All this month we are talking to acts that are performing at the Liverpool Improv Festival which takes place between May 7th – 10th. We will be speaking to acts every Wednesday and Thursday at 6:30pm on the run up to the festival. Today we speak to Stephen Longstaffe about Shakespeare on the Spot

Tell Us about:

Your latest improv show you are bringing to Liverpool Improv Fest ? 

Shakespeare on the Spot, a solo set of short-form games I’ve invented using the characters, situations, and verse forms of Shakespeare. The whole thing is in iambic metre, and often incorporates rhyme as well. I work written and verbal audience suggestions into famous monologues and scenes like Lear’s division of the kingdom or Antony’s speech at Julius Caesar’s funeral. It usually gets silly.

Your favourite suggestion you have been given?

I used to do ‘alas poor Yorick’ with an object from the audience instead of a skull. Once I was given a banana, which I used to make a quick call to Sigmund Freud to check for symbolic significance. I’m afraid the tone went downhill after that. I blame Freud.

Your favourite venue to perform at:

The Unity, Liverpool – I’ve seen loads of great stuff there and it’s such a buzz to actually perform in that space.

Improv hero:

The late David Ash, who created the Lancaster impro scene single handed from 2003 and who asked me to be in his first shortform group. I was so lucky that my particular small town had somebody like that; most don’t.

Dream venue to play at:

I did a script-in-hand of one of Mark Ravenhill’s Commedia plays at Wilton’s Music Hall in London last year. I’d love to go back there!

Describe the feeling you get when you walk on stage to do a show:

I’m 62, and have only picked up impro again in the last few years after many years of caring responsibilities. So I’m just delighted to be there.

The hardest improv suggestion to perform and why:

My hardest was probably trying to work ‘Joe Biden being annoyed that Donald Trump has more social media followers’ into a monologue of things that annoy Richard III. It was really complicated to set up, because it was Richard being annoyed about someone else being annoyed about someone else. But it was a very small audience, and suggestions were few!

Essential items you always take with you to a show?

A ruff, on the advice of my dog. And an anatomically correct replica skull, for if I feel like posing.

Describe your fans in three words:

Um … Possessing Impeccable Taste

What we can look forward to from you this year: 

I’m part of a new improvised sitcom group in Liverpool and our first show is next month. And I’m making up games for a La Ronde monologue format I’ll be testing in six months or so. 

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