We always encourage our students to try out lots of clown teachers. You can pick up something different from everyone. The basics are always the same - but each teacher brings their own flavour. Their own teaching and performing style. Their own mischief. For example, from someone like Elf Lyons, who brings beautiful physicality to her work, you'll likely pick up some more movement tips. Damien Warren-Smith aka Garry Starr teaches by experimentation and people like Mick Barnfather and Viggo Venn have a more friendlier style than the classic clown teacher Gaulier. Or you might find a more thoughtful, playful rhythm and game with someone like Charlie in our workshops.
But don’t just stop at clown classes. Other art forms are full of juicy inspiration too. A mime class can get you connecting to your body in new ways. Improv helps you think on your feet and say Yes And - very handy when playing with an audience. Sketch writing gets you thinking about structure and rhythm. Stand-up sharpens your one-liners and your comic voice.
You can even go wider. Ballet can connect you with grace and control. Meditation or yoga can help with breath and presence (great for calming pre-show jitters). An art class might shift how you think about the visual elements of a performance. Even something as simple as watching people on the bus or dancing in your kitchen can feed your creative brain.
The year is nearly over and that means it’s time for a bit of reflection. What have you tried this year? Where do you want to go next? What playful adventures could 2026 hold?
Set yourself a creative resolution - now. Try one new taster class before the year ends. Pick something weird, wonderful or wildly out of your comfort zone. Bring your clown heart with you and ask: what can I play with here?
Want to collect inspiration like a joyful little magpie? Here are a few playful ways to begin:
Start a note on your phone called "Cool Stuff I've Seen". Add one thing a day. A gesture, a colour, a bit of overheard conversation, a weird pigeon dance. Over a few weeks, you’ll start to notice more. Your clown brain will start collecting.
Set yourself an Artist Date - a weekly solo adventure to soak up creativity. It's a tip from The Artist's Way, and it's brilliant. Go to a gallery, a market, a dog show, a puppet performance. Just absorb. Look outside your usual world.
Go on a Character Walk. Take a stroll and play a secret game: as you walk past someone, copy their style of walking. From their pace and posture, start to imagine who they are. What do they want? What's their most embarrassing story? Their secret dream? Their biggest fear? Then exaggerate. Have a giggle. Shake it off and try the next one. By the end of your walk, you’ll have a pocketful of brand-new characters.
Because when you steal like a clown, you open yourself up to all kinds of glorious silliness. And who knows what might become part of your next brilliant bit?
Go out and play, look broader than your usual circles of influence and see what magic happens.
*please don't actually physically steal anything.
]]>Our top advice for Fringe season is:
Pre-book any shows you MUST see. (Pre-booking also helps the performer feel a lot better about ticket sales on the run up to it as well!)
See something you know nothing about. Pick it based on if you liked the person giving you a flyer, you like the look of the flyer or it's just at a time or location that's convenient.
Mixed bill nights like Stamptown and ACMC means you get to see snippets of lots of performers at once
Missed anyone? Keep their name and just research them to see when they do another show near you later this year.
Ania Magliano: Work in Progress: Jul 28–Aug 10 at 11:05
Helen Bauer: Bless Her: Jul 28–Aug 24 (not 4, 11, 18) at 15:20
Joe Kent-Walters: Frankie Monroe: DEAD!!! (Good Fun Time): Jul 28–Aug 24 (not 4, 5, 11, 12, 15, 16) at 21:30
Garry Starr: Classic Penguins: Jul 30-Aug 25 (not 6, 11, 18) at 21:30
Lachlan Werner: Lachlan Werner: WonderTwunk: Jul 30-Aug 24 (not 11) at 21:50
Showstopper!: Showstopper: The Improvised Musical! Jul 30-Aug 24 (not 11) at 17:20
Susan Harrison: Should I Still Be Doing This?: Jul 30–Aug 24 (not 12, 18) at 19:40
Lorna Rose Treen: 24-Hour Diner People: Jul 30–Aug 25 (not 12) at 18:20
Lil Wenker: Bangtail: Jul 30–Aug 10, 14-16, 21-23 at various times
David Hoskin: A Haunted House: Jul 30–Aug 24 (not 7) at 19:10
Madeleine Rowe: Knight Knight: Jul 30–Aug 24 (not 11, 18) at 19:20
Furiozo: Man Looking for Trouble: Jul 30–Aug 10 (not 6) at 20:55
Baby Wants Candy: Baby Wants Candy: Jul 30–Aug 24 at 21:15
Cameron Sinclair Harris: PLANETS!!! Jul 31-Aug 24 (not 12) at 17:05
CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation: CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation: Aug 1-17 at 15:10
Shoot From The Hip: Shoot From The Hip: Aug 1-3 at various times
Stamptown: Stamptown: Aug 1-23 (not 6, 12, 17) at 23:30
Steffen Hånes & Gregory Lass: The Ritual: Aug 2 - 25 (not 11, 12, 18) at 20:35
The Alternative Comedy Memorial Society: ACMS: Aug 3-6, 10-13, 17-20, 24 at 23:55
Lady Bolognese: Class War: Aug 10-17 at 15:15
Loz Dodd: This Can’t Be It (WIP): Aug 10-19 at 14:30
Luke Rollason: Luke Rollason: Let Down Your Hair: Aug 11-13 at 17:20
Julia Masli: ha ha ha ha ha ha ha: Aug 11-24 at 23:15
Elf Lyons: The Bird Trilogy: Aug 12-25 at 20:00
Emma Davies: Screw Upz! Aug 18-24 at 23:10
Jack Tucker: Comedy Standup Hour: Aug 24 at 23:15
]]>At a regular workshop, you know who’s coming. You’ve got your 16 or so people booked in, you’ve got your plan, and you can build from there. But at a festival? Anything can happen. You have no idea how many people will show up, when they’ll arrive, what mood they’ll be in... And that’s kind of the fun of it.
The last two years we’ve been running play workshops in the Healing Fields at Glastonbury. A dream. The Healing Fields, which are basically a magical space at the festival; a peaceful field, full of people doing yoga, sound baths and trying something new. The perfect space to invite people into something playful.
This year it was hot. Really hot. So we leaned into slower, less energetic games. You can plan as much as you like but the truth is, you have to adapt. You build up a mental library of games you like to play, you learn which ones work for different numbers and types of people and you go from there. Something someone says might remind you of a different game. The group might respond really well to one activity so you follow that thread. You read the energy. You shift things. Especially on a Sunday afternoon when everyone's brain is not quite as sharp as it was on Wednesday!
We always start with a big welcoming game. Something loud, simple and easy to join - because people arrive in drifts and clumps and nobody wants to feel like they’ve missed the start. We’ve used Start Stop (where I say “start” and you stop walking and vice versa), or a big round of beach ball counting. Something that looks fun from the outside and feels fun once you’re in it. Something that says: it’s okay, you don’t need to know what’s going on, just join in.
One game that always works well at a festival is Protest Signs. Everyone builds a three-word protest sign by going around the circle one word at a time. Then we all chant it like we deeply believe in it. Some of the Glastonbury favourites this year: – No More Longdrops – Goose Flamingo Parsnip – Always Love Yourself
You also never know who will come. This year we had a big group of giggly girls who ended up crying with laughter. We had one kid who came to all the workshops and said “I love this one” about every single game. And, unsurprisingly we had the person who’s had a few too many lemonades and thinks they’re the funniest person alive. (They’re not. But they mean well. You treat them like a heckler. You don’t let them take over but you don’t shut them down completely. A slightly confusing word game often helps.)
Festival people are different from regular workshop crowds. In evening hobbyist classes, people are there to learn something new, to escape from their day. When we teach a corporate group, people know each other. There’s that layer of professionalism or trying to look good. At a festival, people are just floating about looking for something fun or magical or surprising. It’s all much looser. More curious.
So how do you teach a workshop at a festival? You prepare what you can, then you let it go. You trust your instincts. You stay playful. You go with what the group needs. You create a space that feels welcoming and open - whether people join for five minutes or stay the whole time.
And you celebrate the moments of magic that happen when someone unexpectedly falls into joy. That’s the bit you can’t plan for. Embrace the unknown and play!
]]>Workshops begin with a big group warm ups. Everyone's trickled into a strange room of strangers ready to do something a bit different. It's important to set the right environment so we can feel playful, safe and ready to have a good time. We kick things off with a game - something fun, silly and usually a little ridiculous. It might involve names and dance moves, a bit of shouting or pretending to be a goose. These warm-ups help us shake off the day, loosen our limbs and our brains and get comfy with each other.
We embrace mistakes, we embrace the flop (a clown term). If you do it wrong, fluff your words, forget the rules or say something completely bizarre - we celebrate with a big YAY! We create a space where there’s no wrong way to be. You’ll be cheered on for trying, not judged for “getting it right.” The only rule? Be kind.
Our games and exercises are fun and sneaky. They're secretly (and sometimes not to secretly) teaching you stuff: like how to listen, how to build stories together, how to be in the moment and trust your gut.
There's laughter. Because what fun is a workshop without it? We are teaching play and comedy after all! Whether it’s a mini moment in a game, an improv scene that you just get or an in-joke the class creates... you’ll laugh. A lot. And not because you have to, but because play opens up that kind of belly-deep joy that’s hard to find in adult life. It’s like a mini holiday from your overthinking brain.
Play is our superpower. It’s how we connect, learn, grow and let go. Play isn’t just for kids - it’s a radical, joyful way to explore the world. Our workshops are designed to help you tap into that playful mindset, whether you’re 18 or 80, shy or loud, serious or silly.
So if you're wondering what you’ll actually do in a Playface workshop, now you know. It's all about showing up, saying “yes” to the moment and having a fun time doing it.
Okay, whose coming out to play?!
]]>Acaprov: The Improvised A Cappella Musical on 2nd - 5th May
Imagine a new kind of musical: beatboxers, rappers, actors, singers, dancers and body percussionists coming together completely a cappella to improvise a fresh, heart-warming show, that you’ll never forget.
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen on 3rd - 5th & 24th - 26th May
Families assemble! This is a super fantastically amazingly incredible show. (We may be bias because we're occasional cast members). The Extraordinary Time-Travelling Adventures of Baron Munchausen is a multi award winning, family friendly, improvised storytelling show. There will be pirates and princesses, unicorns and dragons, spacemen and swordfights, and all of it completely and irrefutably true.
Josh Invain: Affirmation (Work In Progress) on 8th - 11th May
We're big fans of Josh from our days of Modern Art! They think the show is an exploration of identity and how sometimes the only way to affirm who you are is by getting the help of a room of strangers.
Isabelle Glinn on Ice on 11th & 31st May
A surreal musical comedy show about competitive figure skating. Isabelle's a fantastic performer who you may have seen in ‘CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation’ and ‘Notflix the Improvised Musical’.
This Can't Be It on 11th & 24th May
This Can’t Be It is an experimental comedy show about trying—and failing—to make sense of it all. Loz Dodd believes he’s creating something monumental. He might be wrong, but that won’t stop him from throwing himself headfirst into chaos, weaving together song, dance, spoken word, and a meandering stand-up routine about having hands.
3 Minutes Inside My Brain on 13th & 14th May
Get ready to be shrunk down and taken on a whirlwind adventure inside Jennifer’s brain. It’s weird in there - but probably also familiar. Explore the wonders of our wrinkly grey matter through very real facts, very cute puppets, and a very scientific ball pit.
King of More: Veza on 15th & 16th May
There is a secret connection between people. What is it? Where is it? What colour is it? Find out what ‘Veza’ is through Bosnian and Serbian music, interactions, dance, laughter, tears, science, ancestors and interdimensional wool.
John Robertson: PLAYS WITH THE AUDIENCE (Work In Progress) on 16th May
John's previous show was an unmissable part of Edinburgh Fringe - best known for his anarchic crowd work, joyous obscenity and geeky ranting. Now he's back with a rare scripted stand-up set.
Dick Day: A Hairy Fairy Boy on 21st & 22nd May
Brace yourself for a wildly nostalgic and hilarious ride through Dick Days youth. Dick has plenty to share; from embarrassing confessions, unhinged behaviour and a few terrible choices. Prepare to be entertained through comedic tangents, toe-tapping tunes, jazz hands and some questionable percussion.
Helen Bauer Work In Progress - 21st & 22nd May
We saw a version of this a few weeks ago and it was very chaotically funny! Helen Bauer has some very messy ideas of her thoughts and feelings on pretty much everything!
Happily Never After on 22nd - 24th May
We'll never tire of seeing this show - it's incredible (it's also improvised so it's different every time!) The Maydays return to the Fringe with their 5-star improvised show – Happily Never After – a ‘darkly comedic’ twisted musical tale inspired by gothic themes, fairytales, and the warped imaginations that brought us Lemony Snicket, Beetlejuice, Shockheaded Peter and Grimm's Tales.
