Improverts

The Improverts are a long-running improvisational comedy troupe primarily performing out of the Bedlam Theatre, Edinburgh. They are currently performing for their nineteenth year at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where they perform every night of the fringe, except Sundays, at half past midnight from Bedlam Theatre (venue 49).

History

The troupe now known as The Improverts was founded in Edinburgh in 1989 by Canadian-born Toph Marshall [ [http://www.arts.ubc.ca/index.php?id=3502 C. W. (Toph) Marshall ] ] . He named it Theatresports after the form of competitive improvisation developed by director Keith Johnstone in Calgary, Canada in 1976. As the show grew in popularity the name was changed, during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, (for copyright reasons) to Impro-Vegetables and then finally, in the 90s, to The Improverts. The Improverts was adopted as a permanent, year-round name from September 1997 onwards. [ [http://www.bedlamites.co.uk/view.php?pg=5 History of The EUTC] ]

Since the show's inception it has kept the Bedlam Theatre as its primary performance space, running weekly during Edinburgh University's term time and then at the Edinburgh Fringe. Each year new players are recruited largely, though not exclusively, from the student population. The troupe provides free weekly workshops in improvisation for the general public in order to attract new talent to the group. [ [http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/features.cfm?id=177942007 Edinburgh Evening News Article] ]

Carrying on the teachings of Keith Johnstone, the show's format has twisted and changed over time, but stayed within the short-form sketch mould made famous by TV's Whose Line is it Anyway?.

Notable alumni of the Improverts

*Maria Bamford ( "The Comedians of Comedy" )
*Mitch Benn ( "The Now Show", "Mitch Benn's Crimes Against Music" )
*Jenny Colgan ( "Amanda's Wedding", "Looking for Andrew McCarthy", "West End Girls" )
*Mark Dolan ( "Balls of Steel" )
*Miles Jupp ( "Balamory", "Miles Jupp's Real World" )
*Humphrey Ker ( "The Brothers Faversham" )
*Lucy Kirkwood ("Geronimo", "Tinderbox" )
*Ewen Macintosh ( "The Office" )
*Kevin McKidd ( "Trainspotting", "Dog Soldiers", "Rome" )
*David Reed ( "The Brothers Faversham" )
*Al Smith ( "Enola", "Radio" )
*Thom Tuck ( "The Brothers Faversham" )

External links

* [http://www.improverts.co.uk The Improverts official site]

References