So we have some exciting news to announce here on The Phoenix Remix, the London Improv Company Hoopla is jumping on board the PR train and are joining the writing team! From now on, we will be providing you with useful information about up and coming shows that will be at Hooplas performance The Miller in London Bridge each month, as well as courses, interviews and so much more! So to welcome both Steve and Angela on board, I will now hand over to Steve to tell you all about this months Hoopla news! 

Hoopla News

Extra extra read all about it! Hoopla news coming at ya! Here’s what’s coming up in Hoopla land in one massive splurge of text. I feel like this should be well thought out with images aligned and set press angles of carefully constructed sentences but we don’t really work like that. Hoopla right now we’re trying to give give give give give as many shows and fun things as possible, as many performance opportunities as possible, the best shows possible and basically make the whole year one massive party of improv with everyone invited. To do that we just plug in the rave mix tape and go for it flat out.

So news news news news here’s some new Hoopla things:

Jams every Wednesday 7pm now before the main show. We’re now committed to putting on a a free open to all jam every Wednesday from 7pm before our main shows at 8pm. Anyone can turn up and get involved, and if you’re at the jam the main show after is free. Will people come? Hope so! There are loads of jams in London so we tried to find a day where there wasn’t one and slip it in. Should hopefully work nicely alongside DDG on Mondays and Nursery Lights on Thursdays.

Pre party shows every Saturday 6pm before main show. We’re using this spot to give new groups a place to perform and try out new things, and for older groups to try out new ideas. I think it’s essential to always support new things and give people space to try things, it’s something we work really hard at.

Weekends are epic! We have amazing shows every weekend now it’s like an improv dream for me. This year we’ve got people coming from across the universe to perform and have a lovely mix of long-form, musicals, narrative, short-form and more. I’m really keen to show the full range of UK improv styles to as many people as possible.

LIGHTS! Jon Monkhouse was in over Christmas and our lights and sound are now awesome so we can do loads of crazy fun stuff to support shows now.

EVENTS AND PARTIES!!! Oh gosh this is what I want to tell you about most but I can’t yet as I need to wait until they are confirmed. All I’m going to say for now is the following words: beach, boats, parks, bikes, running, lobsters. More to follow!

In course news I’m really excited about the amazing people we’re having join us. Ruth Bratt is teaching an Improvised Play course with us and I find her one of the funniest, most playful incredible improvisers ever so that’s really exciting. Also news just in is that Gemma Arrowsmith writer from Tracey Ullman’s Show and The League of Gentlemen is teaching a sketch course where we actually film the sketches over the course. PLUS Peta Lily is putting on a new Clown course. I love love love Clown so much and have wanted to get more of it into the improv scene for ages and it looks like that’s happening.

Most of all this year I want Hoopla to give as much as possible to our amazing improv scene. I really want to make improv for everyone. Yes we will put on shows from international guests who have done movies and stuff, but I also want to have loads of space for people who are just getting into it and make this totally open and accessible with no hierarchy.

Doing a perfect hip hop musical as part of a professional international tour from New York? That’s Hoopla. A brand new improviser going on stage for the first time and doing a scene in a jam, feeling the nerves be replaced with exhilaration. That’s Hoopla too.