Hoopla Improv Podcast

Michelle are one of Hoopla's new house teams. Find out what it's like to rehearse and perform at Hoopla Improv Theatre in London.

Interviewed by Leo Maxwell.

Andrew Gentilli is a master of characters and impressions and teaches our Character, Accents and Impressions course as well as lots of our improv courses.

Andrew performs at Hoopla in Beings with Sue Harrison, The Inflatables and with Music Box the improvised comedy musical.

Interviewed by Leo Maxwell.

Maria performs in Breaking & Entering and co-produces The Playground at Hoopla, which she has grown with Lauren Shearing to be one of London’s most popular improv nights.

Maria has performed at numerous international improv festivals including Estonia, The Netherlands, Philadelphia, Portugal & Dublin.

She has studied with Charna Halpern, the founder of iO Chicago and author of Truth in Comedy, who originally developed The Harold with Del Close.

She is one of our most popular teachers and teaches our Deconstruction, Harold, Character courses and more!

Interviewed by Leo Maxwell.

Gemma Arrowsmith is a professional comedy writer-performer. Her most recent work includes the Emmy nominated Tracey Ullman’s Show (BBC 1) and Tracey Breaks the News (BBC 1). She is also script editor on Newsjack (BBC Radio 4 Extra).

Gemma teaches Hoopla's Sketch Comedy Course and in this podcast shares some of her favourite writing techniques.

Lee has been performing with The Comedy Store Players since 1989 and also tours with Paul Merton’s Impro Chums.

At Hoopla he performs in The Actor’s Nightmare the improvised play as well as A Very Serious Play with Ruth Bratt.

Lee is the Co-Artistic Director of Improbable, a hugely influential improvisation company that he set up with Phelim McDermott to bring the philosophy and practice of improvisation to performance improv, devised theatre, plays, operas and social activism.

Lee’s TV, Radio and Film credits included Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Drop the Dead Donkey, Paper Mask, Just a Minute, Terry and Jullian and Nuns on the Run.

My guest today is one of the original and most respected longform improvisers in the UK, the fantastic Katy Schutte.

Katy is a highly experienced international improv teacher and performer, guesting with groups across the UK and further afield and is a founding member of both The Maydays and the legendary Sci-Fi duo, Project Two. She is also an author, having written The Improviser’s Way, a definitive guide to long-form improv.

In this episode, Katy lifts the lid on utilising super-agreements, how to give depth to characters, how Cohen-isms can add flavour to a narrative show and her prediction about Harry Potter themed improv.

Today’s guest is the multi-talented, Nick Oram.

Not only is he an experienced improv teacher, Nick is a member of the award-winning long form troupe, Do Not Adjust Your Stageas well as performing his one-man improv show Nick Oram and the Playmobil Players. He is also a writer, winning the BAFTA Rocliffe Competition in 2017 and has also appeared in BBC Three's Murder in Successville.

In this episode, Nick talks about the importance of trust and friendship when it comes to group longevity, heighting the emotions of your scene, not overthinking character and accents on stage and why he would crash a show held in his honour.

Kicking off the Hoopla Impro Podcast is the incomparable Monica Gaga!

Monica is an improviser, facilitator, scripted actor and performer with Derek’s Mojo and Do The Right Scene to name but a few. For those who haven’t witnessed it, Monica is also one of the finest hosts of a comedy night you’re likely to see.

In this episode, Monica chats about a range of topics, from the joys of jamming and jump-starting your own two-prov group to BAME representation in improv and how hosting is all about welcoming people to the party.