Siblings: Dreams in Progress on 23rd May
Critically acclaimed character comedians and IRL Sisters, Maddy and Marina Bye (Byes) have spent the last two years asleep dreaming up inventions.. about dreams.. and inventions. Finally, they arise from the ashes, the research is complete and you get the first glimpse into their concocted creation. Time to set your alarms to see Siblings swoop you into the surreal world of your own sleepy mind as they crack open skulls and backflip in.
Lachlan Werner: WonderTwunk (Work In Progress) on 23rd May
The strength of a hundred Olympians. The face of an angel. Behind this curtain lies a brand new model of manhood for a modern age.
Lorna Rose Treen (Work In Progress) (it's set in a diner) on 25th May
Her last show was incredible. Get yourself ready for some fab character comedy! Award-winning, comedy-killing (The Sun), former-Cadbury World-working character comedian Lorna Rose Treen is making a new show. This one is set in a diner.
Stranded on 29th & 30th May
Liam and Tom have great chemistry and create very fun shows! This one is based on a school drama group being stranded on a desert island. The only adult survivors of the crash, Matt and his teaching assistant Julian, keep the group's spirits up with improv games and stories. However, while Matt and the children look for ways to escape the island, Julian is relishing his newfound status as the leader of the survivors...
Baba on 30th & 31st May
Did you know Baba means wise old woman in Romanian, father in Arabic and baba ghanoush wasn’t always made with mayo?? Me neither! Halima's appears on stage at Modern Art and brings a playfully mysterious clown energy!
Caitlin Cook: The Writing on the Stall on 31st May & 1st June
This show is a musical about bathroom graffiti. We saw an early version of this a few years ago in Edinburgh and were giggling along to the catchy songs. This is a show for comedy nerds, musical theatre kids, art history buffs, and anyone who’s ever seen something written in a bathroom and thought, “I wonder who wrote that?”
What are your recommendations? Let us know in the comments!
]]>As someone who has researched happiness and mental health heavily as well as experienced bad batches of it, I believe this could be an alternative. Not for everyone, and not for people in crisis but it can help. Poor mental health can include feelings of loneliness, lack of confidence, feeling lost and unsure what to do. Comedy workshops in particular allow you to feel more connected with others and explore something new.
Workshops are most beneficial for mental health for a number of reasons, which I'll explain below. Watching shows is a good way to get out of the house, into a different atmosphere and experiencing something new but I find doing rather than watching has that extra special something.
Before we start, you should know there are lots of types of comedy workshops, from more sat around writing in stand up to silliness and physicality in clown to collaboration and spontaneity in improv to self expression and creativity in sketch. So there's a lot to try out.
Workshops start with a warm up, a game designed to get your head out of the office/day/home life and into the workshop. These could involve moving about and getting in your body (which if you've been sitting at a screen all day is great!) or use words, sounds or sayings. They are designed to get you used to playing, being silly and even making mistakes. You wouldn't exercise without a warm up so why not warm up before you exercise your brain?
It’s difficult to be in a workshop and thinking about something else, trust me. Workshops, especially improv ones, get you into flow states and being in the present moment. You have to be listening and reacting to what's happening now. For these moments, nothing else has space to be in your mind. Whilst it may sound stressful, it's actually the opposite. When the classes are full of embracing mistakes, positivity and having each other's back, these flow moments are incredible and leave you feeling recharged.
Look into the room of a comedy workshop and you'll see a bunch of people standing in a circle. Improv, clown and sketch involve moving about the space, embodying different characters. Even stand-up classes have you up and moving to work on act outs and presentation!
Making friends as an adult is hard, the opportunity doesn’t come up often. You either meet people through work or friends of friends. Workshops are a great way to meet people. The improv community in particular has brought me so many new friends. You bond over characters or stories you create and it gives you wonderful talking points to hang out afterwards.
Comedy is an art form, you can express yourself through your stand up jokes, characters, improv scenes and how you play with the audience as a clown. In improv especially you learn to speak instinctively, without time to control where the story is going. The story evolves as the improvisors all add to it on stage and it gives you the chance to experience different things and react how you think your character would. Improv scenes have led me to try out playing different emotions, expressing anger, happiness, stubbornness, confusion, acceptance, calmness - you name it, it's been in a scene with me.
Comedy workshops are amazing. You don't have to want to perform on stage to get something out of them either. There are a lot of people who take numerous workshops for the sake of everything above as opposed to wanting to take to the stage full time.
Want to give it a go? There’s lots of places in London to try out comedy workshops and so many shows to see too. We teach beginners clown classes as well as play workshops which take some of the exercises from comedy with less of the teaching points - these are a great way to dip your toes into it. You can also check out places like Hoopla for improv and The Fun Fed for more play workshops or our recommends page for other schools and teachers.
]]>I’ve always been playful, much like the kids I teach, I just need a spark of imagination. Yet I hear so many parents tell me they struggle with play: "My partner is better at it than I am," or "I just don’t know what to say when my kid wants me to be a wizard!"
Studies show play is great for both adults and children, it strengthens bonds, gives you happy endorphins, reduces stress, fuels creativity and creates memories.
Play is a skill, and just like any skill, you can get better at it. Here are some ways to unlock your inner playfulness and make playtime feel more fun.
Like most things, there are barriers to getting started. You might be distracted by a to-do list or self conscious about running around a park pretending to be a dinosaur or overthinking getting it “right”. Step back and think about what’s holding you back and some ways around it. Put the to do list away for 30 minutes and play without distraction, be a dinosaur inside the house and know that there isn’t a “right” way to play.
“Yes And” is one of the main principles of Improv comedy. You accept what someone is saying and build on it. Life in general is more fun when you yes and.
🗣 Child: "This teddy is the captain of the spaceship!"
🙋 You: "Yes! And he’s just discovered a planet made of spaghetti!"
What not to do:
🗣 Child: "This teddy is the captain of the spaceship!"
🙅 You: "That’s not a spaceship, it’s just a pillow."
By saying Yes And you are open to play; you’re building trust, adding excitement and fun and encouraging the person who made the offer to add more.
Specifics make everything way more real. You feel more immersed in the environment you’re creating.
🚫 "Okay, you’ve got a cape."
✅ "Wow! That’s a shimmering cape of glory—does it give you super speed or invisibility?"
You don’t have to have all the answers, in fact, whilst playing it’s more fun and easier to follow the child’s lead. They get to be in charge! They will know where the edge of the spaceship is or how to sneak into the vampire’s lair. It’s also entertaining to see where their imaginations are leading them!
🗣 Child: "Quick, the floor is lava!"
🙋 You: "Ahh! What do we do? How do we escape?"
🔑 Why it works: Kids already know the world they’re building. By asking questions and following along, you keep the fun alive without overthinking.
Kids weren’t given a rule book on how to play, they just experiment, get inspired by others and play. Follow their lead and experiment without judging yourself.
Kids can play for an extremely long time. Set a timer to remove the pressure of playing forever, this helps play feel more like a fun break rather than an obligation.
You’re going to enjoy some things over others. Not everyone loves playing superheroes or tea parties, so pick something you enjoy.
If you love building → Try Lego, forts, or cardboard crafting.
If you love storytelling → Try making up bedtime stories together - you could even try saying one word at a time each!
If you love physical movement → Dance, chase, play tag.
Play opens a world of endless possibilities. The best and most fun play happens when you fully immerse yourself, let go, follow your child’s lead and say yes. Next time a pirate, astronaut, or talking teddy bear invites you into their world, see where it takes you.
Want to take your play to the next level? Our upcoming Family Play Workshop is packed with fun, easy ways to bring more imagination into your home. It’s a chance to learn, laugh, and rediscover the magic of play—together!
]]>Speaking of which, there are dozens of new venues this year, including Leicester Cathedral, The International, De Montfort Students' Union, and The Soundhouse in the city centre. Beyond the city, county venues such as The Old Plough, Barkby Cricket Club, and Sunny Skies Café—just to name a few—are also hosting shows.
If you’re in or around the city this February and fancy chasing away the winter blues, make sure to check out one of these shows!
8 February 15:30
Knightmare Live 10th Anniversary Show (Interactive/Improv), The Y Theatre
Light the beacons! Rouse the villagers! Gather all your courage... for the smash hit comedy show of the cult 90s TV classic! Dungeon master Treguard opens the doors once more for the very special, 10th anniversary tour of the hilarious homage to the TV show that dared to say, what if we put children in a helmet and led them to their death?
8 February 17:00
Joe Kent-Walters is Frankie Monroe: Live!!! (Character), Firebug - Upstairs
Here he is. Yorkshire’s biggest bastard. WINNER: Best Newcomer Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2024. If you haven’t seen him yet, you must be mad. Get to it!
8 February 21:30
Steffan Hånes and Greg Lass: The Ritual (clown), Duffy’s Bar - Venue Space
Uh oh! Steffen Hånes, The Master, arrives with his loyal servant Gregory Lass as Gregor to conduct The Ritual. This is your invitation to revel in the company of vampires - dare you accept it? It’s about to get spooky Leicester.
9 February 16:00
Ollie West: Discovery (WIP) (clown), Duffy’s Bar - Venue Space
From one of the creators of Big Zeus Energy (nominated for Best Debut Show Leicester Comedy Festival 2023, sell-out Edinburgh Fringe 2023) and Nightwatchman (sell-out Edinburgh Fringe 2023), a one-man physical comedy and sketch show about a caveman. It’s daring, strange and very, very silly.
15 February 15:30
Marcel Lucont: Les Enfants Terribles - A Gameshow For Awful Children (family friendly), Sue Townsend Theatre
Winner: Best Kids Show 2022 - UK Kids Comedy Festival. Top 10 Kids Shows - Time Out, The Scotsman, Broadway World. We had to include a family option in our list and this is the crème de la crème: the award winning anarchic gameshow returns for a third year, where kids compete to be the most awful child.. "An absolute gem... if you don't have kids borrow someone else's... a treat from beginning to end" ★★★★★ Edinburgh Festivals magazine.
15-16 February 17:30, 14:30
Readymades (clown), Just the Tonic at The Exchange Bar
Are you ready to run with the urinals? Levi Meltzer and Sam Berlin invite you into their debut hour: Part clown, part puppets, part multimedia chaos play. READYMADES will have you asking “Is this art?” The answer is “We’re almost sure of it.” Come check out some hot new alternative talent!
16 February 16:00
Kathy Maniura: The Cycling Man (WIP) (character) - Duffy’s Bar - Venue Space
The Cycling Man is middle aged, newly single and he’s spent the salary of an NHS nurse in Decathlon. Get to know this absurd and deeply flawed man as he gets to know himself. From Kathy Maniura, BBC New Comedian shortlisted 2023 and Leicester Comedy Festival Best Debut nominee 2023. Brilliantly observed character comedy from a rising star.
16 February 18:30
Consignia: Refluxus (alternative/musical/improv/etc), Phoenix - The Ne
It's always nice to go to a comedy show, knowing exactly what you're going to get and that you're in a safe pair of hands. There's such a lovely comfort in certainty. Nominated in 2019 and 2022 for the Best Improv/Musical show at the Leicester Comedy festival Awards, despite being neither Improv or Musical. Once seen never forgotten, whether you want to or not.
18 February 19:00
Bex Turner: Bexual Healing (character comedy/alternative), King Richard 3rd Pub
You've had your main course, now it’s time for an after eight bint. Join us for a saucy, Bexually charged show of dark character comedy from Bex Turner. Bexual Healing is a retro character comedy show in which the audience come across four awkward female characters from the 1920s-1990s. An hour in Bex’s company is uniquely strange and side splitting!
19 February 20:30
David Hoskin in A Haunted House (mime/alternative), Just the Tonic at The Exchange Bar
A Haunted House is a hysterical, terrifying and surreal tale, about one hair-raising night in a haunted house. Merging mime, physical comedy and sound design this show is a must for fans of horror and comedy alike! A story of murder, jealousy, and dancing zombies, told through snappy vignettes and time loops. This ghost train of a tale is for those who like their laughs big and their scares spine chilling!
22 February 15:40
Lucy Pearman: Lunartic (WIP) (clown), The Guildhall - Mayor Parlour
Lucy Pearman is working out a new show and wobbling around as the moon. There will definitely be a song, a cow and in an ideal world, an audience. She is excellent in all phases of her cycle.
