#140 An absolute unit
Broad. Deep. Sweet. Unit.
13 NOVEMBER 2024
Improv got so big.
Just back from IMPROFEST in Kraków and still bowled over by the scale of the festival out there. Five hundred audience members a night and over one thousand seven hundred individuals through the doors over the course of the festivities.
Check this out for an improv venue.
Completely thrilled to work with Katy on a wildly fun Project2 show and honoured to appear with living legends Susan Messing and Inbal Lori as well. I feel inspired - at the scale, the organisation, the breadth of craft I experienced there.
This week, I’m in Austria, at a very different sort of improv festival. IMPROCUP feels like I’ll be exploring the depth of the craft - no classes to teach, just time to play and discover.
I’m feeling extremely lucky.
Rule of three
[TV] How to Die Alone
Katy recommended this series by Natasha Rothwell (an exceptional improviser who found huge mainstream success on shows like The White Lotus and Insecure). The writing is beautiful, specific and finely-calibrated - finding real humour and pathos in the story of a woman who is inspired to turn her life around after an Ikea cabinet nearly crushes her to death.
[Comics] Absolute Batman
What if Bruce Wayne wasn’t rich? That’s the pitch for this new run from Scott Snyder, featuring a working class Batman who knows every inch of Gotham because he spent years labouring on its construction sites. Also he’s an absolute unit, which I think is quite fun.
[Applied improv] IMPROV Inc.
Always loved the idea of applied improv - using the improvisational skill set for anything other than performance itself. IMPROV Inc. are a new company that are doing wonderful things in this space. Particularly love their newsletter, IMPROV Ink and their IMPROV breakfasts - 25 minute weekly online meet-ups that cohere around a relevant topic or idea.
Longform thoughts
I haven’t had time to write any longform thoughts in the past few weeks due to all the travelling but I’m planning to knuckle down and get into a better rhythm in 2025. I really enjoy being inspired by questions from other improvisers so please do send me something to ruminate on by replying to this email. Thanks!
To inspire you, here’s a few from the past year:
What do you do when the improv honeymoon is over?
Can you do a good longform in 15 minutes?
How do you mix story and emotional depth?
Radio contact
Look at that little mug!