Cat Idiot

We would like to apologise. We will never again let the London Improv cat mail any more mail-outs out. Stupid feline got the date wrong for tomorrow's Catch 23 show.

Tomorrow is tomorrow, and therefore it can't possibly the 23rd November - as stupid cat published. Stupid cat. Idiot.

Catch 23 is tomorrow.. cat. On the 30th November. It's going to be awesome. Here's all about it. Stupid cat.

Hold onto your value systems! Catch23 once more takes to the flight this November 30th (stupid cat idiot) for another night of fast-paced, improvised, fun-wonder!

Astonishingly, teams are almost being formed ahead of the show these days, that's what happens when the shows are regular I guess.

Defending Champions, returning for the third consecutive show (and I presume changing their team name again) are Joe Morpurgo (Austentatious) and Monica Heisey (Shakespeare For Breakfast) as The To Be Confirmeds.

Threatening their incredibly good-natured dominance are Ryan Millar (Marbles) and real, live Canadian powerhouses Steve Sim (Crumbs) (pictured) (stupid cat) and Allen Morrison (Perhaps the Vancouver Theatresports League's most Theatresportsy). They're going to improvise so hard that you may need to bring extra clothes and a partner. Team name? You're gonna have to show up to find out.

Also, the brilliant Maria Peters (8bit, Music Box) will be playing. So will at least one other person (brilliance to be determined)! HAH! Planning!

Holy hell there's a lot of Canadians in this show. Let's cap that off with our host, Canada's finest scribe, author and writer, Stephven Doctors is in "control" moving this joke-party into the future of winning.

Right, now we're off to punch the (stupid) cat in the mouth. See you tomorrow.

Wednesday 24th November
Time: Doors 7:30pm, Show 8pm - 10pm with interval.
Cost: £5
Where: The Miller, 96 Snowsfields Road, London, SE1 3SS.

Impro war!: This Week at The London Improv Comedy Club

Hey all, this is London Improv's cat. Meow. London Improv is well busy, so it's asked me to write this. Meow.
As a cat, I am particularly excited about Wednesday: Monica Heisey and Joe Morpurgo have held the Catch 23 crown for about 3 months now, and with our special guest in, that might actually change. Meow. I know. Amazing.

Meow.

Tuesday 29th November
DO NOT ADJUST YOUR STAGE
and DAVID SHORE AND FRIENDS
Yo, yo, yo, wassup? We know you kids. We know you love nothing more than lazing at home in front of the telly with a can of Staropramen in your left hand and your own self-pity in the other, re-runs of 'Britain's Got Ironing Boards' rolling slowly over your life from the 42" flat-screen in the corner.

Well kick that apathetic life in the bin-bags, because you can change your ways over night and not lose all the comforts you're used to as Do Not Adjust Your Stage recreate - just for you - an entire evening's TV schedule in the first half of Tuesday's show. Soaps, reality shows, nature docs... whatever you want, you'll get. So it's okay. And you can order Staropramen at The Miller too. And self pity if you ask nicely.

One step at a time, my friend, one step at a time.

Following the TV 'ting, David Shore has assembled a cast of thrill-people and they will be performing their little socks off with some high-class fun fun. We don't know who they are yet, but rest assured David knows some pretty awesome folk so they are likely to be utterly magnifique. Bon.

Tuesday 29th November
Time: Doors 7:30pm, Show 8pm - 10pm with interval.
Cost: £5
Where: The Miller, 96 Snowsfields Road, London, SE1 3SS.


Wednesday 23rd November
CATCH 23
We have a very special guest this week at the London Improv Catch 23 comedy league. Delightfully, Mr Stephen Sim from the massively respected Crumbs Improv will be appearing alongside our other competitors. Crumbs have been together since the early 1990's and are one of those groups that always gets mentioned by people who've been doing improv for a long time. In good ways. We're honoured to have him, and so are you. Like his mum was.
Catch 23 is blimmin' ace, and Stephen will be like a frothy topping on a hot chocolate laugh-mug.

Wednesday 24th November
Time: Doors 7:30pm, Show 8pm - 10pm with interval.
Cost: £5
Where: The Miller, 96 Snowsfields Road, London, SE1 3SS.

