Nae man can tether time or tide

Tom in full swing

It's always a wrench leaving Edinburgh, after seeing so many great shows and performing in front of such incredible Fringe audiences. How do people stay so enthusiastic after seeing five shows a day? In the rain? But still, time marches on, and the Imps have scattered back to their homes to rest up until October.

Over the years that the Imps have been performing in Edinburgh, the improv scene at the Fringe has exploded, with great acts like the Noise Next Door joining established favourites such as the Improverts - and our good selves - in giving audiences an incredible variety of comedy entertainment.

We honestly welcome the new arrivals: the more that audiences get used to how improv works, the more that we performers are free to experiment. We all grew up on 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' and it was a great show, but there's a whole universe of possibilities in making things up on the spot, beyond games and zaniness. Expect a lot from the Imps on that front, in the year ahead.

Another year

The dust has settled on another great year of comedy - the imps have finished for the summer, and are packing their bags for Edinburgh.

We've held our traditional final show for our members leaving the group - tech imps and stage imps, production imps and pianists. It's always a sad time of year. But it's also an excuse for an amazing party. We can't recommend 'Stella Artois and Gin' or 'Guinness and Aftershock' as cocktails, but we can wholeheartedly recommend the Wheatsheaf as hosts.

The picture is taken from local newspaper the Cherwell, who said some very lovely things about us in a recent feature . "...at the forefront of the Oxford comedy scene", are we? Oh, don't make us blush!

Festival spirit

Tom and Lucy

We've just spent our second year at the Wychwood festival. For the second year running, we've had a fantastic time at our official show and in impromptu comedy happenings afterwards. As we tried to communicate to Claire at Wychwood FM (through the fog of the backstage beer): it was another perfect day.

If you missed us at Wychwood (for shame! It's Britain's most family-friendly festival, so you can't even use the kids as an excuse) you can still catch us at the Secret Garden Party (22-25 July). If you're not going to the Secret Garden Party either, you poor shut-in, then you can head over to Edinburgh and watch us every day at the Edinburgh Fringe.

To whet your appetite here's a nice picture taken of us at Wychwood by the multitalented and handsome Charles Budd, who we've never even met. You can see his full album on Flickr, here.

See the Imps at home, and in Scotland

Anglo-Scottish harmony

To those who came to see IMPerium - thank you. To those who didn't - too late! You missed your chance.

But don't worry, slowcoaches, you can catch us at our last show of term on Monday (the 8th of March), or at Magdalen comedy night TOMORROW (the 4th). Facebook users can get the information on that here. For those of you who'll be in Scotland in August, however, we have even more exciting news to report. We're not just back at the Gilded Balloon for the whole Edinburgh Fringe - after two sell-out years, they've given us an even bigger room to put all the people in!

Same great comedy, more people to share the love. We'll put up all the details as soon as we have them, here.

New Show This Week

IMPerium this week!

At a loose end? No longer! This post has just told you about IMPerium, the latest and most ambitious project from the Oxford Imps. This is a full, feature-length adaptation of our highly successful format 'no minor characters', spinning an entire world out of chance encounters and bit-players.

"The world is a funny place, full of people whose stories we never hear. The person who sat next to you the last time you were on the bus – what is their story? Let’s explore. Perhaps we aren’t so different or distant, after all…"

The show is running all this week until Saturday; at 7.30 each night at the Burton Taylor theatre. Tickets can be bought here, or on the door if they don't sell out in advance. Oxford's other comedy legends, the Revue, will be playing straight after us so there's a chance to get a double bill of comedy magic.

See you there!

Taking a breath

Out last show of the year was last night. Now our exhausted imps can rest up for Christmas, and think about all the things they did at the social. Monday marked the debut of our new imps, in a packed sell-out show. The latest bunch are genuinely fantastic, and probably could have hit the stage on the night of their audition, but we always insist they go through almost two months of training before they can don the black-and-red top.

Stage imps aren't the whole equation, of course. Music is an absoutely integral to improv, so it's great to welcome Tom 'Salsa' Hodge as our latest pianist. Welcome, also, to Jenni Cutting, who aside from helping at front of house has volunteered to produce our Edinburgh show next year.

It's worth saying that the show wouldn't happen without our dedicated band of production imps (pimps), who are full members of our company and the secret to our success. We're always looking for capable and enthusiastic folks willing to help out with our regular show or on special projects - email turner@oxfordimps.com if you're interested.

Lastly - The Secret Policeman's ball yesterday, along with the UNICEF gig in November (see the previous post), was a lovely chance to mix with other members of the Oxford comedy scene. So it's great to confirm that we're sharing a dressing room with the Oxford Revue in the New Year, with shows running during the same week at the Burton Taylor theatre. We've got a really exciting format to try out, and look forward to seeing you there!

Cold outside, but in here our ears are burning

Term is going well. This month saw a sell-out show for UNICEF, sharing the stage with award-laden comedy wunderkind Ivo Graham, as well as Naz Osmanoglu, Tom Greeves and Winston Smith. The Wheatsheaf shows continue to do well, and at a secret location in Oxfordshire the nubes are training up nicely, practicing everything from acceptance games to rapping to improvised Shakespeare.

