Published on The Reviews Hub 04/04/2024

Mark Smith is an actor/director/producer, with a specialism in Improvisation and creator of the Liverpool Improvisation Festival which opens for its second season this month(19 – 21 April), in this blog, he looks at the importance of Improvisation within the UK theatrical landscape.

“Yes and… what about Improvisation in the UK?”
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I am writing this in a response to a question I was recently asked about improvisation in the UK. I was asked in a particularly dismissive tone – what about improvisation in the UK!? I understand the question as it can sometimes seem like there’s not much happening, especially compared to other forms of entertainment.

But perhaps the question really stems from a lack of knowledge with only a handful of significant reference points to draw upon – Austentatious, Whose Line is it Anyway and Showstoppers the Improvised Musical. Indeed, improvisation may not have the same level of mainstream recognition as other forms of entertainment. This could be due to limited exposure through traditional channels.

So, is this a case of increasing exposure for improvisation? Raise this and you can start to turn the tide and win over a whole new audience and address the sceptic. Possibly? That is one possible route, and it is great to see the likes of Austentatious selling out shows in the West End, MC Hammersmith, Showstoppers the Improvised Musical and Spontaneous Potter all of whom have or are currently undertaking national tours.

Improvisation is slowly becoming much more present in the programming of some traditional venues and long may this continue. As taxpayers, we seldom see our art form in these types of spaces. But why the shift now? I suspect that with tightening budgets and the rising production costs associated with making theatre improvisation is becoming an ideal solution. The work is readily available – I watched 15 improv shows in Edinburgh (2023) and all were excellent.

However, the reality is that improvisation in the UK is a thriving community with tens of thousands of passionate participants. These individuals dedicate significant time and effort to honing their craft through classes, performances, and workshops. Improvisation fosters a sense of liberation, builds trust and camaraderie, and provides a platform for personal growth, creativity, and making new friends. It’s an enjoyable and rewarding experience for anyone involved.

Improvisation receives very little funding from Arts Council England or equivalents in Scotland and Wales. There are of course exceptions to this such as Improbable Theatre company who are based in England. They either create or use improvisation techniques in the creation of their work. Attitudes to improvisation are slowly changing; however, I was once told by an ACE officer that ‘improvisation is simply watching a staged rehearsal’. This type of mindset still pervades, however, I would argue that the improvisation community is the perfect model to receive funding from ACE certainly in light of its revised priorities within The Lets Create strategy document. Very often improvisation is seen as the poor relation to theatre in the UK and ‘yes and’ I do have a chip on my shoulder about it.

The D.I.Y ethos is strong within the improvisation community and runs on dedicated individuals/teams who work with their community and in doing so create opportunities to share practice and work. Across the UK you will find those who love the form and volunteer their time and in most cases money to ensure that their community participates regularly. I have seen the power of this in my home city of Liverpool and beyond. The pandemic for all live art forms was devastating, however, the improvisation community took to zoom. I was able to take part in online workshops with participants and teachers from around the world, many of whom I would not ordinarily have had access to.

This is when I decided to become one of those individuals. But how and more importantly why? Well, firstly I spoke with my community and asked if a festival model would be the appropriate way to shine a light on improvisation. The answer was Yes; however, I was left with a ton of other questions. I had been a director/producer creating numerous touring work nationally and internationally with my then company Spike Theatre. So, I had some experience in managing and organising folk to create and generate new work. But why? My motivations were simple I wanted to give back to a city that has given me so much back in return. Spike utilised improvisation in the creation of new plays, we worked with the exceptionally talented teachers and improvisers John Thies and Todd Stashwick from the legendary New York improv team Burn Manhattan. They created Hoof! in 2004 and we toured this show for a decade. It seemed fitting that this would be the last show Spike would perform in 2014 at the  Unity Theatre. A sad time, but one I learnt a lot from.

There are multiple festivals which take place across the UK, these are beacons for the improvisation community. The  Edinburgh fringe / free fringe for example is awash with companies, but I am also aware that there are significant financial barriers to taking part in pay-to-play festivals. Knowing this, I collaborated with Gordon Millar, former Artistic Director of the  Unity Theatre, to create Liverpool Improvisation Festival. His first question, “why?” prompted me to reflect on my motivations. My answer was simple: a love for improvisation and a desire to give something back to my community in Liverpool. The chance to create opportunities for others and the benefit it brings in exposing folk to different types of work only strengthens and develops the scene locally. I was keen to remove the barriers that folk face in the pay-to-play model and thus there is no application cost, and all earned monies go directly back to the artist and companies. In addition, we document all work (film, photography and art) and share it freely for artists (future promotion), audiences (reminiscing and deeper engagement), and researchers (valuable insights).