23 February 12:30
Siblings: Dreams in Progress (sketch), Firebug - Upstairs
Critically acclaimed character comedians and IRL Sisters, Maddy and Marina Bye (Byes) have spent the last two years asleep dreaming up inventions.. about dreams.. and inventions. This is sketch comedy gone subconscious. Bring a pillow, you bunch of dreamers. ★★★★ (Telegraph) 'Ferociously funny' (Guardian) 'Natural-born comedians' (Metro)
23 February 15:40
Charlie Vero-Martin: WIP (alternative comedy), Duffy’s Bar - Venue Bar
Scottish comedian, actor, Playface regular and top weirdo plays with brand new stand-up material, stories and characters. After sellout shows at Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leicester, VAULT and Soho Theatre festivals, Charlie needs your help to work out what to do next…
23 February 16:00
Chris East: My Brain is Soup, Your Hands are the Spoons (clown), Just The Tonic at the Exchange Bar
An absurdist character-comedy from a helpless clown. Chris East's brain is overflowing, like a chunky idea soup filled with unformed thoughts, bizarre plot plans, ambitions, and characters, so many characters. Cracking sausages, too.
-
If you're still looking for shows then check out these too: Mikey Bligh-Smith: Full Frontal Mikey Mode, Michael Brumstrom sings ten songs about Moths, Big Zeus Energy presents Werewolves of London, Lil Wenker: Bangtail. Okay, that's all our recommendations for now otherwise we'll be here for days - there are SO MANY good shows on this year, make sure you check out Leicester Comedy Festival whilst its on from from 5–23 February 2025. Who are you going to see first?
]]>Play brings people together, it gives everyone something to bond over, something to laugh about and a shared joyful experience (unless you’re a sore loser!). Play is also a nice break from conversation and a great way to break the ice with the in-laws or bond with 90 year old Yvette over trouser snakes in planes (yes, this happened, yes it was funny).
It’s no surprise that table games are super popular at this time of year. We always get asked for recommendations so here’s our roundup of all our favourite things to play below. We’ve broken this into “nothing needed” and “products needed” so remember to add what you need to your Christmas lists!
Go around the table and one by one as everyone says one word to create each sentence of the story. Sometimes it’s handy to start off with the first few people saying “once”, person 2: “upon”, person 3: “a”, person 4: “time” and then continue on from there.
Split into two pairs. The first pair speaks one word at a time and are saying aloud a complaint to a company. The second pair and the company replying to the complaint. Everyone else can call out who they think they should be complaining to (e.g Tesco) and about what (a lack of pigs in blankets). Go back and forth two times (or more if you want to keep it going!)
A Jackson classic! Get a cereal box and put it in the middle of the room, you have to pick it up with your teeth and nothing touching the floor except your feet. Each round you cut off an inch or two from the box. Make sure you stretch - it gets a lot harder the lower you go!
Everyone says two truthful statements and one lie. You have to guess which one is the lie.
Split in half (either side of the dinner table works well for this). The first person from each group starts and has to have a conversation with the other person but only speaking in questions. If there’s any hesitation, repeated questions or statements you are out and the next person from your team steps in. The aim is to have as many people left in your team after a certain amount of time 2 mins is a good amount to start)
Pick a profession then anyone can either call out or act out a line they may say to make them the worst at it.
For example: world’s worst hairdresser
Sorry I got distracted looking out the window
My hands can’t stop shaking today
If it goes badly, we’ll just get you a wig
Van Gogh didn’t need his ear either
Keep going until you run out and then switch to another profession.
Someone leaves the room whilst you allocate a famous person or character to everyone else. The person then returns to the room where they are having a “party” and has to guess who each of their guests are.
You can make this trickier by giving quirks or objects instead of people for the guests to play. E.g an excited whisk or a mop who sneezes whenever a colour is mentioned.
One person picks an object and everyone else has a total of 20 questions between them to guess what it is. The person can only answer Yes or No to the questions.
You can add categories to this if you want to make it easier e.g famous people, objects, animals etc.
Similar to questions only. Everyone writes a name on a piece of paper and (without them seeing) sticks it to someone else’s head. They then have to guess who they are. You go around the circle and ask questions (Yes or No answers only) until someone gets their person right.
One person (clue giver) picks a target word. The guessers guess what that word is and the clue giver can only reply Hot or Cold if the word feels closer/ further in meaning to the target word. Keep going until you guess the word.
We LOVE board games and Christmas is a great time to get out some of our more silly party games. These ones are simple to pick up and explain and super fun. (We'll do another post for full on, hours of play board games another day).
You have to try and guess what your family are thinking. But no one wants the pink cow!
Compete to be employee of the month or feel the wrath of boss Rita. You take turns to balance and stack beams, workers, bricks and more without anything tumbling off.
A word based game where you have to shout out words beginning with certain letters. E.g.P is for pizza. Sometimes we play this by calling out the cards if we’re being lazy on the sofa and don’t want to sit around a board. Just call out the option and the first one to answer wins.
The sneaky game where you all get secret objectives to get done during the day without anyone calling you out on it. One of mine was “get someone to correct you for singing a christmas carol wrong” so I made sure I got the words wrong when we sang the 12 days of Christmas. You satisfyingly get to shout “you got got” when you get someone to, unknowingly, help you complete your objecting
Warning: this one is RUDE. You work in teams to act out, mime or draw rude words or sayings. There was something hilarious about Grandpa drawing his foreskin on Christmas eve!
You draw cards and don’t want to pick up an exploding kitten. SImple. Long the way there are cards meaning you can make people pick up more cards, skip a turn etc. to help you.
There are SO many different themed versions of Fluxx zombie, pirate, chemistry, Monty Python. How about a game with no rules. Yet all the rules! In flux you add and change the rules as you go! Starts simple, but madness and fun ensues!
Similar to cards against humanity in how you play this. Each round there is a “doom” card (way you will die) and each player selects a card from their hand to explain how they will dodge death.
You get to point foam guns at each other! You're gangsters who have just completed a heist and are dividing up the loot, you need to bluff your way to getting the most loot.
A very active party game where you have to do different flips or throws of the chicken and hot dog to win.
]]>Natalie Palamides: WEER - on at Soho right now until 30th Nov.
Club Life - Lemon Jelly’s Fred Deakin hosts an immersive joyride through his crazy clubland adventures. On until 24th November at Omnibus Theatre. We’re going this Friday so give us a shout if you are heading there too!
Paulina Lenoir: Puella Eterna - on at Soho from Wednesday 13th - Saturday 16th
Goth Picnic - this Saturday at 2pm.Okay we hold our hands up - we’ve never made it to this and we are insanely jealous. One day our calendars will align and we can go because it looks so damn fun!
Stamptown - 24th Nov at Leicester Square Theatre. This is always stupid. We're taking some friends along, I think one of the joys of Stamptown is taking someone new to it and seeing their reaction
Modern Art - our monthly alt night, tis month's theme is ROBBIE WILLIAMS! Monday 25th at Vaulty Towers
Next Level Sketch - this month's acts are Lorna Rose treen, Joz Norris and Susan Harrison! Wednesday 27th at Hoopla
Alternative Comedy Jam - A bunch of alt comedians doing some fun things (+ Viki's in this) Wednesday 27th in Brighton
Mandeep Singh Presents Singh'ing In The Rain. It’s a silly, joyous, comedy show about cracking on regardless of the circumstances - 28th Nov at Pleasance
]]>Mime, and its cousin physical comedy, are styles that gel with a wide variety of other performance types, such as standup comedy as seen in the award winning Edinburgh Fringe ‘24 show Horses by Elf Lyons. Mime’s embodiment of character types is drawn from the same handbook as our most beloved sitcom characters, and has a silliness as witnessed by Rowan Atkinson playing invisible drums to Britain’s Got Talent winner, Viggo Venn, miming the voice of Simon Cowell. But the path to incorporating these comedy techniques into your work can seem daunting for newcomers. So, I give to you budding mimers, tools to create your own mime show. Check out these tips!
1) Everything has weight.
If the objects you’ve interacted with don’t abide by the laws of gravity, then neither will your show. Expect it, and everyone’s attention, to fly out of the window. They will be both confused and bored.
2) Think cinematically.
It may come as a surprise that the language of cinema is a mime’s best friend. The use of close ups, zoom outs, and edits are great ways to explore how you tell the story and to set up punchlines. If unsure about how to express something with mime, pop on your favourite movie and watch the different shots capture performances! A great example of this can be seen in the brilliant Jurassic-Park-in-one-hour-with-only-two-performers-and-a-foley-artist, Hold Onto Your Butts.Admittedly these guys do use props, but it’s still a great illustrator on how to think and express cinematically.
3) Warm up.
For God’s sake warm up. As a man in his mid-thirties with a mild spine condition, I have the flexibility of an old action man doll whose rubber band insides have rotted away. I spend at least thirty minutes stretching and doing yoga for fear of tweaking a muscle or snapping perfectly in half. Special attention should be given to your hands during the warm-up. After all, they are your greatest mime asset. If you can open and close your hands for the entirety of the song ‘Motorlicker’ by Tobacco, they will be sufficiently warmed up. Feel the burn!
4) The curse of the pinky.
What is a mime's greatest enemy? Weird object resistance? Forgetting where a character was on stage? Accidentally walking through a mime table? People insisting you pretend to be stuck in a glass box? All bad (though the table is fine if you’re miming as a ghost) though it is in fact... your little finger. This reckless focus puller breaks the hearts of mimes all over the globe. It can destroy entire scenes through its unbridled love of refusing to do what you tell it. Gasp in amazement as the mime builds an entire sequence filled with endearing characters, detailed prop work and captivating storytelling, only for it to be instantly ruined when your horrible little digit pokes out at a weird angle. And, let’s be clear, everyone will immediately look at it. For ages. Thanks pinky finger. You total and utter git.The solution? Tape your third finger and pinky together to help your awareness of it. Failing that, cut it off and throw it out your bedroom window.
5) I didn’t expect that!
The beauty of everything being invisible is that you can create anything you want, toy with expectation and with this enjoy playing with the audience. If you have music in your scene, have the character hear it, then press a switch to turn it off! Why not go further and then let the audience turn it back on. There is a game and tempo to the play that can exist here between audience, performer and imagination which has endless possibilities. Honesty, just think of what you can have on stage that you wouldn't normal be able to if it wasn't mimed. Also it helps your set be a lot smaller, in my show Hølìdåÿ my show only requires the following: an mp3, two chairs, a patient technician, one performer, an audience and an envelope. And yes, to all the purists out there I know it can be argued that the envelope is overkill. I’m still on the invisible fence about it. But for now it stays.
So follow these tips, get those hands warmed up, remember the pinky, and allow your audience to dream! Want to experience this and more? I’m teaching a full day of physical comedy training on 18th November! Come and learn how to bring an exciting physicality to your work through characterisation, tension and visual vernacular!
]]>We begin to dwell on moments when our ideas didn’t pan out. Have you ever suggested something in a work meeting, only for it to fall flat? It’s easy to start second-guessing yourself the next time you have an idea. Or maybe you shared a new suggestion with friends, but it didn’t take off as you hoped. These experiences can chip away at our confidence, making us more cautious and less willing to explore, share, or try new things.
Playfulness allows creativity to thrive. To be playful means being in the moment, not worrying about the outcome, and enjoying the process. It’s about embracing mistakes and using them as stepping stones for exploration. It’s just like John Cleese said: “If you are going to be creative, you have to be in a state of play. And you can't play if you're being careful. If you're trying not to make mistakes, it destroys creativity completely!”
Did you know that X-rays, penicillin, and microwaves were all discovered by mistake? These groundbreaking inventions are proof that creativity and progress often come from the unexpected. Mistakes are not setbacks; they’re opportunities for discovery.
As someone who gets hung up on things not going to plan, I know how difficult it can be to embrace mistakes. For me, training in clowning and improv helped me with this immensely. It taught me to speak up in meetings, suggest ideas, and move on when they didn’t land (spoiler: not every idea will be a winner! And actually sometimes it’s good to suggest terrible ideas in a creative process, but that’s another post for another time). That’s why I designed the Making Happy Mistakes workshop—as a way I can give this learning to other.
The fear of failure holds us back because we care too much about what people will think if they see us fail. But we shouldn’t. We should embrace our mistakes, learn from them, and celebrate having the courage to try.
In the workshop, we play exercises and games in a supportive environment which are all designed to make us fail. We celebrate those failures. When do you ever have permission to fail? It’s rewarding to see people open up during the session. By the end, everyone is confidently playing games they know they’ll mess up, and it’s so freeing! Embracing mistakes makes you more creative, resilient, and ultimately happier.
]]>Play can be spontaneous or planned, competitive or cooperative, but in every case, it’s about being fully engaged in the moment, open to the joy of the process rather than the pressure of the outcome. It’s that mental state where you lose track of time, stop worrying about what others think, and allow yourself to experiment freely.
