We’re so excited that our Unscripted Players Big Summer Show is kicking off tonight! Both casts have been working their socks off to bring you two fantastic, shiny new shows. So let’s meet them! Some of the team have very kindly shared their experience of being involved in an UP show with us. If it’s inspired you to get involved, see the bottom of the page for more information on the Unscripted Players!
The Directors
Katherine Olive – Director of ‘HeadTalks’
- How did you come up with the idea for this show? – In one of the Introduction to Improv classes at the BIT, we took part in panel discussion and interview games, taking on the role of ‘The Expert’ in any possible field. We noticed how the delivery, the rhetorical devices, the body language, all came really easily to the players. I think that’s because we’ve all been exposed to ‘The Expert’. They might have been a guest on the news, a HR representative, a tech mogul, a Super-Cool anti-drugs campaigner who gave an assembly at your school. All these Experts are trying to sell you something, a product, a company, a new way of thinking. So, there’s a level of suspicion there that I wanted to lean into with the surreal PowerPoints I’ve prepared. Someone is directly asking the audience to trust them while the product behind them is getting more and more bizarre.
- Why should people come and see the show? – I think if you like game based shows you’d really get something out of this. The cast are so good at what they do that they can really spin gold out of complete nonsense. The show has different slide shows every night, so you’re guaranteed a surprise every time.
- What’s been your favourite part of the process so far? – The rehearsal process with my cast has been so rewarding, and I’ve learned so much from them. Did you know that naked mole rats are in fact Earth’s dominant species? Or that we should all find salvation via our Lord and Savior Timothée Chalamet. These Experts have taught me so much. I’ve also enjoyed giggling to myself at my computer putting these slides together.
- What are you most excited about? – Further to the above, I’ve been sitting on these PowerPoint slides (that honestly maybe only I find hilarious) for 6 weeks now. I’m so excited to see my cast react to them in real time and make something amazing out of them.
- If you could give a Ted talk on any subject, what would it be? – This is tough. It would either be how Tom Hooper’s 2019 film adaptation of CATs is a perfect example of how the Hollywood machine works – like the machine was working exactly as it should yet it still failed? It’s so interesting to me. Or it would be a detailed breakdown of Carrie and Big’s relationship in Sex and the City, but I think that would be more of a rant than anything else.
Charlie Hutchence – Director of ‘I Don’t Know What You’ll Do This Summer’
- How did you come up with the idea for this show? – I love all things 90’s and 00’s (I have Mean Girls quotes on my fridge). And while improvised Bring It On (a 00’s film about cheerleading) might have been fun if limited by the advanced choreography required, something has always drawn me to horror. I’ve also always wanted to do a show about friendship. Many 90s and 00s horror films are about friends who know each other and like each other, and quite often they can get quite silly even if its not intentional. It’s a natural combination with improv where scenes are easier if the characters know each other and like each other and you need to get silly.
- What can people expect from the show? – 7 young adults set out on the trip of their potentially brief lifetimes to a location suggested by the audience, and drama ensues. The genre is horror, but we’re really focusing on the relationships of the characters who are dealing with a spooky situation and what they do in it.And the tone is comedic. while there’ll be tension we’re not going to give you nightmares when you get home. We didn’t ask for a special effects budget.
- What’s been your favourite part of the process so far? – Seeing a group form and bond, and for most of the cast get ready to perform in their very first UP show. Also an Orca called Mr Fancypants who flooded an aquarium to take revenge for someone tapping a bit too much on the glass.
- What are you most excited about? – I want to see what the group does with the first audience suggestion and how it all unfolds.
- Have you got a favourite 90s/ 2000s teen horror film? Did it inspire you when creating this show? – I really like Scream and I know what you did last summer (hence the title), both films send up this particular genre perfectly, especially with the numerous sequels – many of which nobody asked for. Honourable mention goes to Final Destination which doesn’t really have a monster or killer chasing after them, it’s just fate.
