- The Spontaneity Shop
The Spontaneity Shop is an
improvisational comedy company formed in London 1996. They base their work around the teachings ofKeith Johnstone and have developed several original improvisation forms.History
The Spontaneity Shop, then known as The Old Spontaneity Shop was formed in 1996 by
Tom Salinsky andDeborah Frances-White . Their first shows were at the Troubadour Coffee House inEarl's Court , and they moved to theCanal Cafe in 1999. From 1998-2000 they also ran shows and workshops atOxford University .In 1999 they presented a benefit concert at The Hackney Empire, directed by Keith Johnstone and
Improbable Theatre 'sPhelim McDermott . Joining the Spontaneity Shop cast wereTony Slattery ,Jonathan Pryce ,Lee Simpson ,Neil Mullarkey and a number of other special guests. The money raised went to theRoyal Court Theatre where Keith had once worked as a director.In 2000 the company created
DreamDate , the improvised romantic comedy which was a hit at the Edinburgh Fringe.Hat Trick Productions, producerDan Patterson and most recentlyPozzitive Television have all attempted to get TV versions made but none has yet got past the pilot stage. Recently, the company sold the international rights toFremantleMedia who are currently trying to launch it in the United States.The company also developed the
long form structureTell Tales which presents a complete improvised play entirely in monologues. They are currently developing a new TV format at their regular Islington venue, The Florence.Workshops
The Spontaneity Shop has a thriving workshop programme, with around 50 students learning the techniques of improvisation at any one time. Regular student performances are held in various London venues. Spontaneity Shop teachers have also taught at
RADA ,The Actors Centre ,The Central School of Speech and Drama andThe Drama Studio .Corporate Work
The Spontaneity Shop is also very active in the
corporate training andcorporate entertainment arenas, with its product The Charisma Key proving particularly popular for training presentation skills, sales, leadership and the like.External links
*http://www.the-spontaneity-shop.com Official homepage
*http://www.myspace.com/thespontaneityshop MySpace page
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