Tag: Improv

REVIEW: Spontaneous Potter: The Unofficial Improvised Parody | The Spontaneous Players

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in Comedy, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Reviews

Aug 22-29 | Varied Times | Gilded Balloon | Learn More about their UK tour

For anyone who doesn’t know (or has spent their entire life with their head in a cardboard box) J. K. Rowling lives in Edinburgh and it’s where she wrote the majority of the Harry Potter series. This is why, unsurprisingly, ANYTHING Harry Potter related does very well in Scotland’s capital!

And what does really well at any fringe, theatre or comedy festival? That would be Improv!

So, basically, The Spontaneous Players are onto an absolutely winning formula here. With some simple marketing and the existent following of this comedy troupe they are bound to sell out every fringe! It doesn’t really matter if the shows any good…

…which it is! It’s brilliant.

Just pick a title, which in our case was Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Andrew, and away we go.

The clear experience and unity of this group shines through in their performance. They have a great knowledge of the films and books (bar one which is used as a hilarious gimmick). They’re a little too focused on gags rather than story so it did drag in places and they need to work on the corpsing, but it’s great fun and well worth a watch especially if you’re a fan of the Harry Potter universe and even if you’re not!

The Arts Business Top Tips:

  • In general, to produce content or products around existing ideas that are still in copyright you need to pay a licensing fee. This is unless you create a parody! Therefore, it is well worth learning your parody laws. Parody is viewed as an art form in itself, and iconic Fandoms like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones or Doctor Who, already have a following which is an existing market and audience for you to tap into. To learn more about Parody Laws check out this awesome article from the Copyright User.
  • Location is key! Harry Potter has strong links with Edinburgh which is why it works well in the city. The Spontaneous Players have previously performed Spontaneous Sherlock also iconic in Scotland as Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes Series attended the University of Edinburgh. So, think about your location and use it to your advantage: for example, I live in Birmingham which is renowned for being home to J. R. R. Tolkien who wrote the Lord of the Rings.

REVIEW: Blind Mirth presents Sex with Me! | Blind Mirth

Posted RuthEJWestLeave a commentPosted in Comedy, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Reviews

Aug 11-14 | 16.05 | theSpace @ Surgeons Hall | Get Tickets

 

If you haven’t seen some improvisational comedy in Edinburgh, then you haven’t done the fringe properly! And what better way to watch than with these improv fringe veterans, Blind Mirth from St Andrews University!

First half improv games, to get you in the swing of exactly what their company is about, second half fully improv-ed play there is something for any fringe goer to enjoy.

Highlights include a police interview in which our suspect must guess the crime, location, and accomplice from her interrogator’s conversation, a Mock the Week staple inspired from scenes we’d like to see, like which prime ministers are the worst at their job, or why sex with Blind Mirth is like a watermelon and an ask me anything (about sandwiches) machine.

Always very funny and featuring a couple of cast members with absolute stand out talent, this is completely worth your time this fringe!

Although their long-form storytelling was a little bit ropey the best thing about this performance by far is the fact that despite the difficulties of the last year they’re down here and their doing it and they’re having the best time! And their energy is completely contagious.

Today is your last day to see it, but I don’t doubt they’ll be back next year!

 

The Arts Business Top Tips:

  • If you have any creative interests and you’re a university student, no matter what it is you’re taking, get involved! Go through your student union and see what groups are available to you. If there’s nothing catering exactly to what you want, then start your own society. Student Unions are separately funded to unis themselves and, if you have a compelling enough society idea, they have pots of money put aside especially for you to explore this! And it is relatively easy to establish. Whilst I was at uni myself and fellow students established two student theatre companies through our SU and created work we simply wouldn’t have had the option to if it was left to our own funding.