The year 2020 has been a very unusual one and the fact that a lot of festivals have been postponed this summer we wanted to do things a bit different. Due to the fact we cannot use this time to interview and promote acts heading to the fringe, we thought we would use this time to celebrate all forms of comedy! So over the next month we are interviewing an array of acts with some fun questions so you can get to know them a little bit more! Today we talk to an improv act that are used to solving improvised crime and with hilarious outcomes – Crime Scene Impro

Hello there tell me all about your group!

The Chandeliers produce CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation: an improvised murder mystery comedy in which no one knows who the killer is, not even the cast! We’ve been rocking together for about 6 years now. We’re based out of London and regularly play other UK locations and all the festivals.

What are your favourite things about being in your troupe?

We have an amazing crack team of people with skills that complement each other on and off stage. James is a social media wizard. Nicola and Sarah are amazing on-the-ball festival producers. We’ve got at least one player strong on all the artistic and operational jobs so we fit together very well!

Describe each member of the improv acts by describing their characters by what animal they would be?

James: The sharp comedic mind of a monkey.

Sarah: A pedal to the floor actor but I’m going to describe her as a sheep purely based on her hair.

Nicola: A keen eyed eagle ready to pounce on an idea.

Kayleigh: A free flowing jelly fish of joy.

Alex: The quick witted slyness of a fox.

Danielle: The only living organism that can express Danielle’s inimitable energy is Flubber.

Steve: An erudite elephant.

And Lee (aka myself)? A hippopotamus.

What has been your favourite show so far?

There’s been so many at this point that it’s hard to choose but I have a particular soft spot for our Dickensian Christmas show .

How was your group founded?

I met Rachel Thorn at a Hoopla workshop way back when I first moved to London. We immediately clicked and wanted to design a show that made the most of the medium: an improv show that would stay 100% committed to the spontaneous audience interaction whilst consistently nailing a climax. We realised that the dramatic interrogations and confessions of a murder mystery would be perfect for it so we head hunted some outstanding folks and workshopped the format together for 6 months before taking it to stage.

What is your favourite thing about performing improv?

The completion of a circle. My other work is in feature films, which often takes years, with multiple delays and reshuffles, before a project is complete. Being able to show up empty to a venue, a few hundred people laugh for an hour, and then letting it all go to start fresh again, is the spontaneous yin to that long term yang.

What is the most important skill you have learnt and why?

Expecting chaos and embracing it.

Describe your group for people who have not seen you live in 5 words beginning with the letter A?

Amusing, audience assisted, assassination analysis.

You can only watch three other improv acts for the rest of your life – who would they be and why?

Bear Pack: They’re overflowing with both silliness and soulfulness.

Showstopper: I’m a big fan of musicals and Showstopper are the pinnacle of sharp and polished improvised theatre.

TJ and Dave: Because they’re the best.

What makes a good improv scene?

Confidence in uncertainty.

What has been the best suggestion you have been given by an audience?

Murder victim’s occupation: The composer of the Countdown theme tune.

Dream location to perform a show and why?

The Lyric. It’s got a great atmosphere and I love the energy of audiences that are fresh to improvised theatre.

 If people want to find out more about your group where can they go on the socials?

We’re on twitter, facebook and instagram all as @crimesceneimpro

Finally, which improv group would you as a team love to do a collaboration with and why?

Apart from being great performers, the RH Experience craft exceptional formats: both structurally and technically. They really take an extra step in terms of putting together a live theatre experience so I’d be interested to see what we come up with!