14/09/2026
Thanks so much Erin and The Factory! ^_^
A gorgeous review for our friends Improverished after their 10 Year Anniversary special 'Greatest Hits':
'Serving up a smorgasbord of smash-hits is how improv troupe Improverished like to celebrate their 10-year (sort of; it’s technically 11 but don’t worry about that) anniversary.
The game is to cram all their previous shows into one, eschewing their typical style of long-form improvised storytelling for a variety show approach...
We are taken on a whirlwind journey across genres – fairy tales and farce, action, mystery, fantasy and romance... Some are full short stories made from a few prompts and wrapped up neatly at the end, others are explicitly games or stripped back stories in the form of radio news bulletins and dvd commentary by obscure crew members.
The Factory, one of the many venues the troupe have frequented, is the perfect setting for an Improverished show, which tend to work better in intimate spaces. The stage provides enough space for physical comedy, while the audience is relatively small and near the performers, making for easy interaction that everyone has a chance to feel part of.
The interactive elements provide plenty of fun and silliness – gerbil wranglers, beans for toes and Bruce Willis’ teeth, just to name some of the bangers. The audience is thoroughly engaged by the end, with everyone competing for their favoured version of the story to play out.
With such an extensive back catalogue, the group could easily coast off this success and decide to continue repeating their past hits (it is literally different every night after all!). While I am thoroughly tantalised into wanting to see the full-length version of them all, I also hope the group continue to innovate. It is not just the wit, enthusiasm and rapport of their performers that make Improverished a success, but also the clever working of the improvised format into all different kinds of stories.
It is a wholesome night full of joy and unpredictable chaos – an apt testament to the brand Improverished have built for themselves. It’s an impressive feat for any theatre company to stick around for ten years, weathering economic ups and downs as well as unfriendly arts policies, let alone independent ones who see members come and go. And it’s not only audiences who have benefitted – Improverished are also spreading the joy of improv through their adult beginner classes and other educational initiatives. The troupe has built a real sense of community, and I think this is the backbone of their successful longevity. I’m sure I’m not alone in hoping that Improverished, whatever they might decide to take on next, will be around for another ten years to come.
By Erin O’Flaherty.'
Our sentiments exactly, Erin! We can't wait to see what the next 10 years bring for our pals.
Photo cred: Madeleine Smith