SILLY STRING THEORY

Oh yeah, sure as Purple Rain is Prince's best film, Silly String Theory is the hottest ticket for Christmas Improv. It's an improvised play with songs, and it's a collaboration of some of the most innovative and brilliant people improvising around at the moment.
CAST IS: Rachel Blackman, Jason Blackwater, Jinni Lyons, Jules Munns, Katy Schutte
MUSIC BY: Phil Lunn
DIRECTOR ING: Katy Schutte
PRODUCER STUFF: Jules Munns

It's a huge project and it's going to be phenomenal. Don't miss out....
Tickets available from the Canal Cafe Website.

WHEN:
Thursday 8th December 7:30pm
Friday 9th December 7:30pm
Saturday 10th December 7:30pm
Sunday 11th December 7pm
Wednesday 14th December 7:30pm
Thursday 15th December 7:30pm
Friday 16th December 7:30pm
Sunday 18th December 7pm

LONDONIMPROV: A REVOLUTION IN COMEDY & THEATRE

Sign up to email updates at
LondonImprov@gmail.com

PPP 3 - What are You Doing?

It took me a while to work this out in writing because it’s a really simple and obvious idea and therefore easily overlooked. I think missing this is what caused me a lot of confusion when I started out learning improv.

Performance

This is a quote from the 1977 December issue of the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction;

“Intelligence and creativity are not what readers want. What readers want is the result…”

This is the sentence that confirmed in my mind the idea of the performance or the product in improv. When you get up and switch on your mental engine of creativity what is the output that you are creating? In terms of shows it is very easy to see the different kinds of performance.

For example I saw a scene from Music Box a while ago which was set in a Jacuzzi and some of the cast created the whole thing through physicality. That was really fun to see, another image that sticks in my mind is Showstopper where the cast created a beating heart on stage.

This is completely different from the style that the Milk Monitors use for Austentatious. They create a Jane Austen novel for their show, even to the point where their suggestion slip looks like a Penguin classics cover. They don’t use that kind of physicality at all, I’m guessing for practical reasons because you can see how they dress for their shows on their site. Also it makes stylistic sense to me, they are playing in a Wilde/Austen space where things happen in abbey gardens, drawing rooms and library annexes. Watching them feels like watching an actual play that you go to the theatre for.

Very simple difference and makes complete sense, I think you can also think about performance on the smaller scale when it comes down to single scenes and other creations. Even a monologue can have its own form. At iO we were coached to give monologues that were about personal stories to us and also finish it up with a summation of how we felt about it or what we learned on that occasion. That gave really memorable monologues that were easy to take into Harold scenes.

That is not the only way to give a monologue, but that little extra effort of listening to your own monologue and then reacting to it at the end makes a world of difference for other players who are going to use it. Especially in a Harold which is about expanding a single word and exploring all the themes that come out, practicing monologues like that is hitting the ground running. If you are doing a Harold, other shows need different things.

Seeing monologues like that was the last part of the puzzle for me when I was thinking about how to approach improv. Knowing what I want to create and supporting that kind of play is the goal for me in improv right now. Looking it is this way makes it easier for me to learn how to make different kinds of scenes, because it teaches me that I need to put myself in a different mode for different kinds of improv. Same basic engine of adding to what I am given but it’s plugged into a different machine. Doing who, what, where uses a different part from reacting emotionally and they both need their own practice time. Practice them apart and it becomes easier to slip between different modes and be more flexible as an improviser. I will happily learn a certain style of monologue because it helps create a certain show, but I certainly won’t cling to that as ‘how I do monologues’ or ‘the right way to do monologues’.

Conclusion

I try to look at things in terms of Process, Partnership and Performance. There is how I do stuff, how I do stuff with other people and what is this stuff?

This had made it easier for me to use all the conflicting ideas that float around and the different styles. There are good things to find everywhere and there are also dead forms/games/scenes that don’t support anything and are being done by rote. My goal is to find the play in it all so I can enjoy creating a variety of different performances. Cutting it up without seeing that as a cast-iron definition allows me to easily digest all these different experiences I am bombarded with as I improvise. Much like cutting up a lovely potato allows me to stick it in my gob.

