Hoopla Impro

Hoopla Impro is an improvised comedy and drama company that was founded in January 2006 by Steve Roe and Edgar Fernando. It is the UK's first improv theatre. Originally based in Balham southwest London, its shows moved to The Miller in London Bridge in 2010.

Hoopla Impro

Founded	2006
Founder	Steve Roe and Edgar Fernando
Purpose	Improvised drama and comedy
Location	The Miller, London Bridge
Website	www.hooplaimpro.com

During that time it has grown to become the UK's biggest improvisation training school, teaching thousands of people every year at venues around London. It has collaborated with Google, Facebook,^[1] Apple, ITV and Imperial College, and the company has been recommended by Time Out,^[2] The Evening Standard^[3] and The Daily Telegraph.^[4]

The Miller pub in London Bridge, Hoopla's main venue for shows.

Annual Hoopla Improv Marathon

Hoopla runs an annual non-stop show for 29 hours every September, starting from 7pm on the Friday through to midnight on Saturday. It includes over 200 performers - many of whom are present throughout - and over 50 shows.^[5][6]

Hoopla's UK & Ireland Improv Festival

In 2019 Hoopla launched a Improv Festival in London, bringing together improvised comedy acts from around the United Kingdom and Ireland. Among the performances were The Actor's Nightmare, Music Box and The Committee.^[7][8]

Regular Performers

The listed teams are Hoopla-produced house teams, and regular weekend show performers.

Name	Improv Type	Date Established	Members	Reference
The Aquarium	Short-form House Team	2019	Belton Flournoy, Harpreet Sandhu, Heather Burgess, Helen Page, Jake Clements, Joe Cazalet-Smith, John Pape, Kiran Shergill, Laura Gazzard, Mary C. Parker, Phillip Piggott, Rachel Edwards, Sanj Surati, Vitali Bokov
The Descendants	Narrative long-form House Team	2018	Carly Brazier, Carsten Jung, Jess Williamson, Leo Maxwell, Lisa Ronaghan, Matt Cosgrove, Matt Sparkes, Matt Stainsby, Sarah McKinless, Sarah Wiliams, Will Sebastian, Chloe Wittet
Do Not Adjust Your Stage	Long-form	2010	Rhys Collier, Tim Grewcock, Shaun Lowthian, Helen O'Donnell, Nick Oram, Freya Parker, Clare Plested, Freya Slipper, Matt Stevens
Do The Right Scene (originally named Nu Z Land)	Multiple	2017	Tai Campbell, Monica Gaga, Athena Kugblenu, Kemah Bob, Adam Courting, Joel Semakula, Mary Parker, Rosie Bergonzi, Joshua Jackson, Folusho Falegan
Dreamweaver Quartet	Musical Long-form	2017	James Witt, Greg Birks, Francesca Reid, James Irving, Rhiannon Vivian, Fraser Parry
GÄMEZ	Short-form House Team	2018	Alastair Thomas, Alice Hudson, Charlotte Gaughan, Chloé Dall’Olio, Dave Heron, Ella Bamforth, Euan Brown, Harriet Hughes, Harry Turnbull, Jack Turner, Jessie Rutland, Miriam Hall, Nadine Bailey, Nell Guy, Rachael Fernandes, Ryan J Murphy, Stephen Wan, Tom Bridge, Unai Garcia	[9]
Grand Theft Impro	Improvised Sketch	2003	Dylan Emery, Phil Whelans, Charlotte Gittins, Alan Marriott	[10]
The Maydays	Long-form	2003	Heather Urquhart, Jen Rowe, Katy Schutte, Rebecca MacMillan, John Cremer, Liz Peters, Jules Munns, Rhiannon Vivian, Joe Samuel, Chris Mead, Lloydie James Lloyd, Jennifer Jordan, Edmund Fargher
Michelle	Long-form House Team	2019	Chris Rosser, Folusho Falegan, Jon Nguyen, Kate Heward, Lilla Hodossy, Liv Long, Mary Frampton, Max Marcq, Melissa Parker, Michael Kunze, Michal Banai, Paul Creasy, Reanne Farley, Sabrina Luisi, Teresa Senyah
Music Box	Musical Long-form	2009	Andrew Gentilli, Greg Birks, Rachel Lyons, Rory Vierya, Lewis Harrison-Barker, Ben Tailor-Hamblin, Tom Hodge
The Playground	Multiple	2015	Breaking & Entering: Maria Peters, Lauren Shearing. Regular guests: Rachel Parris, Suki Webster, Amy Cooke-Hodgson, Charlotte Gittins, Pippa Evans, Ruth Bratt, Briony Redman	[11]
The RH Experience	Long-form	2008	Conor Jatter, Luke Spillane, Tom Webster, Will Dixon, Dan Attfield, Ben Murphie, Ella Jean, Tom Bacon

Diversity

Hoopla aims to promote diversity in improv and comedy.^[12] Hoopla hosts a monthly night for BAME players, run by Do The Right Scene. After a 'Crash Landing' workshop, it presents a performance called 'Special Delivery'.^[13] Zeal^[usurped] and runs an LGBT 'Loud and Queer' night at Hoopla.^[14] The Playground is an all-female monthly night run by Lauren Shearing and Maria Peters's two-person improv show Breaking & Entering.^[15] In 2016 it was named by Time Out as one of "Six all-female comedy gigs not to miss this spring".^[16]

Hoopla offers a number of diversity scholarships to people who are unemployed or on low-income, students, key workers, over 60s, under 23, homeless or in sheltered accommodation or BAME.^[17]

Media coverage

Hoopla Impro's work has featured in several leading publications in the United Kingdom. In April 2014, the Evening Standard of London reported on the rise of tech workers in the city attending improvisation classes at Hoopla.^[18] In 2017, the British Comedy Guide reported how The Miller was becoming Hoopla Improv's dedicated venue, starting with a 50-hour improvisation marathon.^[19]

In June 2019, author Jessica Pan wrote an article for the Guardian on her experiences from a visit to Hoopla.^[20]