The London improv festival 21st - 24th May 2026
artistry ᐧ community ᐧ joy
The London improv festival headliners
Incredible improvisers will be joining us to perform headline shows and share their love of improv by teaching workshops.
(We have more names to drop, so keep your eyes peeled!!)
Sebastian Conelli is a New York based improviser who regularly performs with Raaaatscraps and Asssscat (at UCB NYC). He appears in the Academy Award winning film Anora, and hosts the popular (and hilarious) podcast Loud About Nothing.
Sebastian is an extremely thoughtful and insightful improv teacher with years of coaching experience. The London Improv Festival is very excited and lucky to host him!
Suzi Barrett is an LA based actor/writer/improviser who plays with ASSSSCAT at UCB LA, is a member of the long-running house team Sentimental Lady, and is one half of the beloved indie team Elephants Gerald, with Rebecca Drysdale. She hosts the popular improv podcast Yes Also, and is a frequent guest on After Midnight and Comedy Bang Bang.
Suzi is passionate about bringing the philosophies and skills of the improv world (trust, support, and flexibility) to people in other walks of life. It is an honour to have such a bright, kind and experienced member of the improv community as part of The London Improv Festival.
fan faves competition
The London Improv Festival Fan Faves Competition is a second chance for teams to win a slot in the festival.
fan faves competition: heat 1
7.30pm sunday 1st february
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Pretty Little Improvisers
Thought you’d heard the last of “A”? In Rosewood, secrets never stay buried for long. Inspired by iconic teen thriller, Pretty Little Liars, our cast spin a web of betrayal, deception, and scandal - all made up on the spot! Will they uncover the truth, or just more lies? Either way, the drama’s to die for.
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Stella: The Improvised RomCom
Give them a location and the cast of Stella will improvise a whole romcom! Meet cutes, unrequited love, a quirky best friend and probably a monologue in the (make believe) rain.
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Bob, Your Uncle
Bob, Your Uncle improvises hilarious, informative and downright silly scenes based on idioms and phrases from you, the audience!
Previous shows have spilled the beans on sayings from France to the Dominican Republic, Yorkshire to New York. Who says boo to a goose? What Portuguese dog is afraid of sausages? And why do Bulgarians care about your grandmother’s kite?
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Whats the Score?
What’s the Score? creates a brand new musical, inspired by a single audience suggestion, inviting you into an immersive world of memorable characters, soaring songs and raw emotions. Funny, heartfelt and completely unscripted, this is a musical you'll want to catch before its very limited run is over!
fan faves competition: heat 2
8.30pm sunday 1st february
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Lobster Tango
Your newest favourite improvisers. Lobster/tango not guaranteed.
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Room for Improvement
Room for Improvement play quick-fire games turning audience suggestions into silly scenes. They really embrace the bizarre! It'll be a laugh.
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Track 96
Track 96’s current show is “The Oracle”, a thrilling journey into your future, revealed through the power of improvised hip-hop and rhyme. Join London's premier hip-hop improv crew for an unforgettable night where your destiny unfolds live on stage. Be part of an experience where freestyle meets foresight. Don't miss this unique blend of music, comedy, and spontaneous storytelling!
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Twelve People
Imagine if twelve people all wanted to be your best friend. They’d overshare, make inside jokes only you’d get, and just have the best darn time.
Twelve People performs a fully improvised show where a rotating cast of 12 top-tier improvisers ask you and each other for bold opinions before spinning those ideas into fast, playful, character-driven scenes.
fan faves competition: heat 3
7.30pm sunday 8th february
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The Low Bar
The Low Bar is bringing you a chance to experience time travel in ‘Whose time is it Anyway?’ - where you have a hand in choosing the adventure, the time period and the time traveller’s character. A bit like the show Quantum Leap…although for legal reasons any similarities are entirely coincidental! Will the hero of the story be an old Pompeii mystic who must convince the town of the impending eruption? Or a French revolution peasant on the hunt for bread? Or perhaps a dinosaur who just wants to keep his Dino Band together? You, the audience, get to choose!
