long-form improvisation. Guided by instructor and VVI associate producer, Delaney Gilmour, performers will explore how to build dynamic scenes, sustain compelling characters, and collaborate effectively within an ensemble. Throughout the course, students will engage with a variety of long-form structures and techniques that not only strengthen an improviser’s narrative skills but also enhance their performance in short-form improv. This course culminates in a live showcase, where the group presents a long form performance shaped by their strengths and discoveries.
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Spring Academy: Serving the Scene w/JOSH WILSON
Sunday Afternoons | April 19 - May 10 | 2-4 pm
In this four week course, improvisers will move beyond individual performance and begin to think like directors, editors, and playwrights in real time to answer the question: “What does this show need right now?” Using the Montage longform format as a framework, participants will develop the skills to read pacing, tone, and narrative structure while actively supporting their ensemble. This program is ideal for performers ready to shift their focus from individual scenes to cohesive showmaking. The course also culminates in a live showcase, where participants will present everything they have learned on the VVI stage.
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NSTRUCTOR - JOSH WILSON is a performer, instructor, and facilitator with over 15 years of experience teaching theatre and improv. He has performed across Europe with groups such as Moscow Improv Club, Yowza, Troika, Alan, and TeddyBeards, as well as in his own solo show Masks. He currently performs with Chilliwack Improv and Very Very Improv, where he also serves as Academy Coordinator. In his spare time, Josh works as a professional D&D Dungeon Master and voice-over actor.
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Master Class 1: Grounded Connections
Friday May 22 | 6.30-8.30pm
w / Graham Myers
This two-hour improv class offers an easygoing, supportive dive into scene work for experienced improvisors. Through a mix of directed exercises and open scenes, you’ll explore ways to connect more deeply with your scene partners, your characters, and your audience. Whether you’re looking to sharpen your performance or simply stretch your scene muscles in a relaxed space, this workshop is all about rediscovering the joy of grounded, collaborative improv.
Recommended for improvisors with show experience. This is the first part of a two-workshop series on advanced scene work.
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Master Class 2: Deepening Connections
Wednesday June 24 | 6.30-8.30pm
w / Graham Myers​
Building on the skills explored in Grounded Connections, this workshop continues the journey into advanced scene work. We’ll take the themes of slowing down, connecting, and collaborating, and push them further, challenging ourselves to expand character depth, sustain strong choices, and heighten emotional connection. Using directed exercises and open scenes, we’ll refine the skills needed to create grounded, compelling, and memorable improvisation.
Taking Grounded Connections is recommended, however this master class is open to any experienced improviser.
Graham was just 13 when he realized that people were less likely to beat him up if he could make them laugh first. Luckily, his parents signed him up for an improv class, and the path was set.
Beyond performing, he brings his height and a touch of grumpiness to the classroom, where he has a passion for teaching. He enjoys sharing the fun and benefits of improvisation and takes an approach that is both challenging and rewarding, using laughter and play to demonstrate the power of this quirky art form.
SUMMER ACADEMY May 27 - June 17 with Adam - MORE DEETS TO COME!!!