Some activities may initially sound playful, but it depends on the attitude you take to them. Let’s use rugby as our example. Whether you’re playing a casual game in the park or playing as a professional, the physical actions might be the same, but the experience of play could be different. The key isn’t whether you’re paid for it, but whether you’re engaging with it in a way that feels open, joyful, and exploratory. When you’re focused entirely on winning, playing becomes more about the outcome; driven by performance and external rewards. However, when you allow yourself to enjoy the process, experiment, and have fun with no concern for success or failure, that's the true spirit of play.
I see this in our workshops, when people stop worrying about getting things right and instead focus on having fun in the moment, they experience the magic of play. The play academics back up this thinking, they agree that play involves focus on the present and a “suspension of self-consciousness”. From an outside view we’re still doing the same activities but it’s looser, more enjoyable and has a different energy - playfulness.
Other activities don’t initially sound playful but again, it depends on your approach. Painting or walking or even exercising. If you take yourself too seriously and are so focussed on the end result it becomes stressful and not an enjoyable process. Approaching something with a sense of discovery and play keeps things fresh and light.
When I asked about play on social media (thank you everyone who responded), three themes stood out: freedom, non-judgment, and fun. These elements form the foundation for play to truly thrive. Try using them as a filter when approaching any activity: Can you let go of judgement, find more freedom, or infuse some fun?”
For a pure sense of play just look at a child playing. They’re immersed in the experience, caring more about this than the end result. They make mud-pies in the rain, draw endless crayon doodles for the sake of mark making, cook up dishes in their make believe kitchen all with a sense of wonder. They aren’t constrained by past experience or knowledge and their creativity and imagination can thrive. Who really knows that aeroplanes aren't held up by birds? Or a rubber doesn't turn back time to before you made that spelling mistake? Or even that a toaster is just a trading platform where gremlins swap your bread for toast. Anything is possible when you play like a child.
As adults it can be easy to lose touch with play. We get caught up with all our adult thinking and responsibilities, we jump from deadline to deadline, chore to chore and pick up stresses along the way. Embracing play, even in small ways, rekindles creativity, releases stress, and can help us feel more connected to ourselves and others. Next time you’re on your commute, tidying the house or taking a squeezed lunch break, ask yourself - can I make this more light hearted and curious? Playfulness is there waiting for you.
]]>Saturday 19th
Elf Lyons: House of Horrors at Rhyme and Ruse
Here’s Elf! Join cult comedy creature Elf Lyons for a unique evening of bouffon and gruesome tales of terror. Celebrate all things terrifying with mime, clowning, and storytelling guaranteed to make your blood run cold.
Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th:
A Haunted House at the Old Red Lion Theatre
A Haunted House is a hysterical, terrifying and surreal tale, about one hair-raising night in a haunted house. Merging mime, physical comedy and sound design this show is a must for fans of horror and comedy alike! By David Hoskin.
Tuesday 22nd:
Modern Art at Vaulty Towers
We accidentally forgot to lock the portal to the underworld in last month's show. Oops. Halloween month was clearly not the time to do this and we’re hearing that the basement of Vaulty Towers has been filled with demons, spirits and ghouls. Get ready for an night of alt comedy featuring: Josh Invain, Bernard Guff, Tamzin Rafnm, Michael Brunström and Viki Jackson (MC)
Saturday 26th:
Improv The Dead at Brighton HorrorFest
Using audience suggestions, Improv the Dead conjure up a spontaneous zombie flick right before your eyes, complete with thrills, chills, gut-busting laughs, and fake blood.
Tuesday 29th:
Local Ha! Ha! Lounge - Ha! Ha! Halloween Special at The World's End
Hosted by the formidable Josh Glanc (@joshglanc - as seen on TV!) with live music by Jeff (@jefftheeagleman). Come for the laughter, stay for the after! Good music, great beer and spooky entertainment. Featuring: Jazz Emu, Rob Copland, Frankie Thompson, Steffen Hånes, Katia Kvinge and Pravanya Pillay
Thursday 31st:
Improv The Dead at Croydon Fringe
Shuffle this way for the greatest zombie flick you've never seen, as Improv the Dead use your suggestions to tell a spontaneously savage tale of the undead! You decide who lives, dies, and un-dies in this thrillingly silly, bloodily bonkers, entirely made up show!
Knickers Halloween Spooktacular Cabaret at The Crypt, St Giles' Church, Camberwell
Knickers Cabaret hosts a range of funny folk; from stand-ups to drag artists, from clowns to musical comedians, there truly is something for everyone! Featuring: Rosie Yadid, Mikey Bligh-Smith, Mitzi Fitz, Jen Ives, Jonathan Oldfield, Curly, Verity Sharpe (MC) and Planet Mina (DJ)
Haus of Intrusive Thots at The Yard Theatre
This Halloween, come to see Haus of Intrusive Thots deliver their most ambitious, daring and freak-tastic night of performances yet, in their mixed bill drag show MIDNIGHT FREAKS, featuring performances across drag, burlesque, clown and more as well as DJ sets from kitsch collective Unicorn Baby Slay.
If you aren't spooked out by now then Viki is hosting a Spooky Shinanigans workshop at The Fun Fed on 5th November. She'll be hosting lots of spooky fun and games.
Have we missed any? Add any other show's you recommend in the comments below!
]]>https://youtube.com/shorts/cfxJiE2FpyM?feature=share
In clowning everything we do is about finding the fun, what am I and the audience enjoying, and how do I do more of that. It’s about releasing your inner fool, that cheeky little child inside us that just wants to play and share that enjoyment with the world.
When you practise this in class and on stage, you end up embodying more and more of these traits in your non-clown life. You start noticing more patterns and silly games to play in everyday life. And repeating more of the little moments that bring you and your friends joy.
An overly serious life can be hard to enjoy. And it’s all too easy to fall into. Going to clown class on a Tuesday evening after work or a weekend intensive helps you to remember that life can be fun, silly and not so serious.
When we start clowning we often try to do it right, understand the “rules” and tell ourselves off for getting things wrong. But that’s not really in the clown spirit, instead you’ll get used to the freeing nature of a clown class, playfully breaking the rules and indulging in the ridiculousness of what’s happening.
Clown comedy is normally very physical and active (although it doesn’t have to be). It’s a great hobby away from the pub of TV that gets you moving, collaborating, creating and laughing.
It’s essentially a low intensity clown gym… This should be our next project!!! Clownercise? Clown Gym? Cloga? Hmmm, we’ll keep working on it.
Too often we chastise ourselves for getting things wrong, to a point where it stops us from fully embracing what we’re doing and pushing ourselves. In clown, we have to fail… a lot. But failure is one of our goals! Every clown failure is an opportunity to connect with the audience, to realise what doesn’t work and try something new. Clown whoopsies can be funny and pave the way for greater success later. Sometimes the failure/ mistake becomes the success by accident! But we only got there by trying hard enough to fail in the first place.
The clown spirit is often the eagerness of “this time it will work, this time, this time!”
The longer you clown the less you beat yourself up about making mistakes in many aspects of your life. You still recognise a need to change and improve, but you don’t let it hold you back, and can actually enjoy those moments!
A successful clown is a mindful clown.
Clowning is about listening to the audience and reacting to what they and you enjoy (Audience Sensitivity). To do this we have to be present. Existing right in the moment, doing the next thing, seeing how the audience react, and adjust accordingly. When your head is in past failures or future plans of the set/ bit then you drop the ball on the most important aspect (right here, right now 🎶).
When you embrace clowning you’ll be in the flow zone baby, and it feels wonderful.
Clowns do silly things, see if the audience enjoy it and then:
1. Do it again/ develop the bit 2. Or try something new/ go back to something that worked if they didn’t like it
That’s pretty much it. But to do that, you have to know what the audience think. Not what you think about your “great” idea. Did they actually laugh? Or was it just a pity titter (I enjoyed writing that way too much)? Your clown teacher (or a recording of your set) should make it very clear to you which is which.
Understanding the audience is understanding people, so the more you clown the better your emotional intelligence 🙌
Clown comedy is often more physical than a lot of other forms of comedy and tends to be less verbal as well (it absolutely doesn’t have to be, but training will get you practising more like this).
As such, we have to convey intent, goals, emotions and more, in less traditional ways than outside of performing. Whether it’s through costumes, exaggerated movements or subtle looks and expressions we start increasing our repertoire of communication tools.
All this improves how you communicate when you're not clowning (WARNING! Although once you clowning, I don't think you ever really stop!?). Whether through better awareness of your movement and how the audience are reacting to that or just miming out your entire 50 min presentation on Sustainable Agriculture in Temperate Environments with Q&A. Clowning is sure to help 😜
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Lastly as a bonus, it’s pretty fun too 🙌
See ya at our next class!
]]>1. Play helps lower cortisol (stress) levels and increases endorphins (happy chemicals); it gives the mind a break from worrying about all its ‘adult’ worries.
2. Play encourages divergent thinking which fuels creativity. It encourages you to explore new possibilities and problem solve in a fun way. Focusing on a play task can give your mind a rest from thinking about another issue, this rest can end up helping to solve that issue.
3. Play helps form stronger bonds with others. There’s a reason a work away day will put in some ice breaker games (although spoiler, they don’t all have to be forced fun, cringe games).
4. Play breaks our minds out of their thinking patterns. Play is a form of mindfulness - we're in the moment and the only thing we can think about is if we will catch the ball (of fire!) or be able to make that jump across a puddle (aka the alligator infested lake) or be found hiding in the laundry cupboard (by the evil witch!)
5. Play is fun! Kids spend hours playing for the sake of play, without needing an outcome or a reason to play except to just play. Ever made a mud pie on a rainy day? What’s the point of that? Fun and enjoyment - and that’s a good enough reason.
In our play workshops, we play lots of games for the fun of it. There’s often no competitive element, mistakes are celebrated and everyone is bonded together for the pure aim of having fun. You don’t need to come along to a workshop to play, take yourself on a playdate right now. You can head out to a park and see how many times you can keep a ball in the air, or make up a story with a friend each saying one word at a time, or look up at the clouds and see what animals you can make out of them. How are you going to play today?
]]>So here you go, in no particular order, here's my recommendations for comedy / clown / improv/ alternative comedy / all round fun shows to see (or watch out for) at this year's Fringe...
Garry Starr: Classic Penguins: Aug 8-13, 15-20, 22-26 at 20:30
Elf Lyons: Horses Aug 7-12, 14-26 at 21:20
Shoot From the Hip: Aug 7-11 at 14:55
Stamptown: Aug 15-17, 22-24 at 23:30
Lil Wenker: BANGTAIL: Aug 7-11, 13-25 at 16:15
Dan Wye Am I Sam Smith? Aug 7-10, 12-17, 19-25 at 21:55
Paulina Lenoir: Puella Eterna: Aug 7-11, 13-18, 20-25 at 22:00
Luke Rollason, Luke Rollason, Let Down Your Hair: Aug 7-12, 14-25 at 19:10
Knight, Knight Aug 7-11, 13-18, 20-26 at 20:50
David Hoskin: A HAUNTED HOUSE (WIP): Aug 14-25 at 4:15
Reuben Kaye: Live and Intimidating Aug 7-11, 14-18, 21-25 at 20:05
Lorna Rose Treen: Work in Progress Aug 15-22 at 21:45
Joe Kent-Walters is Frankie Monroe: LIVE!!! Aug 7-13, 15-25 at 23:25
Natalie Palamides: WEER Aug 7-11, 13-18, 20-25 at 21:30
Michael Kunze: Infinity Mirror: Aug 7-11, 13-25 at 12:55
Furiozo: Man Looking for Trouble: Aug 8-11, 13-18, 20-25 at 21:40
Mandeep Singh Presents Singh'ing in the Rain: Aug 8-25 at 12:00
Gerry Carroll: Light: Aug 8-10, 12-17, 19-24 at 11:00
Jack Tucker: Comedy Standup Hour: Aug 21 at 23:00
Steffen Haanes: The Master: Aug 13-18, 20-25 at 20:35
CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation: Aug 7-25 at 15:10
Anna Soden: It Comes Out Your Bum (WIP): Aug 12-14 at 18:25
Dru Cripps: Druniversal Credit: Aug 7-12 at 19:55
Fellanies: Say Ur Prayers (a bit): Aug 12-14 at 19:30
Giant Steps: Aug 7-11 at 17:00
There's so many amazing shows on this Fringe. Let us know in the comments below any we're missing out on!
]]>The night took a trip through a typical festival weekend as Viki and Charlie acted out aspects of the festivals including some audience suggested dance moves, how to navigate the tricky portaloos and an world class guitar solo.
The night opened at the food stalls with Captain Breadbeard providing the snacks before we headed to a top secret guest of the Foo Fighters, Emma Rose Davies! Next up we had a laze in the afternoon sun as we watched Jo Sherwood give us a big reveal.
