Academy of Improvisation
The Academy of Improvisation is a Sydney-based improv school founded in 2010 by Richard Bennett under the name Improv Theatre Company, operating from Chatswood on Sydney's North Shore. Bennett claims the school was the first in Australia to teach Chicago long-form improvisation, and its 11-level curriculum is the most comprehensive offered by any Australian improv school.
History
Founding (2010)
Richard Bennett founded the school in 2010 in Chatswood, Sydney, originally trading as Improv Theatre Company before adopting the Academy of Improvisation name. Bennett, who has authored a text on improvisation theory, positions the school as the first in Australia to have taught long-form improvisation and the Chicago improv method from its founding year.
Curriculum
The Academy offers 11 levels progressing from foundational skills (spontaneity, confidence, listening, and working with the unknown) through to performance-ready comedy work. The school also provides sketch writing and teen improv programs. Bennett's teaching draws on both Keith Johnstone's Impro method and Chicago long-form improvisation, which he describes as the only school worldwide offering both methods in a single comprehensive curriculum.
Author and Scholar
Bennett is the author of Inside Improvisation: The Science Behind Theatrical Improvisation and How To Get Better, a text on improvisation theory that informs the school's teaching practice.
Artistic Identity
The Academy of Improvisation offers Sydney's most extensive improv curriculum, covering both the Johnstone and Chicago long-form traditions across 11 levels from its Chatswood base since 2010.
Notable Productions
AOI Improv Comedy Showcase (recurring end-of-term performance featuring class ensembles and house teams). Improctopus! and (blank)town! at Newcastle Fringe 2025. Regular shows at venues across Sydney's north shore, inner west, and Parramatta. Curriculum spans Improv 1 through 11 plus Sketch 1, making it one of Australia's most extensive progressive improv training programs.
Legacy
Founded by Richard Bennett, who authored Inside Improvisation: The Science Behind Theatrical Improvisation and How To Get Better (2018), a detailed study of improv methodology grounded in science and arts theory. Bennett trained at Improv Theatre Company and is widely regarded as Sydney's foremost practitioner of Chicago-style long-form improv. AOI alumni regularly perform in Sydney's independent improv scene.
Key Events
Academy of Improvisation Founded in Sydney
Richard Bennett founded the school in Chatswood, Sydney in 2010 as Improv Theatre Company, introducing Chicago long-form improvisation teaching to Australia. Bennett claims the school was the first in Australia to teach Chicago long-form improvisation, and its 11-level curriculum is the most comprehensive offered by any Australian improv school.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Academy of Improvisation. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/companies/academy-of-improvisation
The Improv Archive. "Academy of Improvisation." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/companies/academy-of-improvisation.
The Improv Archive. "Academy of Improvisation." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/companies/academy-of-improvisation. Accessed September 28, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.