8 APRIL 2026

POW!

That’s the sound of me exploding back onto the newsletter scene after two weeks away.

Two weeks?

I know.

It’s the first time I’ve taken a break from this esteemed periodical since I started it in March 2022.

And what were the reasons for this sudden sabbatical?

Well, mostly it was because I flew to the Philippines, jumped instantly 8 hours forward in time and forgot it was a Wednesday. Then jetlag sucker punched me in the other direction when I arrived home.

But but BUT ... my glorious friends, it was entirely worth it because the Manila Improv Festival was one of the best organised, epically-scaled, off-the-chain exuberant celebrations of our beloved art form of which I’ve ever been privy.

The improv was electric, the community was inspiring and the food was off the scale delicious. 10/10 no notes (as Vinny François would say).

In honour of these adventures, today’s newsletter is a Manila Special Edition.

Rule of three

[Improv] SPIT Manila
You can’t talk about improv in the Philippines without talking about SPIT. They are absolute ROCK STARS. It’s hard to get your head around just how famous they are. Here’s an example - they announced a secret gig with about four hours to go on their IG feed. Then TWO THOUSAND people turned up to watch them. Seriously. I was one of those two thousand, it would have been 1,999 people without me. Here’s a 360 degree shot of the crowd. They have pushed improv presentationally and digitally in a multitude of creative and beautiful directions. I am in awe.

[Yams] Ube
Ever had a purple yam-flavoured milkshake? I have. It’s incredible. I consumed ube in as many different ways as I could muster - in baked goods, in jams, on pancakes, boiled and topped with butter, in halo-halo. And then yesterday, back in London, I saw Starbucks were selling an ube drink too. This is an example of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, like when you get a certain breed of dog and then you suddenly see yams everywhere.

(NB: I am categorically not recommending Starbucks)

[Fast food] Jollibee
Jollibee is a home-grown Filipino fast food restaurant that took on the heavy-hitters (your McDonalds, your Burger Kings, your KFCs) and utterly OWNED THEM. Jollibee serves Chickenjoy and sweet spaghetti as well as my personal MVP - the peach & mango pie. They also have a sleepy-eyed twerking bee mascot that dances for you at parties. Everyone I talked to in Manila swore blind that international versions are not as good, but for what it’s worth, you can now get Jollibee in the UK and, to my tastebuds at least, that peach-mango pie still tastes incredible.

Spotlight

It’s Pretend Night again on 17th April. How has that come round again so fast? Oh right, because I just skipped two weeks.

We have Copenhagen superstars SuperCut with us this time. They are a trio of almost preternaturally talented performers who create an incredibly fast and funny improvised movie with a cast of thousands in a myriad different genres. For this show, they will be blessing us with their Viking Saga. So expect battle axes, gods, tankards of mead and ADVENTURE. If you’ve never seen them before, I can’t recommend their show enough. Eoin from SuperCut is also leading a 90 minute workshop beforehand, so you can come for the improv tuition and stay for Valhalla.

Details below (both on Friday 17th April):

Long Time Listener | 6 - 7.30pm | Omnibus Theatre | £25
Listening in improv isn’t just about hearing what your scene partner says or understanding what the scene is about. It’s about recognizing what your character wants, what your partner’s character wants, and discovering what the scene itself needs. Join for this deep dive into the importance of listening and how it transforms your improv.

(NB: buying a ticket for this workshop will get you a voucher for a £5 ticket to Pretend Night)

Click here for tickets

Pretend Night | 8 - 10pm | Omnibus Theare | £10
London’s premiere theatrical improv night featuring the SuperCut Viking Saga, a new improv show directed by Teresa Senyah set in The Staff Room and, as always, The Pretend Company Ensemble - this evening featuring Liam Webber, Stephen Lee, Jennifer Jordan & Chris Mead.

Click here for tickets

Longform thoughts

I’m going to get back into the habit of writing these regularly. So I thought I would ask you, dear reader? Do you have any questions about improv that you’d like me to take a swing at? Just reply to this email and let me know.

Radio contact

Radio Harold Mead in all his glory.