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The Gang

Dylan Emery is a co-founder of Grand Theft Impro. He's also a member of Ken Campbell's School of Night, and he co-created Showstopper! The Improvised Musical with Adam Meggido. Although a relative babe in arms in comparison to the other members of Grand Theft Impro, having started improviing in 2001, he has made up for lost time, teaching and performing around the world. Aside from Grand Theft Impro, he has improvised with Ken Campbell at the The Royal Court and The Drill Hall, he took an improvised Shakespeare show to Edinburgh in 2006, and he is currently in a run of Showstopper!, where he plays the show's writer. He started improvising under the pitiless tutelage of Alan Marriott in 2001 and has also studied with a host of other impro teachers including Keith Johnstone.

Phil Whelans has performed impro shows in Toronto, Seattle, San Franciso and New York but mostly in London, where he has performed in Theatresports at the Donmar Warehouse, Court in the Act and Eddie Izzard's Impro MD. Phil was invited to improvise at 2001's Just for Laughs Montreal Comedy Festival (CBCTV) and recently made Gibberish: an Impro TV pilot for Celador TV. Phil's T.V. performing credits include The Jack Docherty Show (Ch5), Preston Front, Punt and Dennis (BBC), Jo Brand through the Cakehole, Brasseye, Phil Kay is feeling... and The Lost Chord with Bill Bailey (Ch4). His writing credits include The Brian Conley Show, Lily Live and 2DTV (LWT), The 11 O'Clock Show, The Big Breakfast, Your Face or Mine, Armstrong and Miller (Ch4), The Live Floor Show, Velvet Soup, Revolver and TV to Go (BBC).

Drew Leavy has been improvising since 1987, when he joined Toronto Theatresports. Since then, he has improvised and taught impro in both London and Toronto. He has 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 and has lived in London since 1995. His most recent television appearance was as the captain of the spaceship in the Channel 4 reality TV programme Space Cadets.

Alumni and Guests

Alan Marriott co-founded Grand Theft along With Dylan. He was called back to his native Canada, where he continues his good works. Alan is one of the most respected and experienced improviser in the world. He 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 (a fully improvised opera). A list of Alan's former students reads like a Who's Who of British comedy and includes Eddie Izzard, Alan Davies, John Sparks, Gordon Kennedy, Niall Ashdown, Fay Ripley and many more.

Lesley Albiston has been a force on the international impro scene for 12 years, both as a producer/director and a voracious performer. Among her impressive list of credits, she was the starring role in 'The Jury Will Ignore That Last Remark', an improvised trial with Lee Simpson that was adapted for TV; she was the artistic director of Improfest at the Canal Cafe Theatre; and she represented the UK at the Orlando International impro tournament; Aside from her impro skills, she is also a comedy writer, notably having written for a BBC Radio 2 all-women's sketch show 'Heated Rollers' and having co-written, directed and produced the hugely successful 'Seats in all Parts' at the Hen & Chicken in Islington.