Event type: Comedy

5.40pm
 

A DOUBLE BILL

 

STUPID.

Stupid are an improvised comedy duo staring Al Donohoe and Mike Burton.

Inspired by audience suggestions, the pair of fast-thinking fools create comedic scenes
that thematically link while bouncing off one another. And, as the name suggests, things
soon get silly…

Not only does the duo make it up as they go along, they also play multiple characters
within scenes, and, at times, swap and play each other’s characters. Watching them
skilfully keep pace with their own spontaneous creation only adds to the fun.

Stupid stars Mike Burton and Al Donohoe, two seasoned performers with decades of stage
experience under their belts. They’ve been performing together regularly since 2021. They
combine a mix natural observational wit and UCB style game in to make a joyful, daring
and very, very stupid show.

 
Far and the rest of the Family

If your family is weird, you will soon find out that this family is even weirder. All the way from Norway, this gang will enter the stage with a boom, and show you their funniest games. It might get funny, it might get emotional, it most certainly will be unforgettable (hopefully in a good way). Far and the rest of the family is a group of experienced improvisers doing short-form improv. We do it just the way you like your family get-togethers: maybe a movie your cousin forced you to see, popcorn from the microwave and wine from aunt Margaret’s closet. Spend a night with people you have to like since you are family, but realize at the end of the day that they are actually quite nice.

“Oslos best short form group” – Aree Withoelar, after Oslo Impro Festival 2023.

“..the Norwegian group “Far and the rest of the family”, is a fast cavalcade of short-form improv, with a group that appears to be really well-knit and coordinated.” – Cathrin Monell, Scenkonstguiden/The Performing Arts Guide, after our show in Improfest, Gothenburg, Sweden.

4.30pm
 

Loo-Prov! 
Ever wondered what happens on the other side of the doors to the ladies toilets? The women from Loo-Prov! bring the tears, pep talks and confessions of the bathrooms to the stage with their completely improvised show.
This all female, London based team is a favourite with local audiences! Finalists in the Free Association’s 2024 Cage Match and performers at the 2024 Das Improv festival in Berlin, their show is a touching, funny and sometimes illuminating experience!

 

RAWD

Get Ready for a show filled with joy, chaos, and unscripted brilliance!

RAWD have worked with festival co-director Jen putting together a show that promises big laughs, bold creativity and a whole lot of heart.

Expect the unexpected as our talented performers take the stage, creating totally unpredictable scenes— all inspired by your suggestions! From off-the-cuff comedy to side-splitting storytelling, this is making stuff up like you’ve never seen it before.

7pm
 

Mirth meets murder in the world’s daftest whodunnit. Following more than a decade of five-star, sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe, Brighton Fringe, Leicester Square Theatre and more, the award-winning festival favourite ‘CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation’ comes to Liverpool with the rip-roaring crime comedy made up entirely on the spot. Grab your detective hats and prepare to laugh as you create your very own crime, grill suspects in a line up and, ultimately, decide who’s off to the clanger.

A fully improvised, witty and absurd murder mystery. No one knows who the killer is, not even the cast!

 
WINNER ‘Best Musical/Improv Show’ Leicester Comedy Festival 2023
WINNER ‘The Comedy Award’ Colchester Fringe 2024
“Quick thinking & fast paced. A spectacular must see.” ★★★★★ – Bunbury Magazine
“They have improvisation down to a fine art” ★★★★★ – Wee Review
“Unique and riveting… downright hilarious.” ★★★★1/2 – Luxembourg Chronicle

2.40pm
 

The 1960s, a time of antiwar protests, countercultural movements, and the “generation gap.” ImprompTwo returns to its roots with their deep dive into the gritty, American gothic style of improvised theatre. Set in the midwest, where hard work is futile and dreams have gone by the wayside, FROM DUSK TILL DAWN delves into what keeps people going when everything is changing and nowhere feels right. Inspired by the great American playwrights, they will create a beautiful, improvised play filled with stunning silences, passion, and pathos.

8:00pm
Unity 1
Liver Bards ‘Unified’ brings some of the many brilliant poets and bards from Ma Boyle’s basement to the Unity Theatre. Liver Bards is a time and place for poets and those that like to be around them to get together and share their truths and listen to others speak theirs.

There is always a need to gather in person to experience poetry and share our humanity. Why not explore Liver Bards and the many other rich and varied poetic events and opportunities? You will more than likely find places, spaces and faces where you are welcomed.

Keep poeteering! Keep barding!

 

Thank you to the hundreds of individual Liver Bards – audience and performers alike – who make the best nest and help our fantastic flock to fly.

Many thanks to Iain Hoskins and the Ma Boyle’s team for making us welcome over the years.

5:30pm

Unity 1

Horizon Film Festival showcases the work of Liverpool’s best and brightest upcoming filmmakers. We seek to give them the exposure, connections, and support they need to thrive in the industry.
Attending the festival is your opportunity to watch groundbreaking short films, talk to their creators, and discover the bold visionaries who will shape the future of our industry.
Join us in celebrating the art of film in the heart of Liverpool.

8.00pm
 

Twenty years ago The School of Night made its first appearance, at Shakespeare’s Globe in London. Sixteen years ago it made its Liverpool debut at the legendary MelloMello cafe. Since then, its unique blend of literary improvisation has been seen all over the UK (National Theatre, British Library, Hay, Latitude and Edinburgh festivals) and beyond (in the US, Malaysia and all over Europe) as well as appearing on many radio shows, including BBC Radio’s The Verb. They are delighted to be back in Liverpool to perform new works by Shakespeare and others, summoned from thin air! Imagine if making stuff up was just more fun than writing it down…

 
‘Uproarious, intelligent, laugh-a-minute fare’
★ ★ ★ ★ Telegraph
‘Fearsomely able improvisers’
★ ★ ★ ★ Financial Times
‘Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cosy, doesn’t try it on.’
Billy Connolly

Day and weekend passes are available to purchase for the entire festival. There is a limited number of these passes available. Follow the link here to purchase yours.

7.00pm
 

For millennia, people have gathered around fires to share fables, weave myths, and cast shadows that dance on cave walls. Now, Allegory of the Cave breathes new life into these ancient traditions.

This unique production is brought to you by a skilled ensemble who combine traditional improv with the captivating arts of puppetry and shadow theatre, weaving elements of folklore and timeless storytelling into a living tapestry of improvised scenes. Prepare for big ideas, unforgettable characters, and epic adventures that unfold live before your eyes – no two performances alike, yet each a journey into the unknown.

Allegory of the Cave is the collaborative creation of Audra Goffeney, Rosalind Gregoire, Jennifer Jordan, and Robert MacKie. Together, they bring a rich blend of fantasy, folklore, and shadow theatre techniques to the world of improv, crafting performances that transport audiences into realms of myth and wonder.

 

“Raw, Beautiful and Haunting”

“This show completely changed what I thought improv could be”

“Breathtaking”

5.30pm
 

Box of Frogs, Birmingham’s premier Improv Group, brings you a fabulous evening of improvised comedy. The multi-talented and quick-witted Box of Frogs players conjure up hilarious spontaneous songs, sketches and scenes on the spur of the moment, all based on suggestions from the audience.

“superb night … great entertainment” – midlandsimprov.com

“this show was terrific fun as well as being great value for money“ – Brumhour

“Guarantee you’ll be laughing throughout.” – Love Midlands Theatre

“The brilliant and bouncy Box of Frogs is definitely a group to see at least once before you croak.” – Bum On A Seat

Funded by The British Council
 

Rising | Pike Ake is a cross-continental theatrical collaboration with young people from Liverpool, UK and Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.

Connecting us both is our coastal location and strong relationship with the water. Using a ‘call and response’, between the two groups we will create stories inspired by each other’s cultures, stories and responses to the climate crisis.

We will work with both physical theatre and writing with AD Eli Randle and writer Ginni Manning over a series of 8 weekly sessions, connecting with our partner in New Zealand online.

We are looking for young people to be involved in this exciting opportunity. You can be involved as performers, writers, designers or musicians.

 
APPLY TO TAKE PART HERE
. If you can’t make all of the sessions, don’t let this put you off, as long as you can make the majority! The Deadline for applications is Feb 3rd 2025.