Now go and eat a potato.

No, a real one.

The Cloister Bell Tolls for Improv: This Week at The London Improv Comedy Club

Tuesday 22nd November
GRAND THEFT IMPRO
with THE NEW WAVE
Level 4 students from David Shore's classes open the evening with a little bit of what they've done. This time they're trying out the Armando - improv inspired by monologues.
Their special guest monologist this week is David Armand (who you might've seen dancing on BBC's Fast and Loose). Heh! "Armand's Armando".. brilliant.
If you haven't seen an Armando, check it out. It's a lot of fun.

In the second half, Grand Theft Impro have assembled a special cast from some of Britain's most experienced improvisers. Watch them spread their wings and fly like squirrels. Flying squirrels. Featuring David Reed (Penny Dreadfuls, Fast And Loose), Dylan Emery (Grand Theft Impro, Showstoppers), Andrew Pugsley (Showstoppers) and our very own Steve Roe (Hoopla, Music Box, his Mummy's tummy).

Tuesday 22nd November
Time: Doors 7:30pm, Show 8pm - 10pm with interval.
Cost: £5
Where: The Miller, 96 Snowsfields Road, London, SE1 3SS.


Wednesday 23rd November
DOCTOR WHO-WHAT-WHERE
with THE OOD CAST
---(SOLD OUT)---
It is highly likely that this is the most awesome thing that The London Improv Comedy Club has ever seen. To celebrate the anniversary of the first ever broadcast of Doctor Who in 1963, we're putting on a Who show.

In part one, we have gathered together the most exciting sci-fimprov cast ever to create an improvised episode of classic Doctor Who. Featuring cast from the BBC series', old AND new, performing alongside some of the greatest improv talent in the country. It's actually going to be so good that time speeds up.

We're not giving anything away about who's appearing, but it's going to be Ace.... and also lactating Sontarianly good.
And David Reed.

In the second half, great friends of London Improv: The Ood Cast present an on-stage performance of their cult Whovian podcast followed by thousands of fans around the world. They're pretty big in the USA, I can tell you.
The Oods will be going Reduced Shakespeare Style, re-creating the entire of the new series' of Doctor Who since Christopher Eccleston arrived in "Rose"... in 45 minutes. Live. With sketches. And songs. Geek-bliss.

Now we don't want to put a downer on the whole thing, but we are massively sold out for this show. All the tickets sold way back in October. You can try and get in, but you'll have to wait and see after all the ticket holders have entered. Sorry about that.

Amendment: We're very sorry but we will not be able to admit anyone who does not already have a pre-bought ticket. It simply isn't legal. But we do plan to do another one of these one day, so keep your eyes peeled.

All proceeds will be going to help people with cancer and their families; in memory of Who-actor Elizabeth Sladen, so feel free to drop by and just give us some money anyway. It's all for good.

Wednesday 23rd November
Time: Doors 7:30pm, Show 8pm - 10pm with interval.
Cost: £5.. turn up at the door, but expect not to get in. Sorry!
Where: The Miller, 96 Snowsfields Road, London, SE1 3SS.


Sunday 27th November & Sunday 4th December
THE 7TH ANNUAL MAKE-A-WISH THEATRESPORTS CUP
Teams of comedy improvisers will play out a series of sketches and games – all completely made-up on the spot. Cheer! as your favoured team triumph. Boo! as they are humiliated by their opponents. Hand over money! as they battle to the death to win the precious Theatresports Trophy, and all for a good cause.

In 2003, London's top comedy improvisation companies came together to perform a very special series of shows to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a charity which grants the wishes of terminally ill children. Three hysterical comedy shows later and the Make-A-Wish Foundation was £3,000 better off! We just had to do it all again!

Sunday 27th November & Sunday 4th December
Time: Doors 7pm.
Cost: £6.50
Where: Cockpit Theatre, Gateforth Street, London NW8.

SPECIAL MENTION
Check out THIS CAST. Awesome.

