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 the improv scene in Cambridge
You and your team are located in Cambridge – what is the improv scene like there?
Growing! I first arrived here just after Lockdown and there wasn’t much going on. But then the teams who were active pre-lockdown started coming back.
Now there’s the University group, The Cambridge Impronauts, who run weekly open workshops for people new to Improv, Cambridge Improv Factory, The Ministry of Unplanned Occurrences, there’s even a Science themed Improv group!
There are quite a few monthly staples now too, Non-De-Script is a monthly short form show, Pick ‘n’ Mix is a monthly scratch night where three groups each perform something experimental, and three of us have just started running a monthly Improv Jam.
“..Honestly, it’s just great to perform with three of my best friends...”
What other teams from the area are you a fan of and why?
I’m involved with Cambridge Improv Factory and Non-De-Script so I can’t really say either of them!
CIF does have some fantastic performers, one of my teammates is a member of ‘Mates: The Improvised 90s Sitcom’ and they’re absolutely brilliant.
There’s also Rumourville who have performed in Cambridge a few times and are fantastic! They have a former Cambridge-based improviser in the team so we know them quite well.
We’re performing with them in London in November which is really exciting.
The Workplace has been having a fantastic year – tell us about some of the teams highlights from the year?
It’s essentially been a launch year for us. We played our first show in Cambridge which was brilliant, then went to Brighton Fringe Festival. None of us had ever been to Brighton, nor did we know anyone in Brighton.
We turned up on Saturday morning with a huge stack of flyers ready to flyer like mad only to be told that we had sold out, which was really exciting.
Brighton Fringe send a survey out to anyone who attended a show so we received an email of audience reviews which were all so positive.
We have a few more shows this year then we’re hoping to go to festivals throughout 2025.
You have a new show launching in Cambridge in November – what can you tell us about it?
Our main goal with The Workplace is to visit festivals and take the show all over the country, but we still want to perform to our ‘home crowd’ if you will. So we’re intending on doing a few Cambridge shows throughout the year.
The next one is on November 29th at the Town and Gown in Cambridge.
“…the teams who were active pre-lockdown started coming back…”
If people want to purchase tickets, where can they visit?
Tickets will be available on the Town and Gown website!
If you’re in London you can book to see our double bill with Rumourville here
Are you planning on taking your show to festivals and fringes next year? If so which ones are you hoping for?
Absolutely!
We’re already booked in for Leicester Comedy Festival and we’re hoping to do Brighton and Edinburgh at a minimum. There’s so many festivals and fringes around so who knows where else we’ll pop up!
What is the best thing about being in The Workplace?
Honestly, it’s just great to perform with three of my best friends.
Whilst the original idea was mine, I really can’t take credit for anything other than ‘It’s like The Office, but Improvised.’
I pitched it to Aaron, Kate and Barney individually, they were all interested, and then we got together and workshopped it. We all get along so well and work so well together that it’s really become a collaborative project where we’ve all had our own say and put our own ideas in.
Describe your show in three words
Like The Office.
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