Holly Bartolo has interviewed nearly 1,000 improv groups from the UK to Singapore. 2provs, 3provs, teams, solo acts have all been interviewed.

This episode of Trailblazers is one the Phoenix Remix.  When deciding to do this series, interviewing Bartolo was one of the first things on my mind. The Phoenix Remix is doing some valuable work by documenting and promoting improv. They provide information and help raise the voices of practitioners for free.

Bartolo had always wanted to be a journalist and had noticed years ago that when you hear about improv in London it was always the same teams. She wanted to bring greater awareness to all those who practice and pursue improv.

“It’s not a blog.”  Initially it was difficult for people to understand the scope of her vision. The Phoenix Remix was always meant to be a journalist endeavour to explore and document comedy. 

Improv has changed since the Phoenix Remix began. Bartolo says it has become more diverse. When she first started, Bartolo commented on how male-centric* it was. Then in 2019 Bartolo executed a campaign on the Phoenix Remix which highlighted and promoted women in improv. She felt like that was a very eye-opening experience for her. Bartolo talks about Comediasians, Do the Right Scene and Improbotics pushing the practice through content and culture. Bartolo mentions “there is still a lack of inclusiveness for improv, but it’s changing and evolving.”

In the last 9 years, Bartolo has generated over 6,500 articles about improv, music, culture and comedy. She came up with the name from a Fallout Boy lyric:

“I want to raise you up like a Phoenix.”

Bartolo liked the imagery of a phoenix because it is unique and she felt improv is unique. She also wanted to remix people’s ideas on it. In my opinion, she has been highly successful. When she began there were very few people promoting improv. There was visibility for large scale shows but smaller improv teams where never highlighted. Bartolo says smaller, even temporary groups, “mold the way improv is looked at in the UK.”  She says that not everyone goes to London to see improv, and may see improv in their own city.

When I asked Bartolo about the future of the Phoenix Remix, she talks about the representation of improv in American media. So much of improv is referenced negatively as a joke and something to avoid. “When something gets too commercial, then it has a downfall,” she says. If it gets too commercial, Bartolo looks forward to the independent teams and experimentation that will pop up.

Also, you should check out her handwritten diary. It is remarkable.

Trailblazers is a series focusing on people who are building and contributing to the improv artform today. It is meant to document that new ideas pop up in improv all the time. We have tendency to uphold historical things as the most significant, and overlook that we are making history all the time. 10 years from now someone may be talking about the people in this series and what amazing things they accomplished. It isn’t too late for you to start your own team or company.

DAVID ESCOBEDO is a post graduate student researching improv in England. He has been performing and coaching since 1994. He still loves seeing new students perform and watching imperfect improv. He runs the Improv Boost and has a couple of series where he interviews practitioners regardless of their experience or years in improv. You can check out his podcast David is Curious on iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher.