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The First Block
The film is finished.
The story isn't.
Four weeks of practical Event Theatre training, built around one developing film-noir story.
Four weeks. Eight hours. One story.
Monday 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd November 2026
6:30 - 8:30
55 Newhall Street, Birmingham City Centre
£99 INTRODUCTORY PRICE
18+ Some acting/performance experience required.
No previous Event Theatre experience required.
Is this for me?
The First Block is for adults who already have some acting or performance experience and want to explore performing without the safety net of a conventional script.
You might perform professionally, with an amateur company, be studying performance or be returning to acting after time away.
You don't need Event Theatre experience.
You don't need to be an experienced improviser either.
What matters is that you're comfortable performing and willing to listen, respond, experiment and play.
This isn't an introduction to acting.
It's an opportunity to use your acting differently.
Not sure? Explore the training →
The story.
A new British film called The First Block is about to make its debut.
Shot in 2026 with the shadows, intrigue and dangerous glamour of classic film noir, the film takes us inside The Blue Cat nightclub.
Across the Block, you'll step into the world of its cast and creative team.
By Session Four, they're gathering for the premiere.
Then the film reaches its end.
And ninety seconds appear on screen that nobody expected to see.
The after-party is about to become considerably more interesting.
You don't know who you'll be yet.
But somebody in this story has something to hide.
Somebody wants something.
Somebody knows more than they're saying.
And somebody is going to make your life considerably more difficult.
Good.
You're not watching the story.
You're inside it.
Across four sessions you'll take on a character, establish relationships, discover information and learn how to keep a fictional world alive when other actors — and The Guest — start doing things you weren't expecting.
No fixed dialogue.
No predetermined conversations.
Know the story. Know your character. Then let go.
What you'll be training.
Character
Build a character that survives beyond rehearsed dialogue.
Improvisation
Listen, respond and adapt when things don't go to plan.
Audience Interaction
Work naturally with Guests inside the fictional world.
Storytelling
Keep information and plot moving without forcing it.
Ensemble
Support other performers and keep the whole story alive.
The story changes every Block. The skills travel with you.
Your four weeks.
This story develops across the complete block.
Week One:
ENTER THE WORLD
Meet your character. Meet the others.
Start discovering the world of The First Block.
Week Two:
GO DEEPER
Relationships develop. Details matter. What your character knows - and doesn't know - starts becoming important.
Week Three:
LET GO
You know more now. So we give you less time to think. Trust your character, respond to what happens and discover what changes when you stop planning the performance and start living inside it.
Week Four:
OPEN WHEN INSTRUCTED
You know your character.
You know the world.
You know what has happened so far.
What happens next, you don't know yet.
The exercises stop.
The Long Form begins.
Your Exercise Book.
You'll receive your own Block Exercise Book — part training journal, part character workbook, part record of everything you think you know.
Use it across the four sessions to track your character, relationships, discoveries and the changing story.
You might want to leave some space for things you don't know yet.
Confidential.
Open when instructed.
During the Block, new information may arrive.
An objective.
A discovery.
A secret.
A problem.
Perhaps something that changes what your character thought they knew.
You won't always have twenty minutes to decide how you're going to play it.
Sometimes you'll have twenty seconds.
Welcome to event theatre.
Someone else is in the story.
The Guest enters the fictional world without a character or script.
They haven't rehearsed with you.
They don't know what you're planning.
And they may not ask the question you hoped they would.
They're part of the experience from Session One.
Don't perform at them. Play with them.
What's included?
Four two-hour training sessions
Eight hours of practical Event Theatre training
Your individual character and story materials
Your Block Exercise Book
Three development sessions
One extended Long Form
One complete developing story
Everything you need for the Block is included.
Led by experience.
The First Block is led by Insolent Retinue creator David Claridge, drawing on around fifteen years' practical experience performing murder mysteries and interactive Event Theatre.
The training is built around what actually happens when actors, audiences and a developing story meet in the same room.
ABOUT INSOLENT RETINUE →
Ready to enter the story?
The First Block
Four weeks. Eight hours. One story.
Mondays
2 · 9 · 16 · 23 November 2026
6.30–8.30pm
55 Newhall Street, Birmingham City Centre
18+
Some acting/performance experience required
No previous Event Theatre experience required
£99
INTRODUCTORY PRICE FOR THE COMPLETE BLOCK
Blocks are booked as one complete four-session experience.