The Free Association Explained

The Free Association, or The FA, is an improvised comedy theatre and school, based in London.[1] It is currently the largest provider of improvisation training in the UK.[2]

The Free Association was founded in 2014 by Austentatious cast member Graham Dickson and sketch comedy duo Max and Ivan. Dickson currently serves as Artistic Director.[3]

Philosophy

As the UK's equivalent[4] to American improv theatres UCB, IO and The Second City, the FA primarily performs long-form improvisation.[5] The FA's main focus is the "game of the scene", the Harold, and narrative improvisation.

FA house teams

The following are teams that play regularly at The Free Association, either in headline weekend shows or on the fortnightly Harold Night show. Shows mainly comprise graduates and current students of The Free Association's training programme.[6]

Team NameActivityTypeMembersPerformance
3[7] 2023 - CurrentHeadline ShowOliver Chris, Alfred Chow, Graham Dickson, Helen Duff, Rob Gilbert, Anna Leong Brophy, Cariad Lloyd, Shaun Lowthian (also director), Lola-Rose Maxwell, Haley McGee, Ambika Mod, Scott Oswald, Naomi Petersen, Kiell Smith-BynoeOriginal Format created by Shaun Lowthian
Winner[8] 2023 - CurrentHeadline ShowGreg Baxter, Katharine Bennett-Fox, Alex Berr, Michelle Fahrenheim, Sumina Kasuji, Shaun Lowthian (also director), Sam Roulston, Anand Sankar, Charlie SturgeonOriginal Narrative Improv format created by Shaun Lowthian
St Doctor's Hospital[9] 2021 - CurrentHeadline ShowKiran Benawra, Kat Bond, Ian Thomas Day, Graham Dickson (also directing), Patrick Dishman, Chris Gau, Shaun Lowthian, Haley McGee, Naomi Petersen, Alison Thea-SkotNarrative Improv
Triple Denim2023 - CurrentHarold TeamNadine Bailey, Greg Baxter, Olivia Chidera, Nathan Dean, Eliot J Fallows, Lelda Kapsis, Helen Kennedy, Imran Malik, Penn Ryan, Asmita SinghThe Harold
NANA[10] 2022 - CurrentHarold TeamAram Balakjian, Luke Brown, Ellie Fulcher, Sumina Kasuji, Muireann Kelly, Jen Littlewood, Megan McCarthy, Gareth O'Connor, Charlie Sturgeon, Ben NolanThe Harold
Sweet FA2015 - CurrentWeekend TeamGraham Dickson, Michael Orton-Toliver, Katia Kvinge, Briony Redman, Naomi Petersen, Liz Kingsman, Jim Archer, Rhys CollierThe Detour
The Wilsons2015 - CurrentWeekend TeamSophia Broido, Chris Gau, Shamus Maxwell, Mariam Haque, Katharine Bennett-Fox, Ian T Day, Shaun Lowthian, Jonathan BrokeFreeform
The Cartel2015 - CurrentWeekend TeamAlex Holland, Amanda Farley, Freya Slipper, Jez Scharf, Lola-Rose Maxwell, David Elms, Charlie Kemp, Kayleigh LlewellynFreeform
The 8382016 - 2018Retired Harold TeamTom Levinge, Simon Lukacs, Freddie Sandilands, Ivan Gonzalez, Shivani Thussu, Clare Plested, Alison Thea-Skot, Nathalie AntoniaThe Harold
My Brother José2016 - 2018Retired Harold TeamLorna Shaw, Scott Oswald, Tamar Broadbent, Alex Morris, Clare Couchman, Nick Everritt, Kerry Gilbert, Steve ViolichThe Harold
Feast2017 - 2019Retired Harold TeamAmanda Stauffer, Becci Ride, Kat Bond, Max Dickins, Matthew Cosgrove, Patrick Dishman, Sophie Dickson, Theo McCabeThe Harold
Super Discount Party Store2017 - 2021Retired Harold TeamAmy Annette, Clemence Billoud, Victoria Barry, Mathew Gundel, Ruairi McInerney, Nick Brown, Simon Feilder, Sasha BrownTacocat
Night Bus2018 - 2021Retired Harold TeamFreddie Sandilands, Lorna Shaw, Alex Morris, Shivani Thussu, Scott Oswald, Flora Anderson, Nicholas Everritt, Bryony ByrneTacocat
The Millicent Tendrils Experience2018 - 2021Retired Harold TeamEmma Pritchard, Lottie Field, Ambika Mod, Florence Mercer, Ishan Ganjoor, Luke Healy, Dom Ashton, Dan KellyThe Harold
The Fortitude2018 - 2020Retired Harold TeamNick Adamson, Simon Fazey, Rob Sladden, Deep Lidder, Liz Gutterbock, Jenny Donoghue, Kathryn Higgins, Victoria BeardwoodThe Harold
Long Weekend2018 - 2020Retired Harold TeamJay Bennett, Nick Elleray, Doug Crossley, Will Rowland, Liz Elms, Anna Carden, Dan Subin, Olivia FlorenceThe Harold
Supreme Leader2019 - 2021Retired Harold TeamAlex Bradbury, Kathryn Higgins, Nick Adamson, Flora Donald, Waleed Akhtar, Anna Carden, Victoria Beardwood, Craig MethvenThe Harold
Dream Phone2019 - 2021Retired Harold TeamKiran Benawra, Tom Levinge, Haley McGee, George Collecott, Jenny Donoghue, Tara Boland, Jack Barry, Phillip KosteleckyThe Harold
I'm Filthy - Don't Touch Me2019 - 2021Retired Harold TeamLaura Riseborough, Matt Hutson, Sammy Hannah, Jay Bennett, Doug Crossley, Will Rowland, Zoe Dunn, Jamal KhandarThe Harold

Other shows

The theatre also hosts ensemble shows performed by players from the House Teams. These include Jacuzii, The Ladies of FA County and Uncle Glen's Menagerie.[11] Guest residencies from other London-based acts such as Do Not Adjust Your Stage, The Petting Zoo and Sorry take place monthly.[11] [12] Jacuzii has played at The Pleasance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