This article is the third in a series of four. I recommend starting with Part One. The hosts in Westworld are essentially actors playing characters. Their acting and improvisation choices are codified as… well, code. There are teams of programmers who work in the Behaviour department of Westworld to manage…

This article is the second in a series of four. I recommend starting with Part One. “The newcomers are looking for the same thing we are: a place to be free, a place to stake out our dreams. A place of unlimited possibilities.” – Season 1 Episode 1, ‘The Original’ …

“No orientation. No guidebook. Figuring things out is half the fun. All you do is make choices.” – Season 1, Episode 2: ‘Chestnut’ In 2016, I watched the first season of Westworld, the television show about a Wild-West-themed attraction where robots playing cowboys and gunslingers and saloon owners create an…

This is the (lightly edited) transcript of a talk I gave the other week as part of Improv Theatre Sydney’s lecture series Rant Academy. It’s improv theory! Hooray! If that’s not your thing turn away now! You can watch the video version here. Professor Connell, distinguished fellow panellists, esteemed members…

This story was written in conjunction with visitors to Hamilton Gardens, as part of the Hamilton Garden Arts Festival. Each person was asked what happened next, and their answer became the next part of the story. You’re walking through the city, when you hear a noise, almost a whisper. You…

This story was written in conjunction with visitors to Hamilton Gardens, as part of the Hamilton Garden Arts Festival. Each person was asked what happened next, and their answer became the next part of the story. You’re sitting on the dock, your feet dangling in the cool water beneath you…

Five Comedians. One Betrayal. Zero Trust. The Saboteur is an improv format I developed over the course of several years. It premiered at the New Zealand Improv Festival 2019, where it won Outstanding Show, before a short run at the Improv Conspiracy theatre in Melbourne. I’m working on bringing it…

Background The Games Lab is part of our permanent free exhibition Screen Worlds. It has a selection of fifteen playable videogames from around Australia and the world. The last suite of games was installed in 2016, and while some of them were clear audience and staff favourites (I’m looking at you…

This is the first conversation in our new series Scene from a Chat: Advancing and Extending Impro/v in Australasia. Two improvisors chat on a topic of their choosing, anything from the individual beats of a scene to the entire nature of improvisation as a craft. The scene partners will email…