This year is a very special one in the world of improv in the United Kingdom this year as Hoopla Impro in London turns twenty years old! The whole of April and May there are many shows on to celebrate this gigantic number. To talk about everything Hoopla I caught up with Steve Roe the founder.

Over the years I have spoken to Steve on many occasions but this time it felt incredibly special so wanted to celebrate in a two part interview.

Hello Steve – firstly congratulations on twenty years! How are you feeling about it?

Hi Holly! Great to chat to you and it’s AMAZING what you have done with the Phoenix Remix website there are so many great things there!

Thanks for anniversary congratulations! How I’m feeling about it changes hourly. I’m really happy and excited about it, really looking forward to having so many groups together and so many improvisers and friends reunited. I’m also confused as 20 years has gone very very very quickly (careful out there young people). I’m also a little bit unbalanced at the moment as I’m starting to think about what we are going to do over the NEXT 20 years!

Well maybe that’s too far a time. Ok I’ll think about what I’m going to do for the next 20 minutes instead, which is this interview, OK that’s better!

Tell us about the early days of Hoopla, what are some of the things you remember? 

Early days I remember of Hoopla is thinking that no matter what, no matter what happens, I’m going to do improv at least once per week for the rest of my life. I’d got into that habit when first learning improv with John Cremer at The Maydays in Brighton, and when I moved back to London I wanted to keep that improv habit going as it was good for my soul. So I gathered together some old friends from my GCSE drama days and we put on an improv practice session in a room above The Bedford pub in Balham for us and our friends.

From that we then went on to run shows, courses and set up an improv theatre. But early days it really was that one internal thought “I’m doing this at least once per week no matter what”. 

Did you ever think Hoopla would be around twenty years later?

No! Mainly because I really wasn’t thinking 20 years ahead, I think I was barely thinking one month ahead. If I went back in time I told younger me that though he would actually be really happy to hear that though. But he would also say “Steve why did you get so fat?” so I’m not sure I’d stay around to chat to him for too long. 

Tell us about the Hoopla venue in London Bridge how did that happen?

About 18 years ago we’d already been running improv comedy nights at The Bedford in Balham, The Round Table near Leicester Square and The Black Horse near Tottenham Court Road. This nights ran with us putting together an improv team and also inviting in guest groups from across London’s rapidly growing improv scene. These were going really well but what we thought was missing from the UK improv scene was a dedicated improv theatre with improv every night, so groups could work together to grow the UK improv audience. So we basically the streets and walked around central London chatting to pubs with space until we found The Miller in London Bridge who had luckily just changed management and were looking to work with a new company.

We gradually converted their upstairs function room into the UK’s first improv theatre and took over running shows there every night of the week. They have been AMAZING and a great company and team to work with. It means we can focus on shows and improv, and they are focussed on the bar and kitchen. Happy days!

Who was the first acts to perform on the stage? 

At first Hoopla was the name of a performing group, made up of a slightly different cast each time. So the first act to perform at Hoopla was Hoopla. But that didn’t really make sense with branding, and also there were so many different groups coming up that we soon dropped that and went to naming each different team like we do now. 

When we started our theatre in London Bridge we were SO LUCKY as it coincided with when The Showstoppers, Autstenatious AND The Mischief were all starting out so we actually had loads of their early shows on stage at Hoopla. This was so exciting as the improv scene was just growing and changing for the better so quickly and it’s been amazing to be part of. 

Looking back, how proud are you of how far Hoopla has come? 

Odd answer incoming……I think I’m proud, but I don’t really let myself feel things like that for too long. I don’t usually look back at things, so actually it does feel odd to be doing it this year. I’m usually more prone to moving onto the next thing, which can be quite infuriating for me and others I’m afraid, I probably should sit still and celebrate for longer sometimes, but that doesn’t feel natural to me. 

I’m most proud of the relationships I have with people in the Hoopla team and our students and teachers and performers. Yes that’s what I’m most proud about and actually think about the most. To have a job where every single person I talk to I enjoy talking to and enjoy being around. That’s really lucky. 

The things I’m most proud of are actually the simple things. Like when I’m walking across London Bridge on the way to teach an improv class I always always think “I get to go an teach an improv class, this is so cool.”

The improv scene must of changed a lot since Hoopla started, what have been some significant changes you have seen? 

Hoopla opening an improv theatre was really significant for us, as it meant the shows could work together and grow the audience and community. Then other improv theatres and venues opening around London and the UK has been amazing too. 20 years ago there didn’t feel like there would be enough audience for improv, but actually this totally changed and it’s booming. 

Showstoppers, Austentatious and The Mischief were hugely significant. In the early improv scene they had a huge drive for professionalism in improv and a dream of taking improv to mainstream big audiences. That was amazing to see, watching them go from small venues to West End, Radio and TV. Incredible. 

The influence of people like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler becoming well known was significant too, that was a big step in improv going mainstream too. 

There are loads more those just happened to be first that came to me!

What have been stand out moments to you over the years? 

This answer might be a bit zen but the stand out moment is always the moment that I’m doing right now. If teaching a workshop Iike to do a mediation before where I tell myself “the only thing I’m doing right now is this workshop.” If I’m doing a show I like to tell myself “I’m going to have as much as I can with these people in this place right now.” So I can’t say a single stand out moment as the thing I always focus on is the thing I am focussing on right now. Ommmmmmm 

From that my memories of all the workshops and shows and events we have done is one big happy mush that feels nice. 

BUT….recent memory is a story course earlier this year where their end of course show featured lots of impromptu dance breaks to Madonna. I don’t know why but I definitely remember thinking right then “this is it.”

Why are companies like venue Hoopla so Important? 

AI, screens, phones, laptops, rent, bills, work, tubes, screens, social media, AI, data centres, blah blah blah – at some point people want to get off all that and connect to actual real people in the world and create something beautiful together that wouldn’t exist if they weren’t there. I think improv is part of that, along with things like dance, music, singing. We’re not robots. 

What’s the future for Hoopla? 

We do have lots of plans but they aren’t public yet sorry! Happy to do another interview about that later!

Thank you again for all your support in reading and engaging with the website.

If you want to help support the website then you can! You can buy Holly a cup of tea (and a biscuit!)