Will the cast get to go back to the present or will they be stuck in their new world forever? Come find out if they can guess Whose time is it anyway?!
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Moody
With a penchant for the surreal and the punishing humour of awkward social situations Moody do a Mono Scene, one long scene set in one location. A word from the audience kicks off some scene painting in which a location is built on stage using the performers and audiences imagination. From there one scene and only one scene is performed. Hilarity ensues. Then we leave the stage. Come and watch us do one scene!
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RTFS (Random Team From Slovenia)
Remember childhood stories and folk tales of unlikely heroes performing epic feats, filled with magic, monsters, and occasionally dubious moral lessons? RTFS brings that feeling back, improvised live for modern audiences.
Expect epic characters, heroic journeys, suspenseful twists, and a touch of magic in a folk tale that exists once and never again, complete with a questionable moral lesson you did not ask for.
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Stanley
Don’t get Stanley started about… anything cause whoah do these amazing improvisers wanna share their thoughts and turn them into comedy!!
fan faves competition: heat 4
8.30pm sunday 8th february
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A Likely Story
Watch a narrative made up on the spot - inspired by your suggestion of the first line of dialogue! Big character, big laughs and maybe the occasional "aw" as well.
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Happy Clappers
If you can say it, we can sing it! Happy Clappers take you on a journey of improvised scenes and songs inspired by audience suggestions. From spontaneous storytelling to big musical moments, you’ll hear songs you’ve never heard before - and never will again.
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Jiu Jitsu Entertainment Company
Team of mixed experience Jiu Jitsu athletes, who after realising it's hard to monetise Jiu Jitsu pivoted to improv. Every scene in a Jiu Jitsu show starts with the exact same moment… and then things get weird (in a fun way). One small change sends us wandering into new characters, new worlds, and totally unexpected moments. It’s playful, unpredictable, and made up on the spot with a totally different show every time.
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The Spooky Show
A spooky, silly, completely unscripted adventure. The Spooky Show blends ghostly chills with big laughs as fearless investigators improvise hauntings, séances, and supernatural chaos live on stage. One night only, never the same twice — come for the scares, stay for the comedy.
fan faves competition: heat 5
7.30pm sunday 15th february
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Book Club
The show about a book that doesn't exist, that no one's ever read.
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The Instant Musical
A fully improvised musical full of heart warming and hilarious songs, catchy lyrics, dance routines and plot twists - all set in the wonderful world of [wherever you decide]. We are a new team that have trained with the best and aim for the stars…
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Shake Before Use
Shake Before Use brings all the most exciting elements of long form improv to the stage - grounded scenes, hilarious games and an epic finale! They perform their take on The Deconstruction, it’s quintessentially Blanche! (Read: super silly!!)
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Unplanned 9
A never-before seen science fiction adventure! From the fears of the audience, Unplanned 9 weave a story of monsters, aliens, and science-gone-wrong guaranteed to dazzle, terrify, and surprise!!
fan faves competition: heat 6
8.30pm sunday 15th february
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Be Right Back
Your search history. Our problem. Five improvisers race to connect two of your search terms in six degrees flat. Probably chaotic. Possibly profound.
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Game Day
Ever get Deja vu? Hmm, come see Game Day performing an improv show where each scene starts the same, yet no scene ends the same. Watch as we take each scene in wonderful, unexpected and unhinged directions. Ever get Deja vu?
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Lost the Plot
Always the world’s newest musical!
Give us a location and we'll provide the rest. Expect glittering harmonies, hilarious characters and heart-wrenching drama...all made up entirely on the spot! Featuring a cast of seasoned improvisers and West End performers.
