Welcome to the feature which we are going to feature ever so often as part of Improv Corner. Ever so often, we are going to talk to improv acts about some of their favourite things about the comedy form. Today we are speaking to Aaron from the team Insert Laughter Here. The team are set to perform at Camden Fringe this summer at the Museum of Comedy on the 10th and 11th August at 8:30pm and you can find out more about it here. Today, we find out all about Aaron’s favourite things.

What is your Favourite:

Improv style:

 I’m a huge fan of long form. I’ve always admired groups who can do it and it’s been a big ambition of mine for a long time. I’m delighted that we’ve started working on it now.

Short form game:

We call it ‘Gogglebox’, it’s four scenes at once, staged with a rotating square and each one is a made up film/tv-show that the audience have given us the titles for. We go round twice then on the third time it’s a “speed round” aiming to finish the stories as quickly as possible.

Improv act :

I’ve always had a lot of love for Austentatious, Showstopper! and The Noise Next Door, but I recently saw Degrees of Error with their show Murder She Didn’t Write – an improvised murder mystery, which blew me away with both how funny it was but also how they handled such a complex idea for structure, and they performed it so beautifully.

Film or television show:

Film: Hell or High Water, I’ve never had the experience of rooting for both the good and bad guys at the same time! TV: Severance, it’s dark, mysterious and funny all at once.

Venue to perform at:

So far my favourite has been The Hunter Club in Bury St Edmunds, they’re an independent venue local to me and we’ve always had a fantastic time working with them.

Way to wind down:

Driving around the city at night in GTAV (yes, still)

Way to warm up:

We play “Yes, let’s!” and Sound Tennis before every show, I really enjoy the random stuff that comes out from my teammates.

Suggestion:

There are far too many to consider, but personally anything involving a pun will always be a dead cert winner. Our recent Spin-a-Play title suggestion ‘The Man with the Golden Bun’ made me laugh a lot more than it probably should have.

Show by another improv act:

I saw a performance by Showstopper! once which was set in a prison, the walls were all painted beige and everyone’s uniform was beige too. One of the performers made a reference to blowing his beige whistle and then realised what that could be slang for and he lost it. Everyone else on stage lost it. The audience lost it. Very funny.

Memory of a show:

Our third show, in our first year of performing publicly 2019, every single person on the team was on sparkling form – we had such a great night playing together, including a lot of playfully ribbing each other. It just cemented in my mind that this was what I wanted to be doing forever and I’ll never forget the happiness I felt during the applause at the end.

Part of rehearsing a show:

For me, when we practice Spin-a-Play I’m always delighted by the characters the team are creating from scratch, it’s surprising how much detail can go into something so quickly created.

Thing about performing:

Being responsible for a crowd of people laughing and having a great time. To hear a room erupt into huge guffaws at something you’ve said, or even teed up for someone else to say, is an incredible feeling. I love it.

Quote :

“Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long shot” – Charlie Chaplin.

Thing about the improv industry at the moment:

I’d still class myself as being quite new to the industry, but literally every single person I’ve met from other groups, either after shows or just through chatting online, has been unfalteringly wonderful. There’s a lot of supportive people here, it feels so welcoming and helps me to feel confident about entering such a vast space, instead of any fear.

Thing about this year so far? 

2023 has felt amazing to me, Insert Laughter Here are breaking new ground with Spin-a-Play and now we’re performing in London this summer, I cannot wait, and I’m excited to see where else we can go after that.

If you are an improvisers or want your improv troupe to feature get in contact by emailing us at phoenixremixcomedy@gmail.com