This is going to be one of the most British improv related articles that you are ever going to read but it came to me the other day when I was in the airport. I asked for a tea with a small gap for milk at the top as I like it strong as usually they only fill it just over half full. The barista decided to fill the whole cup to the rim with it dangerously overfilling with boiling hot water. Luckily I didn’t get burnt and I had to poor away some of the strong tea goodness as I couldn’t fit any milk in at all.

Tea is such a cultural thing in the UK and everyone has there own very specific way of how they like it. Some are brought up with strong brews, others really weak with lots of milk. There is the discussion what goes first the hot water or the milk goes first that divides so many people across the country. You see – it is a huge deal – and you can’t really experience the extremity of it unless you come to the UK.

So how does tea link to improv?

Well, improv has a basic set of rules that you need to follow to make it work. However, just because you need to follow the core elements, you can mix them up and make them your own. You can Yes And but you can remix it and maybe alter the way that you deliver a line or your movement or even the way you approach the stage! It will always be exciting to see something different or unique to an act.

Yes, tea is a random topic for improv but if you think of it as a connotation all elements of improv can be related to making a cup of tea! First you have the teabag (the player), the water (the stage), the milk (the scene) and the optional sugar (the optional theme) – all of these can be added in different ways to create different ‘taste’ and enjoyment.

Thank you again for all your support in reading and engaging with the website.

If you want to help support the website then you can! You can buy Holly a cup of tea (and a biscuit!)