Dalia Goldberg
Making new friends through improv
True to its name, improv comedy isn’t scripted. It’s a series of games where the players crack jokes, and the audience is invited to give suggestions. Everything happens for the very first time onstage… so you could end up saying anything, no matter how ridiculous.
When I started taking improv classes in May 2023, I was recovering from the breakup and was curious about trying new things. I thought I’d take one or two classes, but ended up coming back every week.
Then, in September of that year, a popular English-language professional improv group in Seville — The Improvites — held auditions. I decided to try out, and was excited to see that I got in.
Many members of the Improvites told me the activity has boosted their confidence and helped them make new friends. Bob Rouf, a teacher and subtitler hailing from the UK and one of the group’s founders, said it helped him beat social anxiety. “If you’re an adult, you spend your time in drudgery, the grind, working… things get kind of heavy, you get worn down. But you do improv, and suddenly you’re light again,” he says.
Will, another member from the UK, moved to Seville from northern Spain after his marriage also broke down. When he attended his first improv session, he didn’t know what to expect, but he says he’s so happy to have stepped outside his comfort zone. “Doing improv has led me to meet so many like minded people whom I’ve had such a good time with. I haven’t laughed so much in years,” he told me.
I’ve realized that improv is one of the few times I can let my inner child run free. Deep connections have formed, and I now feel empowered to let go and allow myself to be authentic — even in front of a crowd.
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