Email tickets@grandtheftimpro.com if you have any questions.
What: An hour and a half of fearlessly inventive, exciting and funny sketches and songs, all made up on the spot, all inspired by audience suggestions.
When: Every Thursday from 2nd May to 4th July 2013
What Time: 8:30pm -10:15pm (doors open 8:15pm)
Where: Upstairs at The Wheatsheaf, 25 Rathbone Place, London W1T 1JB.
Five minutes walk from Tottenham court road or Goodge Street tubes.
How Much: £5 if you buy them online; £7 on the door.
Bookings: buy cheaper online here - or e-mail tickets@grandtheftimpro.com or phone 020 7580 1585 to reserve tickets to be picked up on the night.
Photographs by Rob Rackstraw
For more on improvisation in the UK, go to The Crunchy Frog Collective website
About GTI
The History of Grand Theft Impro
Grand Theft Impro is a improvised sketch comedy troupe made up of Dylan Emery, Phil Whelans and Cariad Lloyd.
GTI was created by Alan Marrriot and Dylan Emery in 2003. It started with a core team of six players: Alan Marriott, Phil Whelans, Lesley Albiston, Drew Leavy, Duncan Foster and Dylan Emery. They performed every week at The Crown on Brewer Street in Soho.
Moving On
When the pub came under new management a couple of years later, GTI moved to The Black Horse on Rathbone Place. A couple of years later, the same company who bought The Crown bought The Black Horse and GTI moved up the road to The Wheatsheaf, also on Rathbone place. We are waiting to see if we are followed again.
Joining Us Tonight
Guests have included Niall Ashdown, Philip Pellew, Ruth Bratt, Pippa Evans, Luke Sorba, Tony Slattery, Phill Jupitus, Suki Webster, David Reed, Humphrey Ker, Kurt Smeaton, Nick Johne, Shawn Kinley, David Shore, Stewart McCure, John Bradley, Anthony Ingle, Paul Foxcroft, Kevin Gillese, Mark Meer, Donovan Workun, Andrew Pugsley, Ryan Millar, John Mawer, Chris Harvey John, Adam Meggido, Rachael Parris, Shawn Kinley, Michelle Owoo, Matt Alden Dykes, Gareth Kane, Andre Vincent, Ian Boothby, Alan Hawkins, Joe Morpurgo, Charlotte Gittins, Richard Soames, Jamie Kavanagh.
There are many others but I can't currently remember them. If they (you) are reading this (that) please email me and tell me to add you (them) to the list (list).
Alumni
Alan Marriott co-founded Grand Theft along with Dylan but has now moved back to his native Vancouver. Alan has worked with or taught almost every improvisational theatre group in London including: The Comedy Store Players, Dogs on Holiday, Brickbats Volunteers, South of the River (with Steve Frost and Jeremy Hardy) and The Top Dog Players. He is also the creator of many successful impro shows, including The Impro Musical and Impropera.
Drew Leavy was one of the founder members of Grand Theft Impro. He died on July 27th 2011 and is missed by everyone he worked and played with. He started improvising in1987, when he joined Toronto Theatresports. He had successes in Toronto fringe theatre, as well as understudying the role of Captain Kirk in a series of live improvised Star Trek shows. In 1996, Drew completed studies at the Academy Drama School of Whitechapel. He appeared as the captain of the spaceship in the Channel 4 reality TV programme Space Cadets and was a regular and much loved presence at The London 50-hour Improvathons.
GTI have been on Time Out's recommended list continuously for the past three years, we were in Jim Sweeney's Time Out Comic's Choice, London Lite's 'Must Go' show and Such Small Portions' Comedy Picks.
"At the forefront of the revival in impro, Grand Theft recalls the exuberant forays of Not Only But Also or Beyond The Fringe."
William Cook, The Guardian
"Simply marvellous."
Time Out
"A rumbustious night out"
Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard
"A unique brand of extreme theatre - Grand Theft are always entertaining!"
Daily Mirror
"These guys are great, enthusiastic, musical and most importantly funny."
Remote Goat