This month we have a fantastic act that we are speaking to and if you are a fan of such shows as The Office then this is an improv act that you will want to see live. All this month we are speaking to Jack of the team and 2024 has been a really fun year – doing really well at Brighton Fringe and also performing on many stages including their home turf of Cambridge. All this month we will go behind the scenes of the team and today about how they became a team and much more.
Hello Jack lovely to meet you! How did you get into improv?
Hi Holz! Great to meet you too.
I always loved Whose Line Is It Anyway?, I saw that there was an Improv show in my hometown of Southend so I went along to watch.
After the show they mentioned that they run ten week Improv courses throughout the year, I went once and that was me hooked!
I’m lucky enough that Southend has a big improv circle and some fantastic performers, teachers and facilitators. So if you’re in Southend and interested in Improv, look out for The Laughter Academy!
What is your favourite thing about improv?
It never gets dull to watch or be a part of because it really is different every time.
Every time I perform I have so much fun with whoever I’m on stage with and we leave the stage all smiles. Some of my best friends have come from just doing Improv together and then becoming friends from that.
What teams are you a part of?
I mainly perform with two teams.
There’s Cambridge Improv Factory who perform a variety of different shows throughout the year, we tend to perform three runs a year of different long forms we’ve created locally in Cambridge.
So far this year we’ve performed an Improvised Greek Myth and an Improvised Murder Mystery, both of which were a lot of fun.
And, of course, The Workplace.
I also run Non-De-Script, who perform monthly shows in Cambridge, alongside Barney who’s also in The Workplace.
Every year I perform in the Southend 48 Improvathon which is as crazy as it sounds, but it’s all for charity and it’s my favourite show of the year.
This year it runs from April 4th at 7pm all the way to April 6th at 7pm.
“…Almost immediately after confirming that the show would be set in a Rocket Company, an audience member said, completely deadpan: “The Vegetable.” It got such a big reaction that we had to go with it!…”
Tell us about The Workplace – what sort of improv do you perform?
I love The Office, I’ve watched it more times than I care to admit. The Workplace is a combination of my love for Improv and Mockumentary Sitcoms like The Office.
It’s an hour long Improvised Mockumentary Sitcom, where the audience decides where we work.
Tell us about the other members in the team!
There’s four of us! Myself, Barney, Kate and Aaron.
Barney and I run Non-De-Script together in Cambridge. He’s one of the most physical improvisers I know, it’s like he’s made of play dough.
Kate and I are in Cambridge Improv Factory together, we always have so much fun in scenes together so it’s great that we get to perform with two groups.
Aaron is a member of Comediasians and performs with Non-De-Script quite often as well, he’s also a fantastic actor and improviser.
We’ve all got our own things going on so it’s great to get together whenever we can for The Workplace.
“…The Workplace is a combination of my love for Improv and Mockumentary Sitcoms like The Office…”
What is your favourite suggestion you have been given in a show?
A suggestion for ‘The Workplace’ or in any Improv show?
One of the first shows The Workplace ever did, someone suggested that we work at a ‘Rocket Company’, we were pretty excited by that suggestion and took it.
Almost immediately after confirming that the show would be set in a Rocket Company, an audience member said, completely deadpan:
“The Vegetable.”
It got such a big reaction that we had to go with it!
Outside of The Workplace, we did a Murder Mystery set in a Chocolate Factory last year, which was a lot of fun and in a game of Party Quirks I had to play ‘every character in Cinderella.’
If people want to follow you on social media where can they visit?
We mostly publicise on Instagram: @theworkplaceimprov
But we also have a linktree with all the links to our upcoming shows:
https://linktr.ee/theworkplaceimprov
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