Edinburgh International Improv Festival is upon us, and its opening may have shown just what other festivals are missing
On Thursday the 5th of March, The Edinburgh International Improv Festival commenced for the eighth-year running. Since 2019, EIIF has welcomed Improv Comedians from all over to the hazardous streets of Edinburgh. And the festival has a great deal of heart. Nowhere else is this heart more evident than at The First Beat.
The First Beat signposts the beginning of the festival. And it was a fantastic kick-off. While posited as a show (and it partly was), it was ostensibly more of an opening ceremony, so the audience was filled with performers. I managed to talk with most of the acts that took the stage celebratorily across the night, each of whom shared a palpable sense of excitement and community, giving a great idea of what EIIF specifically brings to the table.
Starting the night, The Breaks created a series of scenes from a single word suggestion. Focusing more so on making their fellow performers break, the group generated a synchronicity and playfulness that was absolutely infectious. Composed of Craig Methuen, Karlie Menzel, Daniel Kvoras and Gareth O’Connor, their show Fabled on the 7th should be a hit.
Glasgow Improv Theatre also took a single word suggestion, then generated loosely related words through association. Their scenes were wide ranging and delightfully complex. I had a nice chat with John McInnes and Martin James of GIT, who both expressed delight at the festival’s growth. John and Martin were equal parts proud, excited and humble to see audience members (as well as students) from previous years now taking the stage. Classes and workshops at Glasgow Improv Theatre are coming up, so I’d certainly recommend giving it a go.
Monika Smith performed next and was my highlight of the night. Alone onstage, Smith picked audience members to conduct several scenes with. Due to the event that night, these too were Improv Comedians: Ben Cassil, Zoe Langer and Ted Allbress. Nevertheless, conducted is the right word. Smith is capable of guiding the scene subtly to its fullest potential. In conversation with Smith, she informed me that this is indeed the nature of her show, and the audiences are not usually so full of other Improvisers. Conceptually, some would see this as a comedy ticking time bomb. But Monika makes it work. Her show Solo Improv is on Sunday 8th at 4:30pm.
The second half of the night was shorter, but jam-packed. First up was Amanda & Oscar. Amanda Breen and Oscar Montoya are very comfortable onstage. This level of stage presence led to hilarious surprises, and a genuinely lovely and controlled scene. After this, Will “MC Hammersmith” Naameh concluded the evening with two routines. Frankly, this act gets tighter every year. It is astonishing to watch.
In conversation with Will and Amanda, both comedians expressed anticipation for the Upright Citizen Brigades’ upcoming presence in Edinburgh, and that having this much Improv in one room is an extremely reinvigorating thing. One can’t help but agree.
Talking with acts from across the night, it is hard not to absolutely encourage patronage for this festival. EIIF may be an underdog, but its support of Improv from all walks of life is entirely admirable. And the spirit of Improv runs through the very festival. In fact, Laura (one of the EIIF organizers) best summed up the feeling of comradery in the room that night: if you’re doing standup, you have to bomb alone, but in Improv, you’ll go down together.
Edinburgh International Improv Festival has shows from the 5th to the 8th of March. More information can be found here: https://www.edimprovfest.com