Date 2 - 17 October
Time 7.30 - 10pm
The Nursery Originals series was a European first; a season of new improvised shows with the production values of theatre, and the joy and unpredictability of live comedy. Based on a programme running at the Hideout Theatre in Austin, Texas, the Nursery Theatre brought top quality spontaneous shows to Bankside.
Friday 2 October
Opening party, jam and selection night
Celebrating the opening of the new Nursery season, they were proud to present a smorgasboard of the best improvisers in London and the UK. With performers from groups including Peablossom Cabaret (“Uproarious laughter” Edfringe Review), the Maydays (5* Fringe Guru), The Oxford Imps (5* Three weeks), Katy and Rach (5* Remote Goat), C3Something (5* Remote Goat) and Impromptu Shakespeare (“Outstanding” Broadway Baby), the opening ceremony was a whistle-stop tour of improvisation at the Nursery and in London, with opportunities for the audience themselves to play as well!
Saturday 3 October
Ten Thousand Million Love Stories
Two person, multi character improvised theatre with Jules Munns and Heather Urquhart. Taking audience’s lives and loves and weaving them into a show that changes every time, this is a show about love, what it means and how we succeed and fail in it. Winner - Best Female Performer, Brighton Fringe. “The future of comedy” (Fringe Guru). “The perfect balance between realism and comedy slapstick.” (Brighton’s Finest).
Friday 9 October
The Wunderkammer
Join improv group Do Not Adjust Your Stage as they create stories, scenes and characters, inspired by leading experts, academics, and all-round huge brains. In each edition, The Wunderkammer invites different expert speakers to deliver a short TED-style talk the audience hasn’t seen before on their passions and expertise, providing the springboard for improvised comedy theatre.” Breakneck speed, slick...a thinking person’s improv night” (Remote Goat)
Saturday 10 October
Role Play Cabaret
The Interactive Roleplaying Show from Jolly Boat. Two Gamesmasters take the stage. The audience offers ideas, and together, they create a new world, give life to characters - and chuck a giant D20 about the room. Then the Gamesmasters begin to weave a story: a unique story, in which YOU are the hero. Roleplay Cabaret is a unique live roleplaying show featuring actual play from experienced comedians and a large audience. (Praise for Jollyboat: ***** Broadway Baby. ***** Three Weeks. *****)
Friday 16 October
The Peablossom Cabaret
Mr Pea and Miss Blossom perform a brand new set of toe-tapping cabaret numbers at every show. Be part of the show as they improvise lyrics on the spot about your hobbies, your grandma, your cat... anything at all! Slick, improvised lyrics are combined with joyful character comedy and a cavalcade of musical styles. They perform at comedy clubs, parties and functions, festivals and brawls. “Devastatingly funny”, (EdFringe Review)
Saturday 17 October
[Emotion] Play
Set on the same patch of land over thousands of years, [Emotion] Play starts in a patch of woodland during Roman times and progresses through a temple to a Victorian building that then gets renovated to become a trendy office space. What happens on that plot of land during that time? What loves and deaths and delights? Directed by Chris Mead, this is the first of the new Nursery Originals shows, created specifically for the Edric Theatre.