“A masterclass in the art of improv.” - Everything Theatre
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The Parentheticals
Your title. Your world. Our chaos. Join us for an interactive improvised comedy quest where you hold the map. Give us a title and a starting point, then watch as we navigate uncharted territories filled with talking animals, endearing allies, and ridiculous foes. Come inspire the adventure — we’ll handle the (ad-libbed) heroics!
fan faves competition: finals dates
The London Improv Festival Fan Faves Competition Semi Finals
Semi Final 1 at 7.30pm Sunday 22nd February
Semi Final 2 at 7.30pm Sunday 1st March
Semi Final 3 at 7.30pm Sunday 8th March
The London Improv Festival Fan Faves Competition Grand Final
8.30pm Sunday 29th March
teams performing at The London improv festival
THANK YOU to all the teams who applied!!!
All of the teams who applied have been contacted letting them know the status of their application. The panelists were overwhelmed by the number and quality of applicants and the programming decisions were extremely difficult.
We will announce the full schedule as soon as all the teams who have been offered a place confirm.
ensemble team
We are super excited to form an improv team especially for The London Improv Festival - so individuals can perform at the festival. It’s just another way we are offering as many opportunities to get involved in The London Improv Festival as possible!
The Ensemble Team will be 8 people and they will be coached by Lelda. They will develop a show together and perform it at the festival. Members of the Ensemble Team will be required at to all the events for the Ensemble Team. They are:
5pm Friday 22nd May - Team social
2-5pm Saturday 23rd May - Rehearsal with Lelda
10-1pm Sunday 24th May - Rehearsal with Lelda
7.15pm Sunday 24th May - Show
All the application info is here.
Applications have closed and the panelists are currently working through the selection process.
All applicants will be contacted by 26th Jaunary whether they are being offered a place in The London Improv Ensemble Team or not.
The London improv festival team
The London Improv Festival is brought to you by the team at Blanche Improv.
Launching in 2023, Blanche has rapidly become a well respected leader in London’s improv scene. The Blanche community is made up of kind, generous and hardworking people, who will be a big part of this festival.
Blanche was created specifically to give as many people as possible the chance to shine in improv, so this festival is a logical next step! Blanche hosts guest teams every week, so she’s very used to sorting through applications, programming and wrangling improvisers.
With a track record for fabulous organisation, fairness, lifting people up and providing plenty of opportunities for growth, The London Improv festival is in great hands.
The London improv festival adjudication panel
The London Improv Festival is a celebration of the improv community and the glorious variety of people and wonderfully different styles of play.
To ensure submissions are judged fairly, the festival has appointed an adjudication panel who reflect these values and are committed to upholding them.
key dates
15th December 2025 Submissions open
26th December 2025 Headliner name drops begin
4th January Video day (If you need a video, come to Blanche and film one)
11th January 2026 Submissions close at midnight
19th January 2026 All teams contacted. Teams confirmed. Full schedule announced once all teams confirm.
26th January 2026 Ensemble Cast contacted and announced asap afterwards
1st February 2026 Fan Faves Competition begins
2nd February 2026 Priority booking opens
9th February 2026 Bookings open to the general public
29th March 2026 Fan Faves Grand Final
21st - 24th May 2026 The London Improv Festival
25th May 2026 Brunch!
faqs
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All festival events will be held at and around Blanche Improv in Earls Court, London.
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We are looking to stream some of the shows, but the core of the festival will be irl at Blanche Improv in Earls Court, London.
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The London Improv Festival workshops, shows, jams and socials are open to the general public.
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The core events will be day time workshops, evening shows and night time improv jams. But there will also be socials, panels and skills sharing events (a great chance for coaches to swap exercises and tips).
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Yes!! Full details on the way but the vibe is that you’ll be able to buy a pass and then you’ve paid for your tickets to shows and a limited number of workshops. You’ll still need to book in, but the payment is sorted.
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Yes! As the festival is hosted by Blanche Improv, we will be applying Blanche House Rules.
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Yes. Blanche is pro-sober and as The London Improv Festival is hosted by Blanche, the festival is also pro-sober. Which means no alcohol can be consumed at official festival events.
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Yeah. Wild right? The festivals are completely separate and each will have a different feel and focus. The London improv festival is a celebration of artistry, community and joy!
The London Improv Festival is presented by Blanche Improv, you can contact the festival team by emailing programming@blancheimprov.com