Cardiff Impro is Wales's primary improv offering, run by Nathan Keates, who began teaching improv in 2006 and has built a Cardiff-based intensive weekend programme. Keates operates Cardiff Impro as part of his Nathan Improv Local brand, which also serves Canterbury, Basingstoke, and other UK cities, focusing on scenic improv and comedy performance.
History
Background
Nathan Keates began teaching improv in 2006 and ran the Ludus Ludius collective in Cardiff for five years before relocating to Bristol. He subsequently built a Cardiff-based improv night under the Cardiff Impro name, running five shows per year as weekend intensives focused on scenic improv and comedy performance.
Format
Cardiff Impro runs weekend intensives for students at various levels, combining scenic work with comedic performance training. The programming has provided Wales with consistent access to improv training that would otherwise require travel to London or other English cities.
Nathan Improv Local
Keates operates Cardiff Impro under his Nathan Improv Local brand, which covers several UK cities including Canterbury and Basingstoke. This model allows him to serve smaller cities that lack the density for permanent improv institutions.
Artistic Identity
Cardiff Impro brings scenic improv and comedy performance to Wales through Nathan Keates's weekend intensive format, serving the Welsh capital as part of a multi-city UK teaching practice.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Cardiff Impro. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/companies/cardiff-impro
The Improv Archive. "Cardiff Impro." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/companies/cardiff-impro.
The Improv Archive. "Cardiff Impro." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/companies/cardiff-impro. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.