Headlining night 1 of our festival was Chris Ryan who took us on a trip of a lifetime. Day two opened with a strict word from Nick Adamson before we got back to basics, real basics, with Eric in the kids area. We discovered a secret stage inside a portaloo with Ally O'Leary who took us down under. The headlining the second night (half) we had Josh InVain who had a little help from a fox and we all ended up dancing in the moonlight.
A true festival! Join us again next month (17th July) when we celebrate our first birthday - tickets and details here.
]]>After performing Theatresports for three years we wanted a new format, something with more scenes. We enjoyed the fake microphone props and outfits we had during our Camden Fringe show last August so wanted more props. But nothing that would end up as a gimmick, taking away from the improv.
With any show, it's important to ask if something is needed or if it detracts from what you are trying to achieve.
The format we created is Scenes From A Hat, With Hats. The “scenes from a hat” format has been around for years, you simply ask audience to write down suggestions for scenes they'd like to see before the show, then pop them in a hat and throughout the show you read them off, perform a scene and repeat. Simple. But we wanted more! So we added “With Hats”. Meaning our scenes involved hats. Lots of hats. In fact, four hat stands full of hats. The hats have the ability to elevate character choices as well as the opportunity to play with recognisable characters in strange places.
You don't need to do the set up of playing a Santa character if you are wearing a Santa hat, the audience already have their assumptions about them so you can jump right into the scene.
We experimented with different types of hats, thinking about the different types of characters that can be played with a single hat. For example a fedora leading to a film noir style or a fashion influencer whilst a black baseball cap could be a security guard, a street thug or a teenager. We also experimented with subverting expectations of characters and not playing the obvious stereotypes so we had an elf who wanted a gift of their own. We also begun playing with how the hats could appear as other objects in scenes such as puppets.
As we developed our hour long show, we added in some short form games involving hats. These were added so we could introduce the audience to the idea of improv as well as how hats were being used in the show. They gave us the ability to use a lot of the hats at once, discover interesting characters and get the audience settled into the weird and wonderful worlds we create. The games we adapted to suit hats were:
Pan Left - four improvisers stand in a square formation with the two at the front performing a scene. When the “conductor” says Pan Left, they all take a step to the left to rotate the square. To begin, the improvisor was given a hat at random by other improvisers and the audience suggested a location where you may see two people in their specific hats.
Swap - three improvisors select a hat and the audience suggests where the scene takes place. Each time the conductor says Swap, they switch places and take on the hat and character the other improvisers was doing. This game is lead by big and bold character choices and ends up very chaotic.
Job Interview - The audience suggests a job we are interviewing for. One by one an improvisor has a short interview with the interviewer and their character is dictated by the hat they are wearing.
The improv is the most important part of the show, if you can’t see a hat to suit your character or scene, don’t use a hat
Take your time, you don’t need to run and grab a hat and deliver your fantastic line at super speed
Some things work with the added hats, some done. You can’t just put a hat into every improv game
Abbi Cole opened after which we had a trivia round where the audience won with their knowledge of Abbi's set! Alessandor Earnst was up next to do nothing. Literally. Followed by Lawrence who played about with everything he could find on stage and had us kicking off our shoes to dance about. As footwear was replaced we heard from Toussaint who gave us some home truths.
After the interval we heard about Isaac's fears of AI. Mr Dice then excitedly launched into a surprise mystery round with an Uno Reverse card calling back a previous act. Alessandor Earnst took the stage with a toothbrush. Finally we had Tawny Owl to bring us back down to earth with a french rap.
In between acts team sharks were taking on Pokemon with questions and challenges being decided by the rolls of Mr Dice (who got extremely dizzy throughout the show). The Sharks were crowned champions of the night after they took the lead during the final double points round - sorry "Ash"!
]]>You've seen him teaching our physicality workshops, David's show is a beautiful, hysterical and surrealist tale of one man's attempt to travel around the world. 25th May at 4.30pm.
A feel good comedy hour with lots of fun characters, songs and silly! Catch it on 11th & 18th May 4.15pm.
You may have seen Katie on the stage of Modern Art, now she's got a split bill with Caroline. Catch Hello Treacle on 18th and 19th May at 1.45pm.
Geri frequented the Modern Art stage last year and now she's off to the seaside to find love. An old lady joins Tinder - what more do you need? Catch this clown and character comedy show on 15th - 17th May 9.15pm.
We saw the WIP of this a few weeks back and loved it. Be prepared for nudity at it's best (is that a saying?) as we save all the penguins, the Garry Starr way! 24th & 25th May 8.30pm.
An energetic and fun improv team from the London scene, Gämez are creating TV shows based off audience suggestions. 4th & 5th May 8pm.
Another frequenter of the Modern Art stage, Cam takes you on a journey through space to meet all the planets. 28th, 29th, 30th May 6.15pm
You may have seen Stephen covered in honey (also on the Modern Art stage, okay a lot of these recommendations have been at Modern Art but what can we say, we know a good act!). 18th May 9.15pm and 25th May at 7.45pm.
Expect characters, costumes, music and an existential crisis. Chris is a character comedian and, yep you guessed it, has performed and Modern Art before. May 25th - 27th and 1st & 2nd June 1.45pm.
We caught this show in Edinburgh last year and loved it. Expect LOTS of characters. 11th May 3.15pm, 18th May 2pm, 1st June 5.45pm.
Meet an exhausting paper straw, a desperate electric scooter and a teeny tiny sexy little airpod among others in an hour of silliness that might make you look at the world a little differently. 25th & 26th May 3.30pm.
Gerry is an absolute gem! His show travels through his life story with clown, song and dance. We've seen his previous shows at Edinburgh Fringe and they leave you feeling great! 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th May and 2nd June at 1pm.
Get ready for an array of retro socially awkward headstrong female characters. Bex has appears on the Modern Art stage before and given us a glimpse into some of these and their wit will have you giggling away. 20th - 24th May at 7.15pm and 25th May at 3.45pm.
Improv crime! A fully improvised murder mystery where you get to pick who you think did it. 11th May at 3.30pm and 6pm, 1st June at 3.30 and 6pm.
We’ve heard lots about this show and it's had sell out runs at Edinburgh Fringe and Soho Theatre so go and check it out! 23rd - 25th May 6.30pm.
]]>In an attempt to fit in all of Shakeeeepeare's favourite theatre we kicked off with some magic from Adam B, which was followed by a song from Katie Handley. Then Hannah Lloyd-Davies told us how Shakespeare got his beard before Cerys O'Connell reenacted a Shakespeare play for us!
Kitchen Man gave us a tour of the kitchen in Shakespeare's times, Halima cleaned up before a Caliban-esque monster in the form of David Hoskin gave us the silent treatment. Finally, Karisma came along to do some witchcraft with her tarot readings.
Modern Art is a regular night in London. Follow Modern Art on Instagram to keep up to date and if you’d like to perform with us then head here and fill in the form.
]]>Ohh Baby! was written by our fellow performer (and copywriter by day) Lily Smith, who was inspired by stories of kids’ experiences during lockdown. It tells the tale of imaginary friend Barnsley, who was sent out into the Real World before they could find an imagination to live inside.
Out in the Real World, Lily is far too busy to think about imaginary friends. Will she ever learn to use her imagination? Will Barnsley ever find a friend? And who the heck is Spanglejoy Cosypants?
Ohh Baby! isn’t just a fun phrase to say out loud. It’s a giggle-tastic, gently surreal extravaganza about the quest for true friendship, and the power of imagination.
We were excited to perform our first WIP show in April 2024 to a full house of kids and parents at Hoopla Theatre in London Bridge – you can see our happy faces in the show photos below. Afterwards we collected some delightful feedback from our audience like this:
“It reminded me of my imaginary friend who’s an orange velociraptor”, Tessa, (age 6)
And this:
“My son is still talking about Barnsley’s pickles – the legend continues!” Iona, mum of Ned (age 8)
Now we’re polishing up our puppets and developing the show further, ready for new and improved performances of Ohh Baby! later this year. If you’d like to know more, please sign up to our mailing list - or drop us an email specifically as we love to hear from you!
All our props and puppets are homemade, and wherever possible we used second hand or recycled materials. We were keen to give everything a simple, handmade feel to keep our costs and scene changes to a minimum – and to emphasise the power of imagination.
Ohh, Baby! wouldn’t be possible without our talented cast and crew – thanks to them all for building the Fantastic Friend Factory with us.
Viki Jackson as Janine and Peter Peppercorn
Charlie Jackson as Spanglejoy Cosypants, Mister Whiskers and Thatcher
Tim Dawkins as Keith the Accountant, Professor Scientist and the Anti-Thatcher Announcer
Darren Jordan as Barnsley
Angela Pollard as Cathy Chicken and Mama Puppet
Lily Smith as Lily
Blair Granville as Chef Lunigiana and Saturn
Will Dixon on live underscoring
Phoebe Kozinets on tech
Sugar Daddy professed his love for all things sweet through the medium of diagrams and song. Shoes and Socks had an egg and spoon bonanza, before Ollie West closed the first half by taking us on a journey to prehistoric times.
Leslie Bloom opened the second half with an ode to those we'd lost this year through Parkour related injuries. Before Miro wanted to make sure we understood him (and his muscles) Sir Bob Gelding then delighted us with their equestrian pursuits before Leslie Ewing Burgess brought us home with a Memento to Memento (2000).
Josh InVain handled MCing duties only occasionally interrupted by "ex professional semi professional footballer" Willy Windass.
Modern Art is a regular night in London. Follow Modern Art on Instagram to keep up to date and if you’d like to perform with us then head here and fill in the form.
]]>Weee!
Flying through the air, limbs flailing, he resembles an inflatable tube dancer you see at petrol stations or at a rodeo with problematic flags. Our hapless commuter crashes to earth, landing square on his branded rucksack, dazzled and tortoise-like. After a moment he turns over and coyly unzips it checking for damage through gritted, invisaligned teeth. Thankfully the Huel shaker bottle is unharmed, and not a single drop of the beige astronaut sludge has leaked onto his Steven Bartlett autobiography. What. A. Relief. He checks the time, he will still make his train. He slugs from the adult sippy cup.
“Mmm pea protein” he whispers to a plastic bag blowing across the street, which is in actual fact a man sleeping rough returning to his doorway, though our commuter does not have time to recognise this. In a flash he’s up and heading towards the platform.
But unbeknownst to him, his trousers have ripped clean open from the fall and with each step his soft little arse is appearing then disappearing from out of a prospector style bum-flap. As he struts in the early morning light the other commuters are forced to double take as they catch sight of his pallid cheeks intermittently coming into view, peering out at the world like a naughty pug dog, desperate for a spoon of pedigree chum.
Our commuter, none the wiser, boards the train and punches the air. He sits and sups his Huel like the total legend he is.
Now I know this hard hitting piece of socio-realist drama isn’t exactly revelatory content, but we, dare I say (I dare, I say), do like it. Quite a lot. The thought of this man falling over and ripping open his trousers feels good. But why? Why is this physical loss of control something which brings us joy and makes us laugh? The dusting of Schadenfreude obviously rings, and the sight of a bare bottom will never not be funny. Unless of course you’re in prison. Or frigid. But my suspicion is that in our scenario there’s more at play than someone who’s a bit of a bellend being taken down a peg (a metaphor, not a sex thing).
I’ve found physical comedy fascinating ever since I was little. Etched into my mind I can still see Rowan Atkinson hopping about on one leg wearing a sack on his head in Blackadder, or Julia Davies pole dancing at a wake in Nighty Night. These moments are as clear now as they were the first time I watched them. They had me bent double and howling with laughter more so than any of the written jokes. Physical comedy, if done right, can land its punches in a place that is gut wrenchingly hilarious. It hits a sweet spot somewhere between fight or flight, if you will a sort of ‘nervous system no mans land’, but not harrowing and full of grenades like an actual no mans land. For me its the pinnacle of humour, and what I strive for in my comedy, to produce that visceral, almost uncontrollable belly laugh for audiences. Ultimately I want to give back to others that special feeling I got from comedy all those years ago.
Physical comedy reminds us of our fallibility, our humanity and how even meaning itself is something we overlay on life, not necessarily the other way round. Because when we fall over, for a split second everything we understood unspools, control has been lost for a brief but integral moment. Then, providing we’re not actually hurt, it quickly re-spools back in, leaving us stunned but ultimately laughing.
All people by some degree encounter the puzzle of expectation, our physicality clashing with a world that doesn’t always work the way we anticipate it to. Top surgeons have bumped their heads whilst they give life saving operations, stoic monks have struggled to open doors for important rituals, I mean even the King had a right mare with his pen not so long ago, didn’t he? To me it’s beyond hilarious that a species which has created the internet and travelled to the moon, has also created a show like Takeshi’s Castle (which incidentally fewer people have won than landed on the lunar surface), which openly revels in the failed interplay of the world and body. I believe there’s something important happening when we watch a Japanese businessman get squashed by a giant polystyrene boulder. We connect to something which makes us human, that and the fact Japanese game show writers may well be psychopaths.
