UEA Improv Come along

Yiovi Derpsch

Dr. Yiovi Derpsch founded UEA Improv and is its lead teacher. She is a Lecturer in Psychology at UEA, and an improviser.

The first thing to let go of is the fear of getting it wrong.

Yiovi Derpsch smiling at the camera, with fair curly hair and an earphone in, in front of a brick wall.

In Yiovi’s workshops, mistakes are material. She is a Lecturer in Psychology at UEA and an improviser who has trained and performed in the UK, Europe, the US and Canada.

Her workshops draw on the principles of Keith Johnstone: letting go of fear, embracing mistakes, and paying close attention to the people in the scene with you. She founded UEA Improv in 2023 and leads it with Mike Bernardin and Sarah Nacmanson from Drama at LDC.

Improv training

On stage

Yiovi performs with Adam Hodgson as the improv duo Non Sequitur, who joined The Egg-Benedicts and Headlights for UEA Improv’s End of Year Festival shows in May 2026.

See the festival lineup

The room she builds

The kind of room where you can learn, connect, and take creative risks. That is what Yiovi is passionate about building.

  1. Supportive.
  2. Playful.
  3. Psychologically safe.
  4. Inclusive.

Run by two schools, open to all of UEA

UEA Improv is a partnership between Drama and Psychology. It is not a Drama society or a Psychology society: every student from every school, and every member of staff, is welcome.

  • Yiovi Derpsch

    Psychology. Founder and lead teacher.

  • Mike Bernardin

    Drama, LDC. Runs Ensemble Lab, where UEA Improv began.

  • Sarah Nacmanson

    Drama, LDC.

Come and say hello in the room.

No experience needed, and nobody has to perform. It all starts at the weekly workshop: Wednesdays, 6pm, AHB C.Chamber.

Questions about workshops, shows or the staff group? Email Yiovi at y.derpsch@uea.ac.uk.

Come to a workshop