Recruitment at Hoopla
About Hoopla
Hoopla are the UK’s biggest improv school and the founders of the UK’s first ever improv theatre with a fun variety shows every night of the week featuring people who have trained with Hoopla plus guests.
We support all styles of improv and have a variety of shows each night including short-form, scenes, long- form, improvised plays and improv musicals.
We are open to everyone and support everyone from beginner improvisers to experienced professional groups. We are constantly working to improve the diversity of the improv scene through our large improv for everyone program.
We also do corporate training with regular clients including Google, Facebook and Accenture.
We aim to build an ongoing community of improvisers and audience to continue to help make improv awesome.
Hoopla have been running for almost 20 years and offer one of the most fun, friendly and supportive places to learn improv in the UK with various courses open to everyone.
Hoopla also put on additional events like improv mixers, jams and socials to help grow the flourishing UK improv community and to help people new to London join a community and make new friends.
Job Title: Improv Teachers (Not Currently Recruiting)
We aren’t currently recruiting for new improv teachers but we’ll update this section when we are.
How we recruit:
We aren’t currently recruiting for teachers.
When we do recruit for teachers we advertise across all of our social media channels (@hooplaimpro). For smaller recruitment rounds we sometimes recruit directly from our regularly performing weekend groups.
Following a successful email application (describing improv performing and teaching experience with CV attached) we then invite applicants in to run practice workshops so we can understand their teaching style. After that we have an interview round with our Director and Training Management team.
Job Description:
– Teaching Hoopla’s improv courses.
– Making improv fun, friendly and playful for everyone.
– Creating a supportive and welcoming environment.
– Setting up workshop venues.
– Clearing and tidying venues at the end of workshops.
– Promoting Hoopla’s shows and courses.
– Helping students with additional queries.
– Being part of the awesome Hoopla team.
Experience Needed:
We only recruit teachers who are also performing improv regularly to a high standard. You will need to be regularly performing in Hoopla’s main weekend shows, or with a successful Edinbrugh Fringe improv show, or at another high profile successful improv show.
You will need to have completed improv training with Hoopla and understand what Hoopla does and our key values. We would also look favourably on additional drama school training or improv training with iO Theatre or similar.
You must have experience of teaching or coaching improv and be able to make improv fun, playful and accessible to everyone.
Most of all you must absolutely love teaching improv!
Training Provided:
Before starting you will be shadowing our most experienced teachers and receive ongoing training and mentorship to help you teach Hoopla’s style of fun and playful improv.
We also have paid regular training with our teacher team and occasionally additional training with visiting international guest teachers.
We also have extensive online training available to teachers including course guides with suggested exercises for each week.
People you’ll be working with:
– Reporting directly to Steve Roe, Director of Hoopla.
– Also working closely with Jessie Rutland and Phoebe Kozinets our Training Managers.
– You’ll also be joining a lovely team of other Hoopla teachers.
Location:
Central London.
Salary:
This depends on your level of experience and will be discussed during interview. Minimum pay is £75 per 2 hour workshop.
Working Hours:
6pm – 8pm, 7pm – 9pm or 8pm – 10pm if teaching a weekday evening course.
11am – 1pm or 2pm – 4pm if teaching a weekend course.
The number of courses per season varies.
You’ll be starting out by doing adhoc cover teaching work before building up to teaching your own courses when ready.
Courses are allocated to teachers season by season.
Dates:
Application deadline has now passed and we aren’t currently recruiting for this role.
Application Deadlines:
We’re not currently recruiting for teachers but will update this section when we are.
Job Title: Front of House Manager (Not currently recruiting)
We aren’t currently recruiting for Front of House but we’ll update this section when we are.
Duties:
– Setting up venue (chairs, lights, sound, flyers) at start of night.
– Greeting improv groups on arrival and confirming running order and times.
– Checking tickets on the door and greeting audience.
– Helping people with seating.
– Providing light and sound support during shows.
– Taking photographs of shows and acts and posting on social media.
– Exit flyering shows.
– Feedback to our shows producer on shows.
Skills and Competencies:
– Massive love of improv in all its forms.
