Edinburgh 2022: Starship Improvise Guest Blog

Stars of Mischief Theatre, Showstopper! and Austentatious join together to bring brand new improv adventure Starship Improvise to the Edinburgh Fringe

When I first I came to the Edinburgh Fringe, back in the days when Thatcher wasn't played by Meryl Streep or Gillian Anderson, there were only a handful of improv shows, all in the same vein as Whose Line It Is Anyway? - quickfire bursts of games, sketches, and songs known as 'shortform comedy.' Any other type of improvised show fell into the 'experimental' category and has probably disappeared from the records. Now, many years later, there are dozens of varied improv shows, and some troupes are even requesting that improvisation is given its own section in the Fringe brochure.

This revival in spontaneity was partly due to the credit crunch of the late noughties (replace now with 'cost of living crisis' - I would say 'same shit, different day,' but I think it's more a case of 'much worse shit, different day'). A handful of funny folk, trained in how to listen and collaborate, can create great entertainment with nothing but a room to stand in; they can put on shows, and promote those shows, for virtually no cost at all; in much the same way that it's now easier to make a movie on your phone (and while a cynic might suggest that this will result in more bad movies, it will also result in more good ones too). Add to this a hunger among a younger generation for live, interactive experiences, and you have a full-blown revival of the artform. Now there are improvised musicals, whodunnits, soap operas, choose-your-own adventures... in fact, pick a genre and you will probably find an improv version of it. This year, performers from Showstopper, Austentatious, and Mischief Theatre have teamed up to tackle the science fiction genre in Starship Improvise.

The real question of course is: 'In what way is a show better for being improvised?' As the great theatre maverick Ken Campbell said: 'there's no point in improvising unless it's better than the scripted stuff.' Something I enjoy, especially in narrative work, is how the actors and the audience discover everything at the same time. A character decision or plot twist comes from the players live in the moment, making it as much a surprise to them as anyone else. That's why audiences often audibly gasp more when engaged with improvised stories. There's an innate delight in each revelation. At its best, improv reminds everyone of theatre's most salient principle - it's live - and this liveness is the most exciting part, otherwise why would any audience member leave their house to go and sit in the darkened bit of a room when they could just turn out some lights and carry on watching TV?

With the Covid-19 pandemic causing the longest theatre lockdown in British history, many of us working in improv adapted our shows online, where the immediacy of audience interaction was instead channelled via social media. Returning at last to the sharing of physical space as well as time (no sci fi puns intended) I wonder what will have changed? I think, as is the case in so many areas of life, we will have been sobered enough to never take anything for granted again. To share the stage with so many wonderfully talented and generous performers is a true delight - a privilege, in fact - and the opportunity, much like the artform itself, is ephemeral. I shall not take my voyages on the Starship Improvise for granted, and if you come to see it, I guarantee you will experience a joyous group dedicated to making sure you experience an hour worth leaving your TV for.