#178 Ineffable feel
Girls. Ladies. Undercover. Over ambitious.
30 JULY 2025
Hello.
Firstly, I just want to say thank you to all the people who replied to this newsletter and sent me a memory for my birthday.
I will admit to being deeply and happily surprised by the sheer volume of little moments shared - personal and theatrical, silly and profound. It absolutely made my day. Thank you.
Bonus points because so many people started with Do you remember when ...
Rule of three
[Article] I’m very jealous of Lena Dunham
This article, on the impact of the TV series Girls and it’s wunderkind show runner Lena Dunham, is exceptionally written and reminds me how much I loved the show.
[Comics] Return of the Leading Ladies
Another week, another humble bundle. This one is composed entirely of femme-led comics. And you get all 10 trades of Saga (the greatest comic of all time) for the ridiculous price of £17.67. But then you ALSO get all of Paper Girls and a load of other bangers too. That’s a truly remarkable bargain.
[Film] Deep Cover
It’s a simple premise - improv performers are asked to use their skills to go undercover by the police. Is it a great film? No. Does it do anything revolutionary? No. Ah, but does it get the ineffable feel and specific culture of improv right? Also no. It is however, surprisingly funny with great performances by it’s central trio.
Spotlight
Ok, this is the big one.
The Play’s The Thing, my improvised Shakespeare trio, are playing a 300-seat theatre - The Questors Playhouse in Ealing, 7:30pm on 12th September 2025.
We don’t necessarily need to sell it out (haha) but I think we’ll be rattling around in there if we don’t at least sell 100 tickets.
So, please would you consider coming to support us and even bringing some friends? We’re a fun show, I promise - and high-energy enough that people will enjoy it even if they are not big Shakespeare fans. And if you are big Shakespeare fans, we’re committed to improvising the language in a way that reaches for real beauty and profundity. It’s a silly serious show.
As a reader of this newsletter, you can get tickets for £12 with the code MOUSETRAP.
Longform thoughts
Started by Chicago-based improv legend TJ Jagodowski in memory of the late, great teacher and performer Jason Chin, “Say Day” is an excuse for the global improv community to tell the improvisers who we love and admire how brilliant and cherished they are.
Here’s the list that Liam and I came up with on behalf of the Pretend Company. Some really incredibly people in there that are certainly worthy of your time if they are putting on shows in your area.
Radio contact
What a little prince!