We often see Saturday Night Live, Whose Line Is It Anyway? or Key & Peele skits, and we wonder, “How do they do it?”

Anita Nicholson, improv instructor for Bright Invention, can answer that question.

“They all come from an improv background,” Anita says. This fall, she’ll be offering six weeks of improv classes at the Cheltenham Center for the Arts beginning October 13. “You don’t have to be a professional when you start, but you will be when it ends,” she says.

Improv isn’t all about fun and games: much like Toastmasters International, the art form is known to boost public speaking abilities, communication and leadership skills, and career trajectories. Bright Invention offers trainings for organizations and businesses as well.

“Our mission is to use improvisation to empower people. We have 3 program areas: the Ensemble, Creative Corporate Training, and Ability in Action,” Benjamin Lloyd, Bright Invention’s Executive Director and former Elkins Park resident, said. “We always try to have an adult class in Cheltenham. I developed a following of students who enjoyed improv and followed me to the Arts Center. It grew, and I passed it off to Rick Horner, and Anita will be taking it over this fall. She’ll be teaching different kinds of long-form, theatrical improvisation.”

Improv sessions have been held at the Arts Center since 2015.

“This class is for people who have already dipped their toes in improv. The format I’ll be teaching is the Pretty Little Flower because there’s a base scene, but you have multiple little petals, but they all come back to the base scene. It looks like chaos, but it’s a lot of fun,” Anita said.

The course sessions culminate in a live show after the last class in November. Friends, family, and community members are invited to sit back and be entertained by the wits on stage.

“I love improv. I started off doing drama, and then performing at Renaissance Fairs. I love long-form and I love seeing people having fun creating awesome, amazing characters,” Anita said.