Electronic art: Kai Jones
Mind the Gap. Watch the Doors. Enjoy the Show
Ever sat on a Merseyrail train, taken your headphones off, and realised the real entertainment wasn't on your phone?
Welcome aboard. The Carriage is a brand-new, completely spontaneous theatre experience that transforms the everyday commute into an unpredictable stage. No scripts. No safety nets. Just the rhythmic clack-clack of the tracks and the stories of the people who ride them.
From the standard-issue characters we all know—the early-morning commuter nursing a lukewarm Greggs coffee, the lively group heading into town for a Saturday night out, to the absolute philosopher who struck up a conversation with you at Sandhills—this show explores the fleeting, hilarious, and sometimes beautifully tender moments shared between strangers locked in a moving metal box.
What to Expect:
Whether you're a daily commuter on the Northern Line or a rare traveler on the Wirral Line, you’ll recognise these voices. It’s theatre that feels less like a performance and more like eavesdropping on the 22:45 out of Central.
Welcome aboard. The Carriage is a brand-new, completely spontaneous theatre experience that transforms the everyday commute into an unpredictable stage. No scripts. No safety nets. Just the rhythmic clack-clack of the tracks and the stories of the people who ride them.
From the standard-issue characters we all know—the early-morning commuter nursing a lukewarm Greggs coffee, the lively group heading into town for a Saturday night out, to the absolute philosopher who struck up a conversation with you at Sandhills—this show explores the fleeting, hilarious, and sometimes beautifully tender moments shared between strangers locked in a moving metal box.
What to Expect:
- 100% Improvised: Every single performance is created on the spot, fueled by your own real-life Merseyrail encounters and confessions.
- The Pulse of Liverpool: A sharp, witty, and authentic look at Scouse warmth, grit, and the unmatched ability to have a laugh in a packed carriage.
- Fly-on-the-Wall Insight: Peer into the brief windows of regular lives. Why is that girl crying? What's in that guy's massive sports bag? Where are they all going?
Whether you're a daily commuter on the Northern Line or a rare traveler on the Wirral Line, you’ll recognise these voices. It’s theatre that feels less like a performance and more like eavesdropping on the 22:45 out of Central.
Inspired by the existential absurdity of Samuel Beckett, the raw, unscripted spontaneity of Keith Johnstone, and the darkly comic, grotesque grace of Flannery O’Connor, Carriage transforms everyday life into a spontaneous theatrical experience.
Creatives:
Conceived and Directed: Mark Smith
Improv coaching: Mike Burton
Sound Design: Fergus Wynne
Multimedia design: Neely Gale
Produced: Wing it Impro and Neely Gale
Conceived and Directed: Mark Smith
Improv coaching: Mike Burton
Sound Design: Fergus Wynne
Multimedia design: Neely Gale
Produced: Wing it Impro and Neely Gale
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Mark Smith is a multi-award-winning actor, director and producer with over 30 years of experience. He loves improvisation and storytelling; he brings a wealth of knowledge to developing stories and thrives on spontaneity. His PhD further solidifies his expertise in this area. He is passionate about developing new spontaneous work and challenging the conventions of what is possible.
Mark has created and directed multiple spontaneous shows which have toured the UK and played at multiple festivals. These included Improvised Rubbish Shakespeare - The Incomplete Works, Talk to the Hand (puppet improv), The Fly, A Wake, The Story Forge: Make your own Myth, Taxi Tales – One night on the Town, Talking Head Twice and Gricers. He is also the founder and co-director of Liverpool Improvisation Festival. |
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