Your say / improv
‘An improv marathon is ridiculous, exhilarating and somehow beautiful’
Twenty-six hours straight of improvised theatre sounds like a ridiculous undertaking and indeed it is; but it is also an exhilarating and somehow beautiful thing to be part of, and also mighty fun to watch.
I am so excited that this year’s Bristol Improv Marathon, taking place at the Bristol Improv Theatre on March 15 and 16, will be our fifth annual event!
The theory behind improvising for hours and hours, through the night, is that you reach a place of pure improvisation. You couldn’t possibly plan anything because you are too far gone to think any more. It is true, people become accidental geniuses and comedy gold happens!
is needed now More than ever
I got into improvisation through theatre and have always loved the feeling on stage when something went wrong and you had to know the character and story well enough just to make stuff up and carry on.
I had used improvisation devising a number of things, then I found out that it was a thing people did just for its own sake. It was a revelation!
I love the total immersion of improvising, being the character and seeing what happens to them next, and the way that you create something unique every time with your fellow cast members.
Being part of Closer Each Day Company is heaven; we keep on exploring, the shows just get better and better, and there is still so much we want to do.
Inspired as we are by Die-Nasty, an improvised soap out in Canada who have a 50-hour ‘improvathon’, we knew we wanted to do our own long version of our show. The Marathon, and teaming up with the Bristol Improv Theatre means we make it a whole community-wide undertaking.
The Marathon takes the things I love about improvisation and just amplifies it all. There is nothing like it.
Besides the joy of playing for 26 hours straight and the satisfying result of making a story, a piece of theatre that continues to build and mutate and entertain all that time, you connect with everyone else in the show and there is some real love pulsating in the air.
I know, it sounds a bit hippy (blame the sleep deprivation if you like) but I am standing by that.
The fifth annual Bristol Improv Marathon takes place at the Bristol Improv Theatre from 8pm on March 15 to 10pm on March 16. For tickets and more information, visit www.improvtheatre.co.uk/events/bristol-improv-marathon
Lindsey Garwood is co-director of Closer Each Day Company. She was one of two people who didn’t sleep for a minute during the first Bristol Improv Marathon of 26 hours, at six months pregnant too. Her favourite Marathon characters have included a hotel inspector who ends up becoming a multi-tentacled monster.
Read more: Happy 150th episode, Closer Each Day
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