Physical comedy exposes how we are at constant odds with the world around us, no matter who we are or where we have come from. It tells us a truth, that life is a fragile balancing act where it takes only one perfectly placed banana peel to upend everything we knew it to be. It isn’t intellectual, needing an academic backbone to understand, merely delighting us viscerally, and exuding purity in the universality. I sometimes think of physical comedy as being more like a magic trick than ‘comedy bit’. It employs misdirection, manipulation of expectation, and things disappearing and re-appearing unexpectedly. We imagine objects behaving in surprising ways, though instead of a top hat and rabbit, it’s the human body falling off what you thought was a really solid chair.
There is a delightful re-embracing of physical comedy in live performance occurring right now. Mischief Theatre goes from strength to strength, Noises Off is playing for about the six hundredth time in the west end, and it’s common to see professional performers such as Nathalie Palamides, Bill O’Neil, Trygve Wakenshaw, Frankie Thompson and Elf Lyons, engorging their comedy with slapstick, mime, lip-synching and dance. I feel confident to say we will see this trend continuing over the coming years, and entertainment will be all the better for it.
If I am over stating the importance of all this, of someone misjudging their seat, whilst holding two pints, a packet of crisps dangling from their mouth, and collapsing in slow-motion underneath a wooden pub garden bench, getting soaked in beer, then being chased down the road by wasps, I don’t care. Because regardless of whether my uncle Gary deserved this humiliation (biiig racist, he did), the comedy does something which extends beyond the moral standings regarding ‘Gary “doing an accent” whilst on holiday to Turkey’. Though his wife has now left him, so think before you open your trap next time Gary.
Physical comedy asks us to embrace the shared sense of bewilderment from a world which is often overwhelming, confusing and unkind. It invites us to laugh and marvel at it in equal measure, though perhaps most importantly, it reminds us not to take ourselves too bloody seriously. Because, after all, you’re only ever a few steps away from a personal ripped trouser moment.
]]>The night kicked off with Josh InVain giving some safety advice for kids - don't pretend to be a gas engineer! This was swiftly followed by our dog detective, Lilla Multipass who sniffed out a naughty boy. Jen Zheng was up next and showed us what AI really thinks of her. Then we had LJ DA Funk who put his GCSE Spanish to good use with his overview of Dora the Explorer.
Scott Oswald opened the second half with an excellent Phil Mitchel impression. Then we heard about the woes of Cindy in the form of Susan Harrison. Verity Sharpe read us some sweet poetry and French impressionism. We ended with Jonathan Oldfield who told us all about what it was like back in his day and gave us a little song.
The night was MC'd by Viki Jackson and we had a very special guest appearance from Tony, the foul mouthed puppet who severely regrets his time on Sesame Street.
Modern Art is a regular night in London. Follow Modern Art on Instagram to keep up to date and if you’d like to perform with us then head here and fill in the form.
]]>The listening skills I learnt have impacted both my personal and professional relationships. The ability to listen actively, adapt, and collaborate (without ego) can improve communication, team dynamics and problem-solving abilities. Not to mention, make you feel good to be contributing positively to conversations and making you feel like a nicer human!
In improv, listening is key to a scene. You don’t want to be replying and complete missing what was really being said and spinning the conversation off into a different direction. The audience will spot it and that doesn’t make for a good scene. Listening is about good collaboration, the Yes And of improv where you are building on what your partner is offering you. Also, if you aren’t listening to a conversation, you aren’t really 100% taking part in it and that’s not fair to you partner. Funnily enough, all of this maps back to everyday conversations too.
So, listening is important. Great... how can I improve? Well have a go at these exercises below and come along to my next mindful workshop on 15th Feb!
Have a conversation with someone but before you can reply, you need to repeat the last sentence of what they have just said. For example:
Person A: I’ve like to get a coffee from the cafe. I’m just going to cross the road.
Person B: You’re just going to cross the road. Okay, I’ll come too. Would you mind if we got it to go? I’d like to get to the library before it shuts.
Person A: You’d like to get to the library before it shuts. Me too! Let’s get them to go.
Taking the time to repeat back the last thing the person says helps you process what’s being said. This might be a bit awkward outside of a workshop context but you could do the second step of this exercise instead, which is to repeat their last sentence in your head rather than out loud. This leads nicely onto to my next exercise:
Before responding to someone, take a moment to pause. As with the exercise above, this pause gives you the chance to fully process what they’ve just said. It also gives the person the opportunity to add to their point as well, proving that you weren’t just waiting for a gap to jump in and say your thing.
Next time you’re in conversation with a friend practice active listening. Active listening is not just listening to what's being said, it's picking up on body language and how you own body responds. It can involve maintaining eye contact, nodding to relevant points, avoiding interruption and giving feedback by paraphrasing what you’ve head or asking questions about specifics.
In improv we can practice active listening by how we use our body in our non-verbal reactions. For example if you are washing the dishes, you might start really scrubbing them to let off some anger if your partner is saying something difficult to you. This can add more comedy to a scene, especially if someone isn’t verbally saying how angry they are. Although, maybe keep that one to an improv scene rather than smashing up plates at home!
Mediation can also help with listening. The act of meditation brings you into the present moment and focusses on the here and now without getting distracted with other thoughts. This help us become better at listening as we’re able to focus more on what’s being said rather than wondering what to have for dinner. Meditation can be tricky to start but once you’ve given it a few sessions of practice it can improve. Saying that, some days will be harder than others but in meditation that’s okay too! If you want to try it out we’d recommend the Calm app (there’s a free trial) and their 10 minute daily calm sessions.
]]>Anyway, it's good to break out of the same characters if you are feeling stuck. For this I like to use a few of the following exercises to cleanse my character palette. These can be used in improv as well as character and clown comedy.
This is a fast and furious way of discovering new characters. This is where you stand and start a scene (alone) or a monologue as a character. Someone will call "change" at random times and when they do, you drop the character and start a new scene. It doesn't matter what you are talking about in the scene, or any object work. The point of this exercise is to break into new characters.
For the best results I like to do this with someone who knows me and my characters calling change as they can spot which ones are too similar to what I are playing already and push me out of your comfort zone. I’ve also done this before with my improv team and we note down ones we find interesting for each other then we spend some time building them out and playing in them for a few scenes later on.
This is the classic improv exercise where you walk around the room and let different parts of your body lead. Try leading with your nose or your hips or your hands. Next you can try walking like a banker or a ballerina or like your best friend. It all means different things to different people but taking a moment to clock how you are feeling in that walk can give you an idea of the character and their desires.
Don't get caught doing this one! When you're walking down the street, notice how the person in front of you is walking. Do they have a swagger, a bounce in their step, are they looking down? See if you can take on their walk and think about how it makes you feel. This is similar to the walk about exercise except you've got the inspiration in front of you. You can guess who they are, where they're going, what their favourite sandwich filling is. Whatever you guess is right because you'll likely never find out the real answer.
This one is a little more heady and a bit less improv. It's good for clown or character comedy but I don't see why you couldn't use it to build up some background improv characters to seep into your subconscious. Pick an occupation or person (famous or someone you know). Then answer a few questions about them which will help you build out a new character and understand their point of view of the world. Questions could be: where do you live? What's your first memory? Why do you do what you do? Have you experienced love? Where do you want to go on holiday? What do you think of Disney films? Would you prefer shoes or trainers? How often do you wash? What's your favourite condiment?
That’s some of my favourite character exercises but how do you like building your characters? What are your favourite characters you've played? Let us know in the comments below!
Fancy learning more about creating characters? Sign up to our mailing list to know when we next run our character classes.
]]>The night opened with an amazing Amy Slevin’s acrobatic dance. Next up we welcomed our composer, Giovanni Trousers aka Charlie Jackson. Then it was time for a villain - Karen Karenson aka Stefan Harvey. Josh InVain took the stage next as our resident clown. The second half started with our traditional raffle and some classic panto shouting of he’s behind you as Chris East crept onto the stage. Our heroes, Jack and Zoe performed some very serious acting for us too. Pantomimes are places for all the family and we made sure we included our elders with our headlining act, Geri from Only Grans! The night was MC’d Viki Jackson.
Modern Art is a regular night in London. Follow Modern Art on Instagram to keep up to date and if you’d like to perform with us then head here and fill in the form.
]]>After a busy day, sometimes the last thing I wanted to do was go out to a basement of a pub and do something I wasn’t 100% confident in. But it got easier as the gig numbers increased.
My energy was the main contender for if a gig was good or not. As my set was a high energy, enthusiastic character some days I had to really push myself to get into it. Again, as I worked through the gigs this became easier to switch into. I learnt a few "hacks" to get me in the mood (more on that in another post).
When you start off in stand-up you book "bringer gigs". People want to go and see comedians they know will make them laugh so newbie stand-ups need to make their own audience - other people performing that night plus the one friend everyone has to bring.This means the laughs can be distracted if someone is thinking about their set during yours. It's a different headspace to be watching a gig as a human vs watching a gig as a comic - you are more analytical so it’s harder to get you laughing. Although on the other hand, it may also mean you may be laughing a bit more vocally to be encouraging. Either way it's hard to tell if it's an authentic laugh and if the material is landing right. That's all before we get to the point about how hard it is to drag your friends along to your gigs, if you want to even show your set to friends in the first place. Side note: there are bringer swap schemes to help with this example here.
A MCs job is to warm up the room. And to reset the room if a set has gone badly. I've been to some nights where the room feels flat, no one is laughing. In fact, I've seen one act bomb (and frankly should have left the stage after the most ridiculously sexist material) and the room turn against the rest of the acts for the rest of the night. Its the MCs job to reset the room after that but at nights like this then MCs may just be starting out themselves so won't have the skilled experience to do so.If the night on a whole is going badly, it's good idea to take a step back, recognise what's happened and take the pressure off yourself and your set.
I'd stepped on stage and delivered the first few lines of my set when I caught eyes with someone in the front row who was not enjoying it. Their body language was negative and they sat glaring at me. My set isn't offensive (unless you don't like house plants?) so it can't have been something I’d done. Maybe they were just having a bad day? I had a split second to choose between my negative brain telling me I'm rubbish or my sensible brain telling me to ignore them. I chose my sensible brain and I decided if my material wasn't going to work, it wasn't going to work. I'd do my set but relax the structure and be a bit more free, a bit more improv. I actually had more fun this way, I dropped the need to recite my lines accurately and played around more. It wasn't my best set. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't great. But I learnt to relax the pressure and gained the experience of an audience member throwing me off - a win in my eyes!
There are so many things that could come into whether a set goes good or bad. Sarah Millican created Millican’s law, an infamous comedy rule, meaning you have until 11am the next day to feel angry or down about a bad gig and then you move on. I like this rule, although I prefer cutting it shorter and giving myself until I go to sleep. After my first ten gigs I kept booking in more gigs. This time switching around my set, how I wrote it and the character I was playing. I reflected on some of the more interesting experiences and decided to keep on going with the gigs for now. If you've found this interesting, I'd love to know in the comments along with any experiences you’ve had too. For now I'll leave you with this ... My top advice: get up there, have fun doing your set and move on once it's done. There's always another gig.
]]>Improv, clown, sketch, stand up… whatever form of comedy it is, the best way to test out if you want to continue is to get out there and gig.
At the start of this year I completed an intensive in stand up comedy. I found the week both enjoyable and stressful. Standing alone on a stage delivering lines is a whole lot more scary than being in an improv team and making stuff up. When the week finished I was in two minds whether stand up was for me so I came up with a plan to test it out in the wild in multiple different settings. I’ve had a couple of people ask me to share it so here goes…
Whilst I wrote this specifically for stand up, you can take the basis of it for any sort of comedy.
Perform ten stand up gigs using the same set.
The set can develop as the gigs go but keep the foundation of the same set so the gigs are comparable against things like atmosphere, how you felt performing, energy levels, order in the night etc. It also means you have a chance to perfect your set as you go rather than trying out lots of different stuff. You can learn the lines and concentrate on delivery.
After each set, give it a rating out of ten.
Do this on instinct and don't question it. The rating should be the first number that pops into your head and is roughly based on how it felt, if it was fun to perform, if the audience enjoyed you.
After the gig put the score and any notes in a spreadsheet.
Notes could include: “I was first on and the room wasn’t warm”, “I was super excited and it went great!”, “I forgot my lines and that threw me” or even “everyone was hilarious and I had the best night of my life”.
Once ten gigs are complete you can look back at the spreadsheet. Have a look at the gigs you enjoyed and the reasons why as well as the ones which were more tricky. By doing this you can get a more holistic view of if you enjoy performing or if you prefer to stay on the audience side of the stage.