The Casts
HeadTalks
I Don’t Know What You’ll Do This Summer
Cast Bios
Lucy Black
- Why should people come and see the show? – Learning is fun! Misinformation is … entertaining. We combine professional-looking PowerPoints with absolute nonsense which I’m confident are everyone’s favourite things.
- What’s been your favourite part of rehearsals? – I enjoy bullshitting and it has been great fun talking nonsense (and trying to justify the things I say) with a group of like-minded people.
- If you could give a Ted talk on any topic, what would you talk about? – I actually presented a 10-minute PowerPoint about Barbershop singing for a job interview once; it featured sequinned props and the quote “we make music with our mouths”. I nailed it. Didn’t get the job but I nailed the PowerPoint stuff.
Shell Trigwell
- Why should people come see the show? – Are you an expert in your field? Had enough of actual expert who KNOW what they’re talking about??? This is the perfect parody, and a wonderful night of entertainment
- What’s your favourite part of rehearsals? – I have loved getting to know and grow our format alongside such a funny and amazingly talented team of improvisers, it is always a great laugh
- What are you most excited about? – I’m excited to see what suggestions the audience will give and what will be on the slides! It will be a fun surprise to us all!
- Have you got a favourite TED talk and has it inspired you for this show? – Not a ‘TED talk’ but I have been really inspired by Smartpants club (on dropout) partiucarly their presentation ‘Should we forgive theatre kids?’ which taught me a lot about how you can present an ‘unserious’ topic in an engaging format.
- If you could give a TED talk on any topic what would you talk about? – I would want to give a TED talk about bad/pseudo science in movies (eg avengers quantum realm) and how it would just be so much better if they stopped pretending to use real science words and just say ‘magic’.
Paul Dwyer
- Tell us more about the show – what can people expect? – Experts talking confidently about all manner of things. No topic is too niche, too banal or too complex for these boffins!
- What’s been your favourite part of rehearsals? – The group have been truly terrific at supporting one another as we test new ideas and characters. This, combined with the wonderful direction from Kat has meant that rehearsals have always been a joy.
- What are you most excited about? – The first night! This is my first time performing on stage and so I can’t wait to see how all of our efforts come together.
- If you could give a Ted talk on any topic, what would you talk about? – Grease 2 and the criminal way it is overlooked in the modern film pantheon. It is Hobbes’ Leviathan for the 21st Century.
Andy Knox
- Why should people come see the show? – Come and see this show if you like a “bit of a talk”, clip art and have a thing for lanyards.
- What’s been your favourite part of rehearsals? – I’ve really loved the opportunity to collaborate and laugh with a lovely bunch of creative people over the last six weeks or so. Also Kat’s liking for a warm up with Aha.
- What are you most excited about? – I’m most excited about seeing how an audience reacts to the show, and using the clicker.
- Have you got a favourite TED talk and has it inspired you for this show? – Don’t have a particular favourite ted talk – but always admire those that deliver in a roll neck and conclude with an assertive call to action.
Emily Moore
- Why should people come see the show?People should come to the show if they like to laugh at random subjects performed by those who think outside the box.
- What’s been your favourite part of rehearsals? – My favourite part of rehearsals has been bonding with my fellow thespians. Feeling safe to make mistakes and the non-stop laughing has been very therapeutic.
- Have you got a favourite TED talk and has it inspired you for this show? – My favourite TED talk is by the actress Sheryl Lee Ralph on Believing in yourself.
- If you could give a Ted talk on any topic, what would you talk about? – If I could give a TED talk about anything it would be on Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Anyone who has ever owned one will know why!
Sam Addy
- What’s been your favourite part of rehearsals? – The creeping chaos that seems to build up over the course of the show. We start with friends just trying to enjoy themselves, steadily realising something’s wrong before all hell breaks loose, it’s a lot of fun to play with!
- If you were in a horror film, would you play a hero or a villain? – I would probably end up being a very pompous and villainous vampire
Marcus Hadley
- Why should people come and see the show? – For a laugh at everything iconic in horror films!
- What’s been your favourite part of rehearsals? – Watching a two-man Goofy lumber around the room on a hunt for the last survivor.
