A masterclass in spontaneous theatre
From the moment the lights dimmed, it was clear that the audience was in for an exceptional evening of spontaneous theater at Hoopla Improv’s 20th anniversary celebration. This specific night was just one of many incredible shows on the packed anniversary schedule, perfectly capturing the festive and high-caliber spirit of the landmark event. Our brilliant host, Monica, anchored the night with incredible energy that felt instantly down-to-earth and deeply relatable. Even in the brief moments where she completely forgot what she was meant to be doing up there, she effortlessly made it work, turning those raw, unscripted beats into some of the most endearing and funny highlights of the evening.
The night kicked off with a double bill of stellar supporting acts that primed the room with high-energy comedy. First up was the improv group Michelle, who performed a series of hilariously inventive macroscenes set within a “motherfucking dinosaur museum.” The audience was taken on a brilliant journey through different locations within the building, ranging from exhibits where dinosaurs were unexpectedly brought to life, to a tragicomic running gag following a character named Paul. The crowd roared as poor Paul was progressively demoted every ten years, until he eventually ended up in charge of nothing but the children’s drawings of dinosaurs. Their sharp comedic timing and seamless chemistry won over the crowd instantly.
They were followed by My Sons, a musical improv act that delivered pure joy through a brilliant, high-wire creative constraint. The group interviewed the audience, asking what people had done with their day and what they were most proud of. Crafting songs on the spot based on audience members’ names, they cleverly matched the musical key of each track to the starting letter of the volunteer’s name. In one standout example, a conversation prompted an incredibly funny song titled “I Wish I Never Asked,” which had the room in stitches. It was an incredibly impressive and seamless display of musical quick-wittedness, highlighted by a phenomenal moment where they expertly played three guitars simultaneously.
After the interval, the headliners, The School of Night, took the stage alone for the second half of the show. Featuring the exceptional talents of improvisers like Dylan Emery, Phil Whelans and Alan Cox, what followed was a staggering display of literary and theatrical mastery that elevated the evening far beyond a standard comedy show. The performers tackled daunting linguistic challenges with immense ease, improvising fluidly in a Chaucerian style and maintaining flawless Shakespearean iambic pentameter. For their main narrative, they tasked themselves with creating a “lost late play” in the style of the Bard, weaving together an audience-suggested setting of falling snow with a unicorn as the central mythical creature.
The brilliance of the troupe shone brightest during their seamless integration of fun, improvisational games that interrupted the drama without breaking the spell. A particular standout moment involved a soliloquy delivered by Alan Cox, who had to rapidly shift his emotional state based on the four physical liquids believed to govern human health and mood in Shakespeare’s era: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. Cox pivoted beautifully between the resulting states of mind – shifting from nonchalant (sanguine) and languid (phlegmatic), to anger (yellow bile) and melancholy (black bile) – showcasing mind-bending mental agility alongside Emery and the rest of the cast’s sharp comedic support.
Even when minor hiccups occurred on stage, they were handled with absolute professionalism and grace. Because the performers established such a rock-solid foundation of trust and charisma right from the very beginning, the audience was entirely on their side, readily forgiving any brief slips and embracing them as part of the live magic. The entire production felt beautifully fluid, smooth, and incredibly slick, serving as a perfect testament to the elite tier of talent celebrated throughout this anniversary run. With many more spectacular shows still left to see on the 20th-anniversary schedule, this is a milestone celebration that comedy fans simply cannot afford to miss.
More Hoopla Impro shows and classes can be found here.
No idea where/when this is or how you get tickets or how much they are. Before i have this information I can’t really appreciate the review