Audience members take the reins in The Improvised Play, a spontaneous comedy play that is different every night. Crafted by the audience, the direction of the play’s narrative could be anything from a two-hander in a 1980s Texan oil rig, to a multiple-role side-splitting farce in a London brothel in the 1600s. With no two shows ever the same, in this spontaneous comedy the possibilities are as varied as the imaginations of the audience. We spoke to one the creators, Charlie Kemp, about the creation of the show.
Tell us a bit about you and the show?
I can tell you very little about the show to be honest, which is weird for the promotion side of things. I can say a few things for sure, it’ll be 60-70 mins, it will be 100% improvised and it’ll contain Lola-Rose and myself. There are things we hope will happen, it’ll be funny, it will be exciting, and it will be an experience unlike most theatre performances. Lola and I are both actors and improvisers and have been working together for the last 10 years.
How do you prepare for the unpredictable nature of each performance?
There is very little you can do to prepare for that. I think the thing to do really is embrace that element of the show. I think if you can fall in love with the idea of being exposed it becomes something that’s more exciting than scary. As long as we are well fed and rested, we should be prepared enough.
What are some of the biggest challenges you face in facilitating audience participation while maintaining coherence in the story?
At the top of the show we’ll ask the audience to give us a location, a decade and the name of the play, after that it is up to us to try and make the 3 things work. But like all improv, these suggestions are a jumping off point, the meat of what the play is about and the themes will come organically from the choices we make on stage. It’s about staying as aware as possible to all the offers and what they mean to the narrative world of the play.
Have there been any particularly memorable or unexpected moments during a performance that stands out to you?
I’m one of those people that seems to forget what happened in a show, the minute it’s finished. As most improv is for laughs, I always find it exciting and memorable when I feel like we’ve moved the audience. There was an unexpected moment at the Royal Court when we had some line suggestions from the audience and they fitted into the narrative perfectly, however to be honest, most of them didn’t fit, which was lots of fun too.
What techniques do you use to encourage audience members to participate and contribute to the storyline?
Once the show has started, we really want the audience to sit back and enjoy the show as they would any other play. After the beginning suggestions they can relax. We wanted to make it feel as much like a genuine play as possible, so we were keen not to overcomplicate things.
What are you most excited about performing the play?
Being on stage with Lola Rose every night is going to be a real treat and I think that the challenge of doing something that is slightly scary is what’s really exciting.
The Improvised Play opens at Arcola Theatre on 5th March. More information and tickets can be found here: https://www.arcolatheatre.com/whats-on/the-improvised-play/
Join the discussion