Clockwise from top left: Dylan Emery, Monica Gaga, Phil Whelans, Justin Brett, Susan Harrison.
Saturday May 30, 2000hrs.
Hoopla…
The Miller,
96, Snowsfields Road,
London SE1 3SS Map
As part of Hoopla’s twentieth anniversary celebrations, GTI will be reanimating the corpse of a show we first took to Hoopla nine years ago.
Each show, in the spirit of collaboration and togetherness that improvisation nurtures, GTI would invite a guest group we were resentful towards, envious of and, quite frankly, hated. They’d perform a set in the first half, then join GTI for a set during which, buoyed by how well they’d done in their bit, they’d muck about, pull focus, roll their eyes when we were talking and we’d never ask them back. And now it’s back for one night only… Grand Theft Impro & Enemies.
Our enemies will be… These Folk.
These Folk is a funny, beautiful and heartwarming show performed by two of the UK’s most experienced improvisers. Inspired by suggestions from the audience, Justin Brett and Susan Harrison create an entirely improvised, magical, song-filled musical folk tale. Everything is made up on the spot, the characters, the folklore, the story, the harmonies, the lyrics and the music. These Folk seeks to uncover the mythic in the mundane; the lyrical in the local. Expect laughs, moving moments, magic and delight.
GTI will be…
Dylan Emery has been performing and directing improvised theatre and comedy for more than 15 years. He is co-founder of Olivier Award-winning West End, Edinburgh Festival and Radio 4 Impro Hit, Showstopper, Ken Campbell-inspired hard-bardics masterclass, the School of Night and Grand Theft Impro. He has played the National Theatre, The Royal Court and Shakespeare’s Globe.
Monica Gaga – as seen, heard and staged on BBC3, London Live, BBC History, BBC Radio London, Global Pillage, the Boulevard Theatre, The Comedy Store Players, Derek’s Mojo, Yes Queens, Hell Yeah, and more. She spent time at Second City in Chicago, is a member of Do the Right Scene and teaches, hosts and runs nights for Hoopla.
Phil Whelans – writer and performer of his own Radio 4 sitcom, My First Planet, founder member of Pros from Dover – with whom he did two series of Radio 4’s The Infinite Monkey Cage. Phil has worked with everyone from Joan Rivers to Basil Brush, Al Gore to Brian Conley, Robin Williams to Giles Brandreth. Phil has been in It’s Kevin, Brasseye, Preston Front and a number of unsuccessful radio and TV impro pilots. He has improvised all over the world, is founder member of Spontaneous Combustion and Grand Theft Impro, has been in Showstopper: the Improvised Musical, Hamlet Improvised and Criminal and was a Monkey Toast player.
Improvising music all night will be Isaac Adni.