#161 Gary Rewind
Sing. Swing. Play. Beg.
9 APRIL 2025
Greetings from Southend Airport, where I am waiting for my flight to Amsterdam for the Improvathon All-Nighter - a new collaboration between The Pretend Company (no link as I don’t have a website) and the mighty Flock Theatre.
We’re using the Improvathon format overnight as a test balloon for a full-length 50 hour version next year. This one is set in a 90s office and I’m intending to play a video store clerk called Gary Rewind.
I feel like my feet have barely touched the ground since getting back from Berlin, an amazing festival where we premiered a new format called The Room. I adored playing the show, directed with such style by Paula Galimberti, as it’s basically what are all the things that could happen in a hotel room? but where the answers are things like you meet the ghost of the woman who painted all the artwork on the walls or you realise all your friends are wearing masks of your own face. It was a perfect mix of the batshit and the divine. I’m definitely going to bring the format to the UK.
But for now, please enjoy the following recommendations.
Rule of three
[Improv] Game Changer
I’m still watching a lot of Dropout and I remain absolutely thrilled at their ability to put improv on screen and retain the joy and chaos of it. Exhibit A is from their flagship show, Game Changer, a game show where the rules change every week. The episode in question is a thinly-veiled excuse to perform a full-on improv musical called The Official Cast Recording. Check out the opening song. Seriously, click that link. It’s so great. It just feels like proper improv - the bits that don’t quite work, the bits that soar, the giddy wonder of it all. In my opinion, Sam, who runs Dropout and acts as the host of Game Changer, is the secret weapon here. He is acting as an audience surrogate and is ABSOLUTELY LOSING IT at how talented they are. His face looks exactly like my face looks when I’m at the side of the stage watching my amazing friends improvise.
[Game] Spider-man 2
I love the Spider-man games and this sequel is just gorgeous (especially with all the new Pro features switched on - ray-traced reflections, dynamic lighting and a retained frame rate that hovers around 40 fps - it’s lovely to look at and it moves like a dream). I’ve completed very little of the actual storyline because every time I boot it up I just swing around New York City and the joy of that traversal system is so immense, I often forget to do anything else for hours on end. I’m sure the actual plot is good too.
[Music] Improvising with an orchestra
Jacob Collier improvising with a WHOLE ORCHESTRA like Ben Folds used to do. It’s so fun to watch someone with such a different skill set to mine do something incomprehensible and magical (and that’s still recognisably improv at its core).
Spotlight
Less than two weeks (Friday 18th April) until we stage the first Pretend Night at our new home in Theatre Deli, Leadenhall Street. I’m going to level with you - putting on a brand new indie improv night is really hard (especially on a Friday). So far we have sold three tickets and the room holds fifty.
I genuinely think we have an amazing line-up - Dudes (with Ed and Julia) and Jennifer & Emily (with *checks notes* Emily and Jennifer) are both duos with real skill, heart and tonnes of theatricality.
And then in the second half, our house Longform ensemble, this time with improv geniuses Lee Simpson, Liz Peters, Jennifer Jordan, Charlie Sharpe AND Liam Webber. That’s a pretty incredible line-up.
So, if you love grounded, relationship-based improv - please come and support us on 18th April.
Click this link to buy your tickets and help a guy out.
Other Pretend Company events in brief (I really do need a website)
Pretend Academy | Stupidly Theatrical | 18th April | 6pm
Time (NEW workshop) | Inbal Lori | 29th May | 10am
The new Inbal workshop above is already half-sold out from the waiting list (despite only going on sale yesterday) - so don’t delay if you’re interested in working with her (and you should be very interested - she’s a force of nature).
Longform thoughts
Classically, as you begin an improv scene, you need to establish the following - who you are, where you are and what you are doing. This is sometimes called building the platform of the scene. Conventional wisdom holds that an audience can’t truly relax and enjoy an improvised scene until the performers have answered these questions.
Probably the most important improv article I’ve ever written - join me as I go Beyond “Who? What? Where?”
Movement for change
This week, I want to introduce the five movement capabilities that I’m hoping to improve over the next year. We’ll cover these in greater detail in subsequent weeks. But, for now, an overview.
Be a better biped Two-footed movement - running, jumping, balance.
Spend more time on the ground Sitting on the floor unaided for long periods.
Touch the ground with your hands Stretching, crawling, moving on all fours.
Ape shoulders Honouring our primate heritage - climbing, hanging, swinging.
Tool manipulation Using objects - dexterity, co-ordination, rhythm.
Still really loving this new fitness journey. Not going to lie, my body is beginning to protest all the new ways I’m moving it (last week I watched a whole improv show from the floor in a shin box) but I can also already feel a difference. Exciting times!
Radio contact
Beach bum.
I feel like my feet have barely touched the ground since returning from Berlin, a fantastic festival where we launched a new format called The Room spanish dictionary. I really enjoyed playing the show, directed in such a style by Paula Galimberti