#91 Whimsy and jangles
Issue #91 Whimsy and jangles
6th December 2023
We have to stop meeting like this.
Hello, everyone. Welcome to issue 91 of Improv Fables - the newsletter about improv and also about other things like life.
Chris Mead here, charting the late waters of 2023 like an improv buccaneer. I've already had an amazing week working on The Documentary format with a plucky band of improvisers and there's simply no telling what other treasures December may yet be clasping to its wintery bossom.
Read on for ADVENTURE!
Rule of three
[Music] Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens is a brilliant multi-instrumentalist and purveyor of high quality Christmas fare. His new album hits the sweet spot between whimsy and jangles to my, admittedly untrained, ear. I particularly liked A Running Start.
[Podcast] Improv Chronicle
James Lloydie Lloyd is a lovely friend and top notch improviser. The Improv Chronicle is both a newsletter and a podcast and both benefit from Lloydie's incredible attention to detail, utilising all his years of expertise in professional communication roles to produce a suite of improv resources that are next level in terms of thought, research and quality.
[Comic] Promethea
I recently revisited this old comic by excellent Northampton-based warlock, Alan Moore. It's really something. There are definitely sequences where it shows its age, but the main concept, about a protagonist that shows up in the works of wholly unrelated creators - from epic poetry, through newspaper funny pages and onto pulp paperbacks and web comics - over two centuries is enthralling. I love the idea of a living story that can hop from genre to genre as times and tastes change.
Spotlight
This week is an important one. The Miller, ancestral home of improv in London for over a decade, is being threatened with total demolition with no plans to replace it.
I've been performing at The Miller for all my improv life and it remains one of the most vibrant hubs of creativity in London. If it disappears, then a whole community of improvisers will have nowhere to perform. It's a huge deal.
But there is a ray of hope, if enough people contact the redevelopment team, then there's a chance of a purpose-built theatre being included in the new development plans. But we need a lot of people - from all over the country and the world - to recognise The Miller for the important cultural landmark it has become. So if you've read this far, please take 5 minutes to help us send a strong message.
1. Go to https://snowsfieldsconsultation.co.uk/join-the-conversation/
2. Read through the current plans from the property company.
3. Click Have your say (blue tab on the side).
4. Strongly disagree with the current plans.
5. In text boxes write what Hoopla means to you and how it is a cultural asset that should be incorporated into the development plans as a new theatre run by Hoopla.
If you've had any experience with Hoopla, a personal story will give your feedback even more validity.
Thanks so much.
Longform thoughts
Improv performance is a spectrum but at the extreme ends of the scale are head improvisers and heart improvisers. Let’s look at each of those in turn.
My thoughts on 👤 vs ❤️.
Radio contact
Radio and I are nap buddies.