We are always looking for ways to improve our festival experience for everyone involved. We actively seek feedback from audiences, artists and companies, workshop participants, and our venue partners. We value all insights and publish all feedback publicly, ensuring a transparent “you said, we did” policy. This feedback is vital in helping us meet the needs of everyone who comes to the festival. This year, we are further demonstrating our commitment to continuous improvement by working with an access consultant who will 
create an accessibility report.

The UK and Europe boast numerous fantastic improvisation festivals. LiF 2024 actively encourages artistic exploration by welcoming debut performances and fresh works, striving to offer a platform for innovative and diverse approaches to improvisation. We’ve expanded to include 13 shows (including 5 world premieres) and embrace a wide range of artistic expressions like clown, comedy, dance, drag, musical theatre, opera, storytelling, and theatre. We’re also offering four workshops led by talented instructors and are excited to introduce a film competition open to global participation.
We open LiF 2024 this month and we can’t wait to welcome the 65 improvisers, audiences and workshop participants to experience a vast array of great work in our fabulous host venues The  Unity Theatre and The Joe H Makin Drama Centre.

So, what about improvisation in the UK? In short, it’s a vibrant community flourishing and growing. While it may be younger than the scene in America, the UK improv community is emerging with unique strengths and a passionate base. With dedicated individuals like those across the UK carrying the torch, we are building a strong foundation for this art form to thrive and gain wider recognition in the future. As I discovered organising the Liverpool Improv Festival (2023), the countless hours of effort pale in comparison to the joy of seeing nearly 900 people enjoy the program I created. It was an incredibly rewarding experience that
​solidified my belief in the value of improvisation and the dedication of the community. It was one of the proudest moments of my life.

Orginally published 30/04/2024

Robin Winters 
4 stars

The improvised show A Wake is set in an imagined funeral wake. This is the part of the day where folk gather after the funeral has taken place, in this case the back room of the ‘Hare and Hounds’ pub in Bootle. Prior to the show audience members are asked to fill in a sheet which provides the biographical information used by the company as the stimulus for the show. Over the PA we hear the key elements of a life – Barry Sedgers, strong, born in Bootle, Abba fan and volunteer at the cat and dog rescue centre. One by one the cast enter, and we slowly learn who they are and how they relate to Barry and each other.
What was impressive was how little information you needed to understand the complex web that an individual has, the various connections, encounters and memories that are shared by the gathered mourners. The use of silence aided in building tension, it also allowed space for the audience to contemplate on Barry who we have not met, but now feel closely aligned to. The skill in this work is in the holding back of information, we don’t need to know everything as our imaginations are filling in the blanks.

There is a real beauty in the work, the damaged father and twin son relationship where words are not needed. The tension created between John Bennett and Stephen Longstaffe is palpable, both incapable of truly revealing their feelings until the moment where Bennett reveals he hasn’t been a good father was heartbreaking. Intertwined with this is genuine moments of laughter in which the friends and colleagues share their collective memories across the buffet. One highlight was the revelation of ‘cat racing’ at the shelter by Steve Wallis who has a great comic energy, who with plate in hand was constantly eating throughout.
Chrissi McCarthy, Su Jackson and Diane Jansen are individually very good, collectively the ensemble is excellent, the subtle combinations of energy and the nonverbal playing (subtext) was fabulous. The third scene revealing each person’s inner monologue was both very funny, but also revealed the individual quirks and thoughts are brains have.

The cast were uniformly strong, each listening and adding elements as the five scenes unfold. The simple device of transitioning with a song which is stimulated by the improvised text facilitates the passage of time till closing. The final moment where everyone slightly worse for wear leaves, the full stop on the life of Barry or so we thought. This is the best use of a false ending I have seen in a very long time, the audience started to clap and onstage steps Ollie Wilson a visible counterpoint in both age and look to the rest of the ensemble. He then improvises a stunning monologue as he cleans up the half-eaten sandwiches. He reflects on the various masks that we wear, who sees what and how we hide are real selves from each other. A poignant moment and reminder about the life we lead and the memories we leave behind in others.
This debut show is very good and has the potential to be exceptional, the format is excellent. One minor criticism is that it was too quiet at points making it hard to always hear what’s being said. This is a minor note and one which can be easily resolved. What stands strong is A Wake is very different to the often young, high energy shows that tend to take precedence in improvised work. The work reminded me of Jim Cartwrights ‘Two’ and Caroline Aherne ‘The Royle Family’ – a slice of life made real amongst the buffet.

