Gigs, workshops and anything else you want to make it up as you go along.
The countdown is on! One of the biggest improvisation festivals outside of London opens this month in Birmingham offering audiences nine days of unique performances and professional workshops.
Birmingham Improvisation Festival 2018 will welcome over 100 performers to the Blue Orange Theatre and Birmingham Repertory Theatre from Friday 26th October–Saturday 3rd November 2018
Now firmly on the Festival map and included in this year’s Best UK Comedy Festivals Worth Booking a Holiday For! on Trip Advisor, 2018 sees a range of performers visit the city from across the UK and internationally including New York, Edinburgh, London, Bristol, Ireland, Nottingham and many home-grown troupes from Birmingham – now seen as a seedbed for improv talent.
Highlights for this year include: the return of the West End’s Olivier Award-winning Improv Musical Showstopper!; Birmingham’s Jumprov, the UK’s first ethnically diverse Improvisational Theatre Company; BBC Radio 4’s and Edinburgh’s sell-out Superstars Austentatious; the hilarious Neil Curran+1, organiser of Ireland’s own Improv Festival, who will select at random a member of the audience to perform with him; London’s Concept Album who make their festival debut with an entire new album improvised live, North Coast who bring ‘mind blowing’ Hip Hop Improv comedy direct from New York; London’s Castles in the Air improvising stories in the spirit of the films of Hayao Miyazaki; Society of Strange who bring a seasonal touch to the festival with Halloween mystery and horror and Birmingham’s very own Box of Frogs who are regulars at the city’s popular Glee Club.
As well as live performances the festival proudly presents a line-up of informative, creative and fun improv workshops led by professionals who will be performing across the nine days. The workshops include Neil Curran with You’re Doing it Wrong! a chance to work with one of Ireland’s best improvisors focussing on what not to do in improv; Spontaneous Potter who present Find the Fun, Ruin the Plot! who will help find the fun and freedom in improvising narrative longform and Impromptu Shakespeare who present Making Up Shakespeare! using style, character and language techniques to create the scenes Shakespeare never wrote.
The festival is particularly delighted to welcome, direct from New York, North Coast who present an Intro to Hip Hop Improv a chance to set yourself up, find your flow, and weave your rapped verses in and out of your improv scene-work. And finally, the cast of the Olivier Award-winning Showstopper! who provide an introduction to improvised musical theatre. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or an enthusiastic beginner, these workshops have something for every taste and talent.
Birmingham Improv Festival 2018 will also be hosting a special charity gala in aid of Birmingham Children’s Hospital on Sunday 28th October.
Tickets for the shows start from £5. Ticket buyers can also purchase multiple and weekend tickets at reduced rates subject to availability. Full listings and how to book can be found on the Festival website www.birminghamimprovfestival.com