Interview: Missimp

How did MissImp come about?
It started back in 1997.  We used to do odd gigs at places like the Maze and then, as the group grew, we did bigger shows such as the Bakewell and Buxton Festivals. We started doing regular workshops, and then a few of our current players joined when another Nottingham improv group folded.

The number of people coming to your workshops and shows has been growing over the last couple of years.  Is that partly because of an increase in the general public awareness of improvised comedy?
It’s fair to say that there are more and more improv groups springing up and people are more aware of it.  It’s still a small subculture in comedy, though.  For us, it’s more about the talent and quality of the shows we are putting on.  If you look at the improv that’s been on television recently – with the exception of re-runs of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Drew Carey’s Improv-A-Ganza – the majority of it is dreadful.  Mark Watson’s recent improv TV show lasted one episode. TV producers seem to think that you can get a load of stand-up comedians in a room and hilarity will ensue.  The problem is that they are constantly trying to shoehorn in jokes, which is not what improvisation is about.  Improv requires a different set of skills to stand-up comedy, which is why a lot of these TV shows simply don’t work.  Sadly, as new improvised comedy on TV is pretty bad, it’s potentially harming the art, not promoting it.

It seems that your shows have gradually been growing in size and in profile.
In terms of quality, yes.  And, we’ve been so lucky with the venues.  We got a great deal with the Hopkinson Gallery for our early shows; it was a venue we could never have afforded.  Doing a show for the first eight months there allowed us to buy a lighting rig, a sound rig and the curtains, which has helped us hugely. And then when Glee came along, Helen from the Nottingham Comedy Festival hooked us up with them.  They came to one of the Hopkinson Gallery shows, loved it, and then offered us a residency when Glee opened.  They have been unbelievably supportive, and their keenness to support local comedy has helped us enormously.

What makes improv different to other theatre or comedy shows?
Simply, it’s the most creative thing that you can see done on stage.  It’s not pre-written; it’s raw creativity brought about by the talent of our players.  Many people think that because it’s improvised that it’s just people messing about and that there’s no skill there.  There is structure to it, but more than that it’s the purest form of creativity because writing stuff down and scripting stuff – whether it be music or plays or stand-up comedy – is relatively recent in the history of performance art.  Before that, all stuff was improvised; they’ve done brain scans that show that a different part of the brain is used in improvisation. Improv is like watching people be kids again because they can say and do whatever they want.  It’s also about enjoying the dynamic between the performers as you are never quite sure in which direction a scene will go.

Cynics might question whether a show is completely unscripted and argue that a show seems to be more about the players having fun than the audience.  Is this fair?
No, not at all.  If you take that approach, most performance of any kind is self-indulgent, in the sense that you’re standing in front of a group of people asking them to look at you.  And writing is even more self-involved as it involves sitting down, researching and writing something that is quote reflective of you. Improv is a group thing – not only the dynamic of the group playing but also the dynamic with the audience who are providing the suggestions.  So it’s actually one of the least selfish forms of performance.  The audience are giving you the suggestions to work with, so if you don’t have a rapport with the audience you will die on your arse.  It also means that it is impossible for a show to be scripted.

MissImp seems to be not just about an audience turning up to a monthly Glee show. Are your jams and workshops designed to encourage people to get involved?
It’s important that people realise that none of us are personally making any money out of this.  The money we make from shows and workshops is reinvented in the group – in equipment for the shows and also in helping our members improve.For example, this year we’ve brought over a teacher from the Upright Citizens’ Brigade theatre in New York to run some improv workshops, we have a German improviser coming over to do some teaching and we have arranged for a Brighton-based group to run some musical improv workshops.  So, we try and use our funds for the benefit of the group.  Collectively, there’s so much that the group can do with the small amount of money that we have and we’re in a lovely position that a lot of other improv groups aren’t in. One of the things I really like about this group is that the money we use is generally used to increase the knowledge base for everyone.  Even if everyone within the group doesn’t get to go to a workshop, some people do and they pass on what they have learnt to everyone.

What can people expect if they come to your weekly workshop?
The group is extremely welcoming; both tolerant and merciless – in an affectionate way, of course.  When new people come along they quickly understand that they will be the butt of some of the jokes.  No-one is singled out – there are running gags about pretty much everyone.One of the things that marks us out from other improv groups is that we’re one of the very few groups that does short-form improv but not in a competitive format.  We’re slightly more inclusive than that.  Competitive formats result in rampaging egos which takes a lot of the fun out of it, so we prefer to work as a group and that’s where the weekly sessions really help.We’ve got so many phenomenally smart people from all different walks of life that we have this incredible range of influences in the stuff that we do.   Having people that know so much enriches the type of improv that we perform.If you’re thinking of coming to a workshop, come to a show first to see what it’s all about. There’s nothing worse than coming to a workshop and suddenly being thrust in a room full of strangers without knowing what the general idea is. We call our jams and workshops ‘adult playtime’ – in a non-sexual way, of course....

So what can people expect from a MissImp show?
It’s a wonderful mix of the mundane and the bizarre.  Players who have the most boring office jobs tend to be the ones that go off on a massive flight of fancy while people in creative jobs often play the straight man in ‘kitchen-sink’ style improv. It’s also about the audience.  As we have said, a great show needs a great audience to come up with inspirational and bizarre suggestions for scenes.  Without a great audience, the players have nothing to work with and so the better and more engaged the audience are, the better the show. Come with a sense of fun and curiosity.  If you’re going to come to a show in the way that some people go to a stand-up show - arms folded, ‘go on, make me laugh’ - you’re going to get nothing out of it.  If you come with a sense of fun and just want to have a laugh and shout out some suggestions then you’ll have a great night.

MissImp perform a regular show at Nottingham’s Glee on the last Friday of every month. 

Missimp website