This ground-breaking show picks strands from our lives and explores how we meet, part, love and live together. Belly laughs and tears, loyalty and betrayal, the banal and the fantastic. An ever-changing theatrical feast with understated Broadway-style songs.

It's pretty much The Canal Cafe's Christmas show this year, and it's going to be phenomenal. Get your tickets quickly, from hither: www.sillystringtheory.co.uk

WHEN:

Thursday 8th December 7:30pm

Friday 9th December 7:30pm

Saturday 10th December 7:30pm

Sunday 11th December 7pm

Wednesday 14th December 7:30pm

Thursday 15th December 7:30pm

Friday 16th December 7:30pm

Sunday 18th December 7pm

LONDONIMPROV: A REVOLUTION IN COMEDY & THEATRE

Sign up to email updates at
LondonImprov@gmail.com

Cabaret and Laugh-Fighting: This Week at The London Improv Comedy Club

Tuesday 15th November
THE MUSIC BOX CABARET
Dan Attfield, that lovely funny bloke with the guitar, who's in Do Not Adjust Your Stage and Music Box, and also sings amazingly funny solo comedy songs - well he's also in a musical comedy band called The Rasputins! And they're gonna open the evening at The Music Box Cabaret, that's awesome.

And then, the Fat Kitten gang are going to take us back in time with their Victorian Themed impro show Party Like It's 1899. That's one intense half of comedy folks!

Then after the interval Music Box are taking the stage with their next improvised musical. Since Edinburgh we've had musicals set in a Giant Toy Factory, the Gentleman's Toilet in Mordor, and a carnival in Margate. Where's the next one going to be? Will we see more New York gangster Badgers, divorced Rabbits, bog goblins or fairytale princesses? Come along and find out.

Tuesday 8th November
Time: Doors 7:30pm, Show 8pm - 10pm with interval.
Cost: £5
Where: The Miller, 96 Snowsfields Road, London, SE1 3SS.

Sunday 27th November & Sunday 4th December
THE 7TH ANNUAL MAKE-A-WISH THEATRESPORTS CUP
Team of comedy improvisers will play out a series of sketches and games – all completely made-up on the spot. Cheer! as your favoured team triumph. Boo! as they are humiliated by their opponents. Hand over money! as they battle to the death to win the precious Theatresports Trophy, and all for a good cause.

In 2003, London's top comedy improvisation companies came together to perform a very special series of shows to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a charity which grants the wishes of terminally ill children. Three hysterical comedy shows later and the Make-A-Wish Foundation was £3,000 better off! We just had to do it all again!

Sunday 27th November & Sunday 4th December
Time: Doors 7pm.
Cost: £6.50
Where: Cockpit Theatre, Gateforth Street, London NW8.

SPECIAL MENTION
Check out THIS CAST. Awesome.

This ground-breaking show picks strands from our lives and explores how we meet, part, love and live together. Belly laughs and tears, loyalty and betrayal, the banal and the fantastic. An ever-changing theatrical feast with understated Broadway-style songs.

It's pretty much The Canal Cafe's Christmas show this year, and it's going to be phenomenal. Get your tickets quickly, from hither: www.sillystringtheory.co.uk

WHEN:

Thursday 8th December 7:30pm

Friday 9th December 7:30pm

Saturday 10th December 7:30pm

Sunday 11th December 7pm

Wednesday 14th December 7:30pm

Thursday 15th December 7:30pm

Friday 16th December 7:30pm

Sunday 18th December 7pm

LONDONIMPROV: A REVOLUTION IN COMEDY & THEATRE

Sign up to email updates at
LondonImprov@gmail.com

Game Shows and Mega Cabaret at The London Improv Comedy Club

Tuesday 8th November
THE FAUX PAS
and
FINGERS ON BUZZARDS
There's been a murder! An ACTUAL murder. Oh holy Mongolia, that's bad news. Death in a theatre is so bad for backstage morale; all the dancers cry and I'm not allowed to 'console' them anymore.
But do not fear, The Faux Pas are here: experts in the art of improvised crime-solving. Let Detective Super-Intendant Rosy Fordham guide you and her team of CSImprovisers through the who-what-&-wherefores of the murder. Hopefully by the time we go for a break, the meany-murder-chap will be bought to justice. And spanked.