Orginally published 30/4/2024 ​https://www.thereviewshub.com/liverpool-improvisation-festival-story-forge-make-your-own-myth-unity-theatre/#google_vignette

Robin Winters 
5 Stars

Story Forge – Make your own Myth is brought to you by the team who created Rubbish Improvised Shakespeare – The Incomplete works. This is fantastic show which caters perfectly for children and families who love history, myth and legend.
The show is extremely clever and very, very funny. The premise is that two senior academics from the British Museum are travelling across the UK collecting stories from the local population in the historic tradition of the ‘Story Forgers’. In tow and playing the live music is Daniel Bradley the former PhD student who has given up his studies to pursue Professor Dr Lee Hithersay and Dr Professor Robert Bond, both experts in object and place.

There are a tryptic of scenarios which allows the performance company to showcase their considerable improv skills. What takes place over the 80-minutes is phenomenal. The audience are fully engaged throughout either providing suggestions or providing the additional actors or in the case of the final story the ‘Hero’ itself. The playful interaction is handled well, and I was amazed how seamlessly the children were incorporated into the work, the three headed ‘Cerberus’ was one of many visual and verbal highlights.
At the heart of this work is ‘play and imagination’ the company embrace the chaos of the choices made by the children and you can see that both are having lots of fun doing it. The storytelling skills of both Bond and Hithersay is something to behold, both delight in off the cuff humour and they work an audience which would put many a stand-up comedian to shame.
Story Forge – Make your own Myth is highly skilled; this trio of performers are fabulous together. The work is clearly rooted in a genuine love for the stories and cultures of the past. This enthusiasm is palpable, and you love them even more for it. The transitions between stories is made to look effortless and this is enhanced by the stunning lighting by Xenia Bayer and music by Bradley which underscores throughout. The props and costumes by Alice Rowbottom all constructed in cardboard were stunning, these were used to great effect and gave a great aesthetic you seldom see in improvised theatre. The work is multi layered with the two experts’ hierarchy creating tension, this and the running joke throughout in which the two want their own television series elevates the work. If I was TV commissioner, I would snap them up as the work would transfer brilliantly.
Co-conceived and Directed by Mark Smith this co-production between Rubbish Shakespeare Company, Silly History Boys and Wing it Impro is a fantastic example of how children’s and improvised theatre can work together beautifully. It clever, anarchic and very funny Story Forge – Make your own Myth is ‘Horrible Histories’ on steroids.

Originally published 22/4/2004 northwestend.com/the-story-forge-make-your-own-myths-unity-theatre/#google_vignette

Andrew Lee 
4 stars 

Performed by a frightening pedigree of silliness, from Silly History Boys, Rubbish Shakespeare company, and Wing It Impro, The Story Forge is a family show, where myths and legends are improvised based on topics given to the actors by the audience. Historical experts (though I suspect not) Dr Professor Lee Hithersay, and Professor Doctor Robert Bond led us on adventures through time and space, educating us on the definitely accurate history of things like dog poo bags, and ointment.
The performance was great fun, perfectly pitched, and exactly what one would expect from an improvised piece of theatre. The clown work is fantastic, and whilst the show was a family one, the focus was where it ought to have been, which was on the kids.
There was a great understanding of the audience and the locale of the piece, with some hilarious moments aimed at Liverpudlians. The audience interaction was superb, particularly with the kids, but there were lots there for adults to enjoy too.

The physical theatre, predominantly from Hithersay, was atrociously funny, and he used every part of his body (and his clothing) to get into character as some hilarious creatures. The voice work, particularly from Bond, was excellent, and we can all only be grateful that there was a Welsh person in the audience, so we got to witness the Welsh accent.
I never expected to laugh so much, and the fantastic thing about an improv show is that you feel like you have had a totally unique experience that will never be replicated. The show had the perfect level of not taking itself too seriously.

​The Story Forge was a perfect way to open Saturday at the Liverpool Improv Festival. This has felt like a truly special event and has been a joy to witness.  Unity theatre continues to be a significant cornerstone in the culture of our city. Congratulations to Unity and everyone involved with Liverpool Improv Festival.