But the big news of recent days has been a visit by the Oxford Theatre Review. They had this to say about us:

"The finale draws all the Imps together bellowing the chorus and as I look around the crowd I feel like a young child at a pantomime: glistening eyes eagerly fix the stage and eye-wrinkling grins adorn every face [...] The only way to really understand what the Imps do is to see their skill in action, which I would highly recommend. Regardless of your expectations, I guarantee that you will leave the set feeling refreshed and uplifted."

Read the review here, or better yet, come and see us! There are only a few more chances left to do so this year, after all.

New arrivals

We'd like to offer a warm welcome to the following: Laurie Blair Sam Freeman Ali Hall Sophie Klimt Andrew McCormack Dougie Walker

...and our thanks to everyone who auditioned. We respect everyone with the guts to put themselves forward, and the enthusiasm to get stuck in. If you didn't make it this time, don't get put off, and we hope to see you again at shows this year. It's going to be a good one...

If you ever thought about becoming an Imp...

This could be you

The Oxford Imps are holding their annual auditions this week, on Thursday the 15th of October at 7pm, at the University Club on Mansfield Road. Here's a story. A 14-year-old boy sees the Imps as a birthday present, gets a place at Oxford years later, and in his second week of university comes to our auditions. He gets in, he gets trained up, he goes to Fringe himself to perform, and is now assistant director of our troupe. He even makes it into his local paper. He's famous now.

This is the second Jamie-related post in a row, but from next week we could be talking about you. If you go along. You'll never know if you don't try, and you should try because:

- We audition on your potential, not your background. You don't need to have any comedy or theatre experience. You don't need to be an Oxford student, or a student at all in fact. - You don't need to be super-confident (we'll train you to be). - The audition itself is tremendous fun, and designed to be relaxed and unthreatening. - It could change your life.

So come to the auditions, on Thursday, the 15th of October. at 7pm at the University Club on Mansfield Road.

See you there, Imps-to-be.

Fringe fallout

Sometimes you get a Christmas card at an old address, or your parents' house; and it gets sent to you weeks later in January, reminding you of Christmas all over again. So it was with a lovely review we only spotted after we left Edinburgh, from EdFestMag.

An imp tidying the flat – a rare photograph 

Young Scottish imp Jamie circulated it round, perhaps because he got special mention as the 'charmingly camp' compere. Here's a quote:

"It was a hostile, challenging audience, yet the Imps, with their bravura and eccentricity, seemed ready for anything [...] It was 'Whose Line Is It Anyway' without the wrinkles; 'Have I Got News For You' without old-school, strangulated chortles [...] So go, again and again; I want to see what they can come up with next."

Another four stars- full review here. It makes the enormous logistical challenge of organizing next year's Fringe show that bit more palatable...

Producer Rhys: An eerie resemblance?

Reviews that make us feel good

Our Edinburgh Fringe show has garnered two lovely four-star reviews. “From the first second of the first minute”, says Three Weeks, “the Oxford Imps commanded the rapt attention of their audience.”  We like the sound of “Tidal waves of humour” and while we’re not in a position to speak about our “collective genius” (you’ll have to be the judge – 3pm daily at the Gilded Balloon, tickets from £8.50 if you can get them) it’s great that improv is being recognised as a team sport.

Every team must have a captain, however. Fest Magazine says that “Director and compère Joseph Morpurgo holds the show together”.  They don’t know the half of it. Joseph is currently asleep after partying until dawn on Saturday/Sunday, but when he gets up we can tell him that, according to Fest, “the Oxford Imps' speedy wit and their excellent rapport with one another make it a safe bet that they'll be just as much of a hit this year as they were in 2008.”

Don’t believe any performer who tells you that they don’t read reviews; the Imps certainly do, and today they’re delighted. They’ll be out in their hoodies on the Royal Mile tomorrow, with a great big smile on their face.

Full reviews here (Three Weeks) and here (Fest).

The Fringe begins

First few days of the Festival... so far so good. Nothing cheers up  a bunch of imps on a Saturday more than finding out that they've already sold out the night before. Thanks to all of you who've come so far. For those who haven't come yet - book now! We're on at 3pm every day at the Gilded Balloon,  here.  Just make sure you come and say hello afterwards!

Director Joseph works out setlists

The imps (just off) the West End!

The Oxford Imps have just finished a London show, at the Tristan Bates Theatre, just off Shaftesbury Avenue. It was great fun - thanks to those who came, and to the organisers. After a hectic term of Oxford fixtures, Cambridge balls, a primary school gig and the imps' first music festival, it's been great to relax with the simple people of the capital.

Our first Wychwood Festival

Image may have been photoshopped. Apologies to buses with vulnerable self-esteem

The Imps have just played the Big Top at the Wychwood music festival (and an impromptu encore, finding an audience and an abandoned PA later in the day).  The imps drove home with hoarse voices, terrible sunburn and new musical crushes, as well as a sense of satisfaction at our first ever music festival.

The Imps defeat the Eggheads!

An elite cadre of Imps has defeated BBC2's Eggheads in the daytime quiz event of the decade,  thanks to knowing a  bellwether was a kind of sheep. Stay in school, kids.

The camera adds 20 IQ points, we hear