Then the questioning carries on as we all prepare to put our Fingers On Buzzards... the only improvised pub-quiz/game show/comedy show mash-up in existence. Except for the one on Canada. But that was made by the same people so it's okay.
The audience are blessed/blighted with their own mascot improviser in a fight to be crowned "The Most Knowledgeable About Weird Stuff". It's a title we all hope for. Admit it."A bit of a find"
- Chortle
Tuesday 8th November
Time: Doors 7:30pm, Show 8pm - 10pm with interval.
Cost: £5
Where: The Miller, 96 Snowsfields Road, London, SE1 3SS.

Wednesday 9th November
MARBLES and HORSE & LOUIS present...
HAPPY PLACE
Marbles are teaming up with comedy-sketch act disguised as a musical comedy duo, with a penchant for silliness and a flair for dicking about - Horse & Louis ("Hugely Enjoyable" - Time Out) for an eclectic evening of comedy, music and improv.
Featuring:
Canadian Comedy Awards nominee and musical comedienne: Mae Martin
★★★★ “She knows how make an audience laugh… Full of the confidence of a veteran comedian" - Scotsgay

BBC New Comedy Award Finalist and winner of the Comedy Store King Gong: Tez Ilyas
"Handsome and hilarious, see him now before Channel 4 gives him a series" - Scott Capurro

Regulars on the London sketch and cabaret circuit: The Expeditionary Force with a combination of high concepts and low morals
"Clever, witty, well-observed and engaging" - The Good Review

and - of course - longform two-prov improvisers Ryan and Dave. Marbles themselves presenting what they do best. Which is telling stories and engaging with the audience. And philosophising about odd stuff. Marbles.

Wednesday 9nd November
Time: Doors 7:30pm, Show 8pm - 10pm with interval.
Cost: £5
Where: The Miller, 96 Snowsfields Road, London, SE1 3SS.

HEADS UP!
The Canal Cafe this year has an improvised musical pretty much as their main Christmas Show. These are all the details you need to know (unless you want to be in it, then click HERE):



LONDONIMPROV: A REVOLUTION IN COMEDY & THEATRE

Sign up to email updates at
LondonImprov@gmail.com

AUDITION! - for a new Improvised Musical at The Canal Cafe

Silly String Theory is a new improvised play with songs, to be performed at the Canal Café Theatre in December. Directed by Katy Schutte (The Maydays, Katy and Rach, Music Box) and produced by Jules Munns (Music Box, Slapdash, The Nursery), it will be both funny and serious, dramatic and downright silly. Kind of like Katy and Rach, but with five people and songs.

Rehearsals will be week beginning 28th November 10-6, Monday to Friday, then a couple of afternoons TBC the weeks of the shows. Cast members will be expected to attend every rehearsal. It's all about knowing each other's style backwards and being super super super professional.

Performances will be 8th-11th and 15th-18th December, 7.30 at the Canal Cafe. That’s right, it’s pretty much the Canal Café’s Christmas show! And with a bit of luck, it could become a regular thing.
Fee for the show is two hundred English pounds, perhaps a little more if the audiences are good.

Auditions will be held 11-5 on Sunday 13th November. Location TBC. If you want to come along, send a short email about your improv experience to julesmunns@hotmail.co.uk. We are looking with people with experience of either long form or musical improvisation, or ideally both.

Applications by 10th, please.

Open House

We like improv on film. So here is a short film made for a 48-hour film competition, created by some of our favourite improvisers: Charlotte Gittins, Briony Redman and Paul Foxcroft, and directed by Kate Herron.

Enjoy!


Performers:
Briony Redman, Charlotte Gittins, Dean Kilbey and Paul Foxcroft

Director:
Kate Herron (Moonfruit)

Story:
Kate Herron, Wilf Eddings, Luke Wicker

Production:
Luke Wicker, Wilf Eddings (YCC)

Director of Photography:
Chris Andrews

2nd Camera:
Dan Goodall

Sound:
Tom Whetmore, Scott Youlden

Continuity:
Bhavari Patel