Acting without a script? I tried it... and aced it

For years now, Mondays in our household have looked surprisingly upbeat. While others around us joked about Monday blues, my husband and I had quietly carved out a tradition of our own. After finishing work, we would head to a small, welcoming theatre tucked into a creative corner of Al Quoz. There, a brilliant ensemble performed improv, a spontaneous form of comedy that never failed to lift our spirits. 

The Courtyard Playhouse, Dubai’s only dedicated improv theatre and training centre, is an independent space for live performances. With its red velvet seats, golden glow, and cozy seating, it feels more like a warm living room than a formal stage. It quickly became our Monday night ritual. 

Week after week, we watched the resident ensemble take the stage and spin entire scenes out of thin air. Some evenings were laugh-out-loud funny. Others felt strange, even a little surreal. Sometimes, a scene would unexpectedly land somewhere emotional. Whatever shape it took, the enigma kept us coming back. 

Then three weeks ago, we finally took the plunge and signed up for their improvisation workshop for beginners, aptly named Don’t Panic.  

Walking into that first improv class felt like stumbling through a hidden door into an alternate universe. No set, no script, just a circle of strangers and a quiet sense that something unexpected was about to unfold. We were a kaleidoscope of professions: data engineers, financiers and marketeers. Everyone had come for different reasons. Each person had a different reason to be there - some wanted to build confidence, while others were simply curious. Most of us, like me, were looking to try something completely outside our usual routine. 

The class began with simple games that pulled us out of our shells. Word games, name games, and warm-ups that felt silly and awkward at first but gradually helped us let go. Laughter came more easily than I expected, and so did trust. 

What surprised me the most was the structure behind it all. Improv may look spontaneous from the outside, but it is grounded in thoughtful techniques. You learn to notice more. To step in when something needs building. To step back when it’s someone else’s moment. You stop trying to impress and start to just trust your instincts.  

Somewhere between pretending to be a tree and selling invisible balloons, I stopped feeling self-conscious. I let go of overthinking and found myself just learning to follow the flow of the moment. 

What deepens the experience at the Courtyard Playhouse is the philosophy it follows. Much of the training is inspired by the work of Keith Johnstone, a pioneer of modern improvisational theatre. His approach focuses as much on mindset as on technique. It invites you to take risks. What might be called a mistake elsewhere is encouraged as an opportunity to build something unexpected.   

Johnstone believed that the willingness to fail is essential. In improv, failure is not something to fear but something to celebrate. I began to see that in the classes, how the best scenes often emerged when people gave up trying to control the outcome and just accepted the accidents. 

A few weeks in, I can already sense small shifts in myself. I have started speaking more freely, without rehearsing every sentence in my head. I now do “Yes and…” to new ideas instead of resisting them.  

We still go to the Monday night performances. But now, I understand what it feels like to step into that light with no idea what will happen next. 

It turns out that acting without a script means being fully present and trusting that whatever you bring is enough. I now look forward to the rest of my classes. Each session is opening me to more curiosity and more courage. For our last session, we have to perform on stage for an audience of friends and family. I cannot predict how it will unfold, but it already feels less like a test and more like a celebration. A celebration that values showing up over perfection, and the freedom to simply enjoy the moment.