- What are you most excited about? – Getting to ham it up with my castmates and create a show together! We’ve had different plots and characters each rehearsal, and I can’t wait to see what emerges on stage.
Taru Muhonen
- What’s been your favourite part of rehearsals? – Hanging out with fellow improv geeks, and learning new stuffs! It’s also been great to see everybody’s own creative spin on discovering horrible things in the scenes. Lots of great stories and moments.
- What are you most excited about? – Experience the summer adventures to come! I never have a clue which route the story will take, which is great.
- If you were in a horror film, would you play a hero or a villain? – Are there heroes? I’d wanna play a character that gets a cool and memorable death. If I get to scream before it, a plus.
Jordan Seymour
- Tell us more about the show – what can people expect? – A group of sexy american teens are off on the summer vacation of their lives, but what happens when their youthful curiosity leads them to danger. There is no one around to save them, they have only each other. Will any of them make back alive?
- What’s been your favourite part of rehearsals? – Hearing the some of the mad things my cast mates come up with.
- Have you got a favourite 90s teen horror film, and has it inspired you for this show? – Scream, prank phone calls were very of the time and they just took it to an extreme. Lots of shock value and misdirection and an iconic mask. A classic.
Billy Morton
- Tell us more about the show – what can people expect? – Fun, mayhem, twists and turns and a lot of humour.
- What’s been your favourite part of rehearsals? – It is the experience of working alongside a group of lovely like minded individuals, all coming together to make something spectacular! I have to say I have really enjoyed the whole experience, it has just been fantastic. Charlie has been excellent as a director and the experience as a whole has just been so fun
- Have you got a favourite 90s teen horror film, and has it inspired you for this show? – My favourite 90s Teen horror film as cliché as it probably sounds it’s probably the original Scream film, I just think it’s amazing and deserves all the praise it gets.
Davy Evans
- Why should people come and see the show? – Spooks, ghouls, goblins, little green ghouls buddy.
- What’s been your favourite part of rehearsals? – All the creative ways everyone has died. We all got eaten by a Killer Whale that one time.
- Have you got a favourite 90s teen horror film, and has it inspired you for this show? – Evil Dead, I’m cheating because it’s not 90s
- If you were in a horror film, would you play a hero or a villain? – I’d be the guy that was so confident he wouldn’t die first, and then immediately die first.
Emma Geen
- Tell us more about the show – what can people expect? We’re a close knit group of friends, off on the trip of our lives. If only we didn’t secretly hate/fancy each other, and are all about to die. Expect balls of worms, piles of bones, Sainsbury’s at its most vengeful and maybe even a gimp assistant.
- Why should people come and see the show? We’ve got friendship. We’ve got young love. We’ve got the sublime shock of existential dread as ineffable horrors tug young lives into the fierce, cold bosom of death.
- What’s been your favourite part of rehearsals? Our director Charlie has created a lot of space for us to explore taking pauses to build tension and emotion – such a useful skill!
- What are you most excited about? I’m really excited to be in my first proper narrative show.
- If you were in a horror film, would you play a hero or a villain? I would play the weird woman who everyone thinks is a witch but is actually just a cat lady living her best life in the woods, trying to make friends with crows.
If you’d like to come along and see these two brilliant casts in action, the Unscripted Players Big Summer Show is happening from tonight (Thursday 8th August) until Saturday 10th August. Get Tickets >
About Unscripted Players (UP)
Unscripted Players or “UP” are the Bristol Improv Theatre’s amateur improv company, UP is one of the ways the theatre directly involves the fantastic theatre community which is built up of our students, performers, friends and audiences. It is the UK’s first am-dram company dedicated to improvised theatre.
We run 2-3 Unscripted Players shows per year where the shows have been conceived, created and directed by UP members with support from the Bristol Improv Theatre.
Unscripted Players membership is open to all and completely free! UP members can take part in our UP Big Shows; the ideas are pitched by members who wanted to direct, they are cast by open auditions and the rehearsals all take place here at the Bristol Improv Theatre. All you have to do to sign up is add yourself to the mailing list via the link below!
Posted in Cast Bios