– Good customer service skills, especially being welcoming and helpful.
– Great awareness of the UK improv scene.
– Excellent people skills and able to get on with people from all backgrounds.
– Great at working as part of a team.
– Good numeracy skills.
Training Provided:
– Ticketing software.
– Sound desk.
– Lighting.
– Customer service.
– Social Media.
Plus free access to any Hoopla improv courses over the year.
People you’ll be working with:
– Reporting directly to Angela Pollard our Producer at Hoopla Impro.
– Also working closely with Steve Roe, Director of Hoopla, and all of the staff at The Miller and other show venues.
– Also working closely with all of our performing improv groups, teachers and improvisers.
Location:
Mainly at The Miller in London Bridge during show nights, with occasional work at workshop venues and other show venues.
Working Hours:
Fridays 6pm – 10:30pm, Saturdays 5:30pm – 10:30pm, plus some adhoc weekday evenings.
We are mainly looking a Front of House Manager who can reliably take on the Friday and Saturday shows every weekend from January 2022, but if you can’t make that regularly please apply anyway as we may be able to offer you adhoc work as a freelance front of house assistant instead.
Dates:
We’re not currently recruiting for front of house managers but will update this section when we are.
Application Deadlines:
We’re not currently recruiting for front of house managers but will update this section when we are.
Job Title: Improv Outreach Workers (Not Currently Recruiting)
We aren’t currently recruiting for Outreach Workers but we’ll update this section when we are.
Job Description:
Bringing improv workshops to different groups of people across London to help bring people back together and bring the joy of improv to as many people as possible.
- Setting up improv outreach workshops by connecting with local communities, charities and organisations.
- Delivering improv workshops to those communities.
- Making improv fun, friendly and playful for everyone.
- Creating a supportive and welcoming environment.
- Training in Hoopla’s values and improv style.
- Setting up venues for workshops.
- Clearing and tidying venues at the end of workshops.
- Helping with social media and promotion around improv outreach workshops.
- Being part of the awesome Hoopla team.
- Help make improv for everyone!
Groups we will be bringing workshops to:
- Older people including those in care homes.
- People from a variety of ethnic backgrounds including Black and Asian communities.
- Younger adults (ages 16-21).
- Students.
- LGBT+.
- People with a disability.
- English as a second language.
Experience Needed:
- Experience of running improv workshops for different groups of people, especially with some of the groups mentioned above.
- Experience of performing improv regularly, especially at Hoopla or on the festival circuit.
- Improv training with Hoopla. We would also look favourably on drama school training or improv training with iO Theatre or similar.
- You must have experience of teaching or coaching improv and be able to make improv fun, playful and accessible to everyone.
- Most of all you must absolutely love teaching improv!
This role is also open to existing Hoopla teachers and people who have previously applied to teaching positions.
Training Provided:
Before starting you will be shadowing our most experienced teachers and receive ongoing training and mentorship to help you teach Hoopla’s style of fun, friendly and playful improv.
You’ll also receive additional training with visiting international guest teachers alongside the other Hoopla teachers.
Plus free access to any Hoopla improv courses over the year.
People you’ll be working with:
- Reporting directly to Steve Roe, Director of Hoopla.
- Also working closely with Jessie Rutland our Training Manager and Angela Pollard our Producer.
- You’ll also be joining a lovely team of other Hoopla teachers.
Location:
London.
Salary:
Work will be freelance and booked in separately for each workshop engagement or project. Salary varies from workshop to workshop.
Funding:
The salary for the outreach worker for each engagement will be covered by a mix of crowdfunding, arts council funding and proceeds from Hoopla’s evening classes. The outreach workshops will be free to the people attending, and they will also be able to make a donation.
Working Hours:
Hours will vary depending on workshops booked in. At first it is likely to only be adhoc work of around 1-2 workshops per month, gradually increasing as we expand and funding increases. So this would be a helpful additional job rather than sole income.
Dates:
We’re not currently recruiting for front of house managers but will update this section when we are.
Application Deadline:
We’re not currently recruiting for front of house managers but will update this section when we are.