Liverpool Improvisation Festival comes to Unity Theatre this spring

The inaugural Liverpool Improvisation Festival will be held in the city this week, promising two days of the best established and emerging artists and companies.

The event, taking place at the Unity Theatre on April 21-22, will include two world premieres along with 10 other shows and four workshops.

The work will showcase a number of artform influences including comedy, music, puppetry, clowning, storytelling and theatre.

The festival opens on Friday, April 21 with The Fly – an improvised play previously only seen in the US.

World premieres include Trev Fleming, 42, a solo show in which Fleming uses audience suggestions to create 42 individual characters in 42 different scenes in 42 minutes, and Wing It Improv’s Talk to the Hand an improvised puppetry show.

There will also be performances from The Rubbish Shakespeare Company in collaboration with Wing It Improv, Liverpool Comedy Improv, Atom Improv, Casino Improv, Playing Dead Theatre, CSzUK from Manchester with its family-friendly show Comedy Sportz, Derbyshire’s Glossop Improv and award-winning ‘fool’ Joanne Tremarco.

Above: Comedy Sportz

Tremarco will also take part in one of a number of improv workshops running during the festival. Others will be led by Emma Bird, Jess Napthine-Hodgkinson, Aisling Leyne and festival producer Mark Smith.

Smith says: “Liverpool has a long history of developing or hosting improvised work – Ken Campbell, Improbable theatre, HOOF! and The Improvathon the list goes on.

"We hope to build on this proud legacy bringing you the best work from across the north west and beyond.”

Tickets for individual events and shows cost between £7 and £10, with concessions, and there are a limited number of day tickets for each day, costing £30.

Liverpool Improvisation Festival takes place at the Unity Theatre on April 21-22. Full programme details HERE