Running Order

Faculty Funtimes

Sponge Rocket

Duo improv, short slice of life scenes with an element of world building

Des O Deconners

We are the Des O Deconners and are performing the decon for our lovely audience.

TAG

Duo

Chinwag

Fast-paced duo mixing grounded scenes with the surreal

Robarry

RoBarry is Rob and Barry. They paid a marketing agency a four figure sum for that name. Watch them improvise a narrative by switching between characters and locations. They will be probably spend at least some of the show as talking animals

Blancmange

Short-form improv games like Freeze Tag, Party Quirks, Cocktail Party, Shift, FISH, Limericks, Attenborough's Wildlife, and the Great AI. We will adapt this to fit our timeslot.

Patamatazz

Paris in 1985 was a hotbed of creativity. Haute Couture fashion fused with street style. French Bohemia mixed with celebrities of day in the cafes and bars of Monmatre. At the centre of this movement was the now defunct Liberté de l'esprit. A ground breaking and often controversial school that drew talented free thinkers of the time. It was here that Patamazz was seeded by Patrice Cheville & Matthieu Ail. Luminaries of the school their success was hampered by creative conflicts. Having shunned publicity for the last thirty five years they are back working with each other. This is a rare opportunity to recapture the essence of Paris in the Eighties.

Mabel Dolphins

A unique blending of short and long form improv

Patrick and Spragg

A bargain basement Harold

Inside the Bottle

As a Trio we will be performing a three character 15 minute mono-scene in the style of a bottle episode.

Yes and, Just One More Thing

An improvised "how catch 'em" murder mystery.

Read All About It

Jan, Ed and Chris Read are back with more spontaneous nonsense, expertly guided by honorary Read, Danny.

As I Was Saying

Paul Stangleman and Patrick Widdess have been improvising together for over a year. Join them as they explore a world full of the surreal and unexpected.

Jon's Jam

It's jam time. Games and scenes galore!

Ooh! Improv "Just Is!"

Four improvisors. One mockumentary. Lots of laughs.

Pirates Prov

We tell improvised tales of dastardly pirates and ne’er-do-wells, of swashbuckling and treasure hunting.

Brain Frog

Separately they're Jenny.and Diane but together they are brain frog.

Black Radish

The secretive Black Radish project bring you the results of their latest research.

Sofa So Good

Welcome to our living room. Make yourself comfy and enjoy some scenes

Folking Folk Tales

Shakespeare On The Spot

Solo Shakespeare improv. Short form games, taking suggestions from the audience for each, to produce improvised monologues/speeches using the characters, situations, and verse forms of Shakespeare. The whole thing is in iambic metre, and often incorporates rhyme as well. There are two basic games: monologues and instant responses to audience suggestions (written down). For the monologues, I add audience suggestions to riff on well-known speeches (e.g. different methods of killing Julius Caesar, an object from the audience for Macbeth's 'is this a dagger' soliloquy). The other games require me to instantly incorporate suggestions into an existing scene (e.g. a new roll call and eulogy for the English dead at Agincourt, new ways for Lear's daughters to praise him). In these games I don't see the suggestions until the moment in the scene I pull them out of my pocket. I'm put on the spot, and improvise 'Shakespeare on the spot'. I'm retired, and was a university lecturer in early drama for thirty years. This solo show focuses in on the language, and because of the verse form is akin to spoken word. I've described the full show above, but because it is based on shortform games I've done succesful 30-minute versions (e.g. Greater Manchester Imp Fest 25). I'm not confident it would work in a shorter slot though.

Bendy House

Dogface house team Bendy House have been playing together for many years. They'll probably do a mono-scene or something I would have thought. Keep an eye out for those bold Danny O'Hara moves that are bound to make Chris secretly shit himself.

Dogface House Team

The Dogface House team. Able to make you smile, laugh and snort with joy with their brand of warmth and silliness wrapped up in a team of absoulte fun.

This is What a Feminist Looks Like

A new musical improv troupe

The Brontes Saw Us

The Brontës Saw Us formed last year after discovering an uncanny ability to turn historical drama into hysterical drama. These four, time-travelling thespians of uncertain provenance turn period pieces into unscripted mayhem.

Messier

Cas and Melia are Messier and they will be presenting "Switch Bitch” which is a bit like a two person shift but long form

One Woman Shakespeare

A series of Shakespeare style soliloquies, based on suggestions from the audience.

Richard and Mark's Musical Mash-Up Jam

Richard is a musical maestro with many years' experience of Musical Improv. He can direct, create, support and react to scenes using only his keyboard and his superb musical abilities! Mark is a bloke who has done quite a bit of improv, but mostly enjoys comedy, musical and dramatic genres. Can be a bit funny on occasions.

Agony Aunt

A ventriloquist act with my Aunt Jean answering questions from the audience. This could be anything from offering advice on home baking to relationship or existential issues.

Patrick Widdess - Writer in Residence

As discussed I will be writing throughout the day and encouraging people to write their responses to the day's events. I will need a space to write, post-it notes or similar for people to write on, and somewhere to display them. I will use my writing and contributions from attendees to produce a poem celebrating the day's events. I'll need a slot (less than 15 minutes) near the end of the programme to share whatever I've written.

Chaos Jam

We end in the traditional manner - with a tech infused AI ruined cluster-set of improv chaos. Put your name down to play via the website (registration opens at 7pm)