If it’s a hell yeah the go forth and rule the world of comedy! Maybe you need another ten to make up your mind, maybe you want to do another course, maybe you need to try out some other nights or find some writing buddies? Or maybe it’s just a no. Whatever the answer you’ll have given it a decent amount of time and different settings to make an informed decision.
]]>With more improv training in status I became better at connecting with others and coming across in a more positive, relatable and confident manner. Learning status can help you become more successful in various aspects of life, from helping people see you as the expert you are to connecting better with them as equals. Plus there’s endless fun playing a high status character that breaks down half way through a scene to become low status.
Everything we do that others see and hear will affect our status in some way. The way you stand, speak, move your eyes, make use of silence or scratch your bum 🍑. It all moves you up and down the status ladder. You’re doing this already (especially the bum bit) but probably without realising. With training you can harness these subtle clues more and identify them in others.
In class we start by identifying the different traits of high and low status characters. This helps us when we play them in scenes or take on these characteristics in real life, as well as identifying them in others.
Often fills the space, takes up room, makes themselves feel big and open
Are comfortable maintaining eye contact
Can maintain silence and stillness, they don’t rush
Have a strong/ confident voice
Are deliberate with what they say, don’t often use ah’s and um’s
Can make themselves seem physically smaller than they are, hunch up, cross their arms
Don’t hold eye contact for long or at all, often looking around quickly
Are always fidgeting and can’t stay still
May speak timidly and softly
Often ask questions, permission and speak quickly
There’s many more and all of these can be played by the opposite status as well, but with a bit more nuance and other concessions to make it work.
There’s a lot of subtle things missing from the lists above, in fact everything we do changes how others see our status. And this can affect us in a lot of ways. Perceived status can be key in:
Being seen as confident and capable at work (pitching the right amount of high status)
Not being seen as a pushover or letting people take advantage of you (too low status)
Coming across as caring, understanding and seen as an equal (often through matching others status or being lower)
Not being seen as an arrogant dick (classic high status behaviour)
So if you want to improve your behaviour in these areas, status is the thing for you 🙌. Having better control of it allows you to adjust that balance on a case by case basis. As people perceive and respond to status differently. Your boss may respect you more if you act confident and high status, however they may be the kind of person that feels challenged by this and would prefer to see you as slightly lower status. So being able to adapt is key.
In improv classes on status we look at playing characters at different levels of status (often in exercises where you’re assigned 1-10 on the status ladder) and then seeing how to transition your status during a scene. We also do status battles, where people compete to behave as the highest or lowest status (which are hilarious). You see these kind of “one-up” competitions happening in real life, practicing how to take it to ridiculous levels can be quite fun to bring into a low stakes real life situation. Next reunion when everyone’s comparing jobs try competing for the lowest status to an absurd level (see the 4 Yorkshire Men sketch).
Here’s some ways that you could apply status changes:
Someone at a meeting is trying to blame you for a mistake and raise their own status in the process. Instead of being flustered and trying to butt in to defend yourself (low status), acting calm, maintaining eye contact around the room, and waiting for a comfortable opportunity to speak (higher status) may help you come across as in control of the issues and not worried.
One of your employees seems to be having a difficult time and you want to check they’re okay. You may want to make yourself seem smaller, speak more softly (lowering status) but maintaining silence and stillness (higher status moves) to give them room to share and trust in you, as they can see you listening keenly.
Your in a fierce debate about ethics and morality that’s getting no where. The next time someone accuses your viewpoint as morally grotesque, you agree with them and calmly state how your a bad person and will be going to hell conditional on such a place existing (shock and surprise are a great tools for de-powering high status individuals or confusing them so much they don’t know how to respond, which can dramatically lower their status in a moment. A risky move though, but good for moving conversations on in a light way).
Coming back to the estate agent. After my first class in status I was at a viewing for a new place to rent. The pictures were great, but in person it was a bit “meh”. The estate agent was acting very high status (not leaving me room to speak, taking command and saying how all the bad things were positives), my people pleasing British politeness wanted to agree with everything they said or try and ask questions in a flustered and rushed way. Instead I stayed more silent and took my own time walking around the space. It felt like I was a playing a character of a calm Lord surveying his estate. It kinda threw the estate agent, they then started asking if I liked the place and what was wrong with it. I didn’t go for it in the end. But I remember it feeling like an important moment where someone would have usually had an edge over me and I felt powerful enough to reverse or even the odds in that situation. Just through subtle physical changes.
Try playing with some of the different high/ low status characteristics we described. Start with small changes to see if you feel any differences and if you notice a change in how others treat you. With strangers or low stake situations try out bigger changes.
Otherwise take some improv classes. We do some and there’s lots of other great schools and further reading here. If you're interested, I can conduct a specialised workshop on this topic for both performers and non-performers, get in touch.
Having spent a lot of time getting to freely play with high and low status characters in extreme and subtle ways, I think it has helped me a lot in relating to others and coming across in a more positive way, for all my relationships.
So go forth and be status magicians! Any questions? Let me know, happy to explore this further.
]]>The night opened with Dru Cripps who created songs about the audience, Theo Fraser then went a little French, Cam Sinclair Harris introduced us to purring Venus before Rebecca-Maree told us how many Aussie stereotypes she isn’t. Closing the first half we had Rosie Yadid who gave us a saucy song and dance.
Opening the second half we had Dr Eric who refused to share the stage with an apple. Although after that set we’re not sure they are a real Dr…. Charlie Jackson played with us orchestrally (is that even a word?). Geri from Only Grans was up next - it’s good to see old people using apps too. Finally we had The Greene King Kieran Shah who took us for a pint or two.
A whirlwind of a night which was MC’d by Josh InVain and Viki Jackson. Special thanks to Vaulty Towers for having us.
Modern Art is a regular night in London. Follow Modern Art on Instagram to keep up to date and if you’d like to perform with us then head here and fill in the form.
]]>You find the same material can land really well but sometimes fall flat
Learning lines is stressing you out, what if you forget? Everyone will laugh at you but not in a good way?
You feel like a very static performer and want to inject more energy and life into your set
You want to be more playful whilst on stage
You want to connect more with the audience so that your same set can feel very personal to each different audience
Well, it sounds to me like learning a bit of clown comedy may help you there 🤡👍🙌
What is clown comedy I hear you ask? Simply put: Silly, physical comedy that fosters a deep connection to the audience (we have a longer write up here). It’s one of the oldest and most universal forms of comedy, and its teachings can help all manner of performing, from stand-up and improv to acting and giving presentations.
Clown training involves a lot of listening to the audience in order to react to what they’re enjoying and more importantly, change when they’re not enjoying it.
Let’s explore a bunch of ways that clowning can help your stand-up comedy.
One of the key flows in clowning is: do a thing, check if the audience like it, if they do, do it again or escalate it, if not, do something that worked before or something new, repeat.
Through repeated exercises and practice doing this, you start developing a better awareness of what the audience like and better impulses for what might work (which can be different for every audience). If you’ve trained in clown and you notice that a part of your stand-up set is getting more laughs than normal, you may stretch it out, play it up more, skip some of the bits coming up next and focus on what’s working here. Maybe even improvise a bit before continuing on with your set.
This is even more useful when things are going badly. If your entire set is about a topic the audience are just not onboard with, don’t commit to the next 4 minutes of plowing through that material. Instead you could drop the set, or bits of it, and just try something new, see how it goes, double down if it works or just play with your first act-out for the rest of the set.
These are relatively dramatic differences, but by improving your awareness of the audience, you’ll also be more aware of which bits work and which don’t. Allowing you to make better edits to your set going forwards, as you were paying closer attention to how it was landing.
Clown training helps hone your instincts for what’s funny, you spend a lot of time in The Flop (when things don’t work) and then trying anything to see if it’s funny. Over time you end up trusting your instincts more, having bigger and more interesting impulses which results in a performance where you can react more authentically and in a more fun way to anything that happens. Phone rings in the audience? Mime out an embarrassing call from their mum. Forget your lines? Borrow a book from the audience and read from that with fun commentary. Anything is better than freezing up and apologising. Clowning can help you feel like you have something to do in any situation.
In clowning you fail a lot, you fail so much that it doesn’t feel so scary to suck any more. You still don’t want to fail, you want to make people laugh until they keel over. Through clowning, when things don’t work it becomes a challenge you can solve right there and then, rather than something you could only solve by writing and preparing better (which doesn’t help you in that moment on stage). So the bad moments suck less, and you have some instincts to give you something to do.
Clowning is highly physical, expressive and often involves a lot of audience interaction. All of these skills can turn a flat, impersonal stand-up delivery into a dynamic, interesting and engaging performance that also helps you get closer to that 10,000 daily step count 🙌
This is especially important for any act-outs you have. Act-outs can be the most fun bits of a lot of sets, don’t rush them and make the most of them by improving your physical performing.
We show a lot of vulnerability in clowning, we’re showing the audience how we feel. If it’s working the clown will be happy, if not the clown will be sad. Showing the audience more of how we feel, shows them that we’re listening and we care how they feel. It develops a deeper connection that makes the audience more on your side. When you suck and you show us that you know that and don’t want to suck, we laugh, we’re on your side and we like you. If you shrug it off and continue with your “brilliantly written set” we think you’re an arrogant asshole 👎.
Feeling more comfortable to improvise and try out things in the moment can also lead to new material to be perfected later. If you’re always doing the same set regardless of how the audience are enjoying it, you’re learning much less. Writing your set doesn’t pause when you go on stage. Some of the best bits get discovered in the moment and then perfected through writing and repetition. Most clown training is improvisation and developing instincts that help here.
That’s enough for now. There’s more we haven’t touched on such as:
Improved rhythm of the set - Clowning helps you figure out when the energy needs to drop for a bit before rising again
Props and costume - Oh the world of props and costume has so much fun to offer!
Character development - Every clown is a character and every time you try something new with an audience your developing and learning more about what might work for that character
Keeping it simple - Most of the best comedic ideas a super simple. Complex ideas don’t often work in clowning so the training helps you focus on simpler and simpler ideas across the board.
But overall clowning can help take the pressure off, let you be more playful and spontaneous and really understand and respect your audience more. Leading to a more vibrant, engaging and personal show.
If you’d like to try some clown courses we run some at Playface. And we have a bunch of other schools and resources on our recommends page.
]]>Do they have a specific person they want to talk to, something to drink, what would bring them happiness or fulfilment?
For example my fortune teller would ponder on readings and be very obscure with what she said. She would speak very seriously and hardly smile. But for a vampire they may want to drink all the time or hang out in the corner of rooms where it's darkest.
What would happen if a ghost and a vampire met. Would the vampire try to bite them? Maybe they would bond over what it's like to be celebrated once a year but feared for the rest of it?
Are you a vampire who leads with one arm up under a cloak? A fortune teller whose movements are fluid and dream like? Or the skeleton of a dinosaur that prances around but with an air of jerky motion.
Or do you have a special drinking vessel or snack if you are going to a house party?
It always makes me smile when you see people dressed up all scary and then grinning in photos. Adapt a spooky pose for the photos. Then again the seeing a bunch of zombies smiling on the tube is funny...
A stupid pun can be fun too!
]]>Armed with the suggestion of a Portuguese aquarium, the film collective set about creating a 50 minute narrative set within a post apocalyptic world. It begun on a boat where three fishermen realised floating about on zombie fish infested waters wasn’t a great idea. Following their love of fish, they headed to the nearest aquarium, battling hordes of zombies along the way.
Meanwhile we met the cast in the aquarium; Jowell a marine biologist with a hunger for power, an innocent sweetshop girl with a love of otters, Manuel the penguin feeder and the graduate from Darlington who remained unnamed until he graduated.
Throughout the show we discovered the Otters were being instagrammed by the sweet shop girl and because they were so adorable, it kept up morale all over the world. So when they turned into zombie otters (zotters) by Jowell’s evil plot, the world descended into a chaotic bloodbath. Sweetshop girl soothed the zombies by giving them sweets and gobstoppers to distract them from their blood thirst and things were looking up until Derk jumped in with a plot twist that he had masterminded the entire thing to take over the world with his otters and penguins.
Otters battles against zotters before the doors to the shark tank were opened and nearly the entire cast were eaten.
So now we know what it would be like at an aquarium during the zombie apocalypse!
Improv the Dead run a monthly night and improv jam at the Old Queens Head in Piccadilly Circus, info here.
]]>Clowning helps you better give the audience what they want, become more resilient to things going wrong or off track and be more aware of how things are going in the moment.
You can clown by yourself, with a partner, in a group, bring it into stand-up, acting, improvisation and life.
Viggo Venn is an exceptional clown who won the Britains Got Talent in 2023. This an excellent example of a well filmed and performed modern clown. Take note of the joy, taking in the audience, simple games and great physicality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd53BJGox5s&t=1s
A lot of popular comedy is also clown or heavily inspired by clown:
Mr Bean - Silent, physical and a simple idiot. A universally loved clown character.
Monty Python - From the Ministry of Silly Walks, Fish-Slapping Dance and the Upper Class Twit of the Year.
The Mighty Boosh - The surreal stupidity, strong characters, naivety and physicality all show lots of clown influence.
Sasha Baron Cohen - Borat, Ali G and Bruno. All these characters have strong clown elements even though their focus is satire and social commentary. No surprise given he studied with the notorious French Master Philipe Gaulier.
There’s a lot of different ways of teaching clown comedy. In our classes we do a lot of improvised exercises that help us discover the joy in playing on stage, discovering fun games in the moment and escalating them and recognising when something isn’t working and moving on.
We have a mixture of group exercises and warmups, individual spotlight moments, shared stage time and devising / writing exercises for building shows.
In clowning we might make use of props, costumes, noises, words, silence and physicality as we play.
We like to keep the focus on the joy of playing and maintain a super positive atmosphere in all our classes. A lot of clown training can be notorious for it’s intense teaching style, we don’t do that here but do recommend trying a variety of styles as you’ll find you learn different lessons and techniques to become more well rounded as a performer.
Check out our recommends page for more schools, clowns, regular shows and performing opportunities.
There’s a lot of topics to cover, and loads of nuance in each. At a high level these are some of the most important aspects we cover:
The Joy Of Clown - How do we have fun and share that with the audience
Game & Play - Discovering comedic games that we can escalate and moving on when necessary
Audience Sensitivity - Do the audience like what we’re doing? If so, keep going, if not, change or go back to something that was working.
The Flop - What to do when it’s not working, be vulnerable and make us care
Complicity - How do we connect with the audience and our fellow clowns on stage, develop trust, and facilitate the discovery of comedic games?
Major / Minor - Who’s “in major” on stage, who has the focus, how do we pass that and how do we support each other in clown. Without this we can confuse the audience with split focus in group performances.
Clowning is a lot of fun and can help you explore a sense of curiosity and play in your performing and everyday life. Check out our clown classes here!
For books and resources on clowning visit our recommends page.
Why Everyone Should Try Clown Comedy: 7 Ways It Boosts Your Life
]]>We had some incredible acts across the night. We opened with Elf Lyons who revealed her revealing top and had a one way interaction with Mark. Next up was Jim Hooker who explained what it’s like to be both an uncle and a divorcee. The stage was then invaded by an adorable looking creature (Becky Walker) told us their ambitions of turning naughty people into jelly shoes before Max Divine took us for a swim.
After the interval, Ally O’Leary told us about her escape room while Moss went back to the mediaeval ages as a jester. Sticking with history, David Hoskin jumped aboard his boar and took us to Valhalla.
The last two acts had a slight animal theme as Camilla sung some sweet lobster melodies and Stephen Catling took a snails pace literally for his entrance.
The show came to a head with a cake throwing and wrestle between Tarquin and our security henchman Mark. The clowns stole back the night and Modern Art lives another day!
The night was MC’d by Josh InVain and Viki Jackson. Special thanks to Small Beer Brewery for having us back!
Modern Art is a new regular night in London. Follow Modern Art on Instagram to keep up to date and if you’d like to perform with us then head here and fill in the form.
]]>I first heard about improv nine years ago. I was at a night called "fuck ups" with Charlie. He was doing his master's in entrepreneurship and I was following him around networking events for the free snacks and booze (irrelevant information but I feel it sets the scene). One of the speakers was saying how improv had helped her overcome a particularly bad stand up gig she had. It had given her confidence in thinking on her feet. I thought it sounded interesting but not something for me. Charlie however found a beginners course and signed up the next day. I watched him do the course, sign up to level 2 and even start to form a group. I still didn’t feel like it was something for me. It sounded scary. I was shy. I didn't want to get better at speaking out because it sounded hard. Also, I'm not funny. I never wanted to be funny or a comedian or anything that involved choosing to put myself in front of a group of people in hopes of entertaining them. Improv just didn’t sound like something that fit me. A year later, Charlie encouraged me to just try out a beginners class. It was only 8 weeks, it was only once a week. Also, if I didn’t like it then I don’t have to go to all the weeks. He also sold it to me as something to do in the evenings that wasn’t just coming home and watching TV or sitting in a pub. It was a way to meet new people, it was a reason to meet new people. So I signed up.
My first class was surreal. We bounced about in the hall of a primary school doing things like naming objects we pointed at and walking with our left shoulder leading. I think there was even a game of duck duck goose in there somewhere. But it wasn’t hard. Except for the initial walking into the room, it wasn’t scary. And I didn’t have to be funny! My teacher, the amazingly kind Katy Schutte, was so patient and welcoming. She made everyone feel so encouraged. Throughout the 8 weeks Katy taught us that it was okay to make mistakes, things work better when you build on what other people say and you don’t need to overthink things - speaking on instinct is great! Since that class I’ve done a number of courses with various different schools and along the way improv has shaped me into being the enthusiastic, confident and positive person I am today. I’m no longer petrified of speaking up in work meetings or worried when I walk into a room of strangers. I’ve also met a ton of wonderful people too - I think something about the improv lessons makes improvisors a super kind and lovely bunch. All in all improv has really improved my life and now I’m super keen to try and introduce it to others too. Check out our training page to see what taster sessions and courses we’ve got coming up.
If you are thinking about signing up and have any questions or want to chat before then email me at viki@playface.fun.
]]>First up is Lorna! Fresh out of an amazing Edinburgh run, we’ve had the pleasure of improvising with Lorna, but couldn’t see her Edinburgh show due to selling out super fast. We’re seeing her show at the Soho Theatre, London on 20th October. That dates sold out now but there’s still a handful of tickets left for other dates. Not actually sure what to expect, except we’ve heard excellent things.
Damien Warren-Smith is Garry Starr, the fantastical clown and highlight of our Edinburgh fringe from last year. Apparently performing everything at Southwark Playhouse, London. We’re going on the 2nd December.
One of our favourite shows from this years fringe! Julia will solve your problem in a delightful clowny way, we’ve seen this show already but can’t wait to go again (it’s different every time), this time at the Soho Theatre, London, we’re going on the 7th Feb.
Do you have any shows you’re going to see soon and fit with our Playface ethos of comedy through play? Add them in the comments or tag us on socials. Or join our WhatsApp Group here.
]]>Every year for the past thirteen years we've thrown a party in a wood. It's evolved and grown over the years but this September was a special one. We were commissioned to throw a Labyrinth themed party for a 40th birthday. We were in the woods a few days before setting up. On the Saturday, guests arrived from 2pm and pitched their tents, there was BBQ food at 6pm before it gets dark and then the dancing starts. There's always a feeling of anticipation as it gets darker and we start the bonfire and turn on more and more lights until we are left in a multicolour clearing, dancing the stars.
The decorations and different areas we create make it all seem so unique. These are our favourite decs from this time:
Fireys were created using cardboard, paper mache, paint and fur. These were attached these to mannequins (we usually have these scattered about the woods as they get pretty scary when you bump into them in the dark). One of our fireys was suspended as a nod towards the creatures throwing their heads about in the film.
The false alarms in the film tell Sarah to go back so we created giant versions of these for as people arrived at the woods. These made from cardboard, paint and spray paint. One kind of looks like Sylvester Stallone - can you see it?
As people drive into the woods we made speech bubbles with quotes from the film telling them to “go back", this isn't the way”. I loved this as a hint to tell people what was to come. It also made us smile as you had to have seen the film to understand it, else you think you are actually going the wrong way…
This area is one of my favourites. Tucked behind the tree line we’ve got a circle of colourful pallets under the parachute. The ceiling is lit up with multicolours stars and it’s a great place to sit and take everything in.
Other stuff we liked was the general vibes with little touches like floating balloons as hints towards David Bowie's crystal ball, stairway painting behind the DJ booth by India Jackson, interactive wall of hands and the whoopie cushion stones leading to the “bog of eternal stench” (toilets).
]]>Then it’s time to move onto the main event, the improvised zombie apocalypse. To kick off the director, Tim Dawkins asks for a suggestion of a place you’d want to go to in a Zombie apocalypse. This is followed by, unsurprisingly, the place you’d least like to be when it all kicks off which is where the sequence begins. The suggestions during their Camden Fringe shows were from Camden Market to a silent disco and a morgue to a castle. Improv the Dead take us on a journey from one place to another whilst introducing subplots, directors cuts and a whole lot of zombie (and human) deaths.
As soon as you enter the theatre, Improv the Dead are creeping about the space either eating the ‘brains’ of a corpse on stage or thrown haphazardly amongst the audience trying to find more pray. As the lights go up and the music starts they crawl and stagger towards the stage before switching back into the living and introducing themselves as Improv The Dead, a film collective that have made various movies. Players flash through three examples of past movies they’ve made as a way to warm up the audience with suggestions.
Advertising for Improv the Dead promises zombies and they don’t fail to disappoint as the beginning of the story kicks off with a fast montage of brutal zombie killing and deaths as the cast get nice and bloody. The montage shows how practiced the cast are in finding different objects to kill zombies and is a lovely way to transition into the show.
What stands out in this format is how any of the cast are able to step forward and break the forth wall by pointing out their roles within the film collective and asking for more suggestions of things that could happen within the scene. This allows a more playful aspect to an already strong narrative group. During their Camden Fringe run they were able to repeat a death scene in slow motion to the entire cast singing “I kissed a girl” by Katy Perry, highlight an off stage conflict between two actors, highlight a lack of budget for certain scenes, improvise a rap which was then repeated with a TikTok dance and allude to famous actors having cameo roles. Another example of play was during a scene where a waterslide was mentioned within the mansion of a rich brat (who seemed to want nothing more in the apocalypse than to party), one of the cast stepped forward to explain that the filming of this was during a very hot day and the only way they could get all the actors to do any work was to let them all go down the slide. Which they did and the scene continued on as every single one of improv the dead (including characters who had already been killed during the show) had a turn going down the slide.
The cast are also excellent at finding the game of the scene and calling back to previous aspects of the show. During one of the nights Jeeves, an evil butler, had been working in the castle for many years. As the show went on his references to previous centuries included earlier and earlier dates.
Improv the Dead run a monthly night and improv jam at the Old Queens Head in Piccadilly Circus, info here.
]]>James Pendleton was our stand up act of the evening and taught us how Duolingo can help you get laid in Spanish. Then we had our audience act of the night. I should explain this, at the start of the night the audience had a chance to sign up to do a set. One was picked at random and this time it was Oliver. He had one shoe on and we’re still not quite sure why.
Next was Charlie Jackson who took the modern art theme very literally and did a set as a portrait of a man in the bath. I guess a bath is close to a pool right?
Eric was up to his usual tricks and found any opportunity to get into the paddling pool between acts. We also had our raffle which had amazing prizes including a volcano making kit!
Cameron Sinclair Harris took us to the stars and taught us a thing or two about Mercury. We rounded off the night with Stephen Catling’s set which couldn’t BEE any sweeter. As in his act involved honey. A lot of honey. And a very messy stage.
No summer ball is complete without a water fight which ensued between Eric and Viki. We’re not sure who won, we’re not sure why we are so wet but we sure did have fun!
The night was MC’d by Josh InVain and Viki Jackson. Special thanks to Small Beer Brewery for having us back!
Modern Art is a new regular night in London. Follow Modern Art on Instagram to keep up to date and if you’d like to perform with us then head here and fill in the form.
]]>This was the first Modern Art Variety show, dreamt up by producer Josh InVain and produced by Playface. This is a mixed bill, alternative comedy night with immersive aspects, fun and games and the chance for an audience member to be crowned king. It sees clowning mayhem collide with influence from the Royal Variety show.
Joe Mayo took us for a swim in the sea with his fish knowledge and a lot of puns. Afterwards the stage was haunted by Sonny Bozo’s ghost. Yvonne Tsao got us in hot water with her set. Ally O’Leary got romantic with a family wedding before Kieran gave us an art lesson as the painter. Jen Zheng took us back to a guy’s house after a date with a promise to drop us home. Then Shabs headlined as Mrs Applebee with a song and dance reminiscent of our school days. But with slightly more nudity.
All the while we had menace Eric attempting to get himself on stage to cause chaos and smoke the smoke machine.
Night 1 complete with a roaring crowd, multiple kings and a whole bunch of stupidity. The night was MC’d by Josh InVain and Viki Jackson was ‘Victoria Darling’ as Maitre d. Special thanks to Small Beer Brewery for having us!
Modern Art is a new regular night in London. Follow Modern Art on Instagram to keep up to date and if you’d like to perform with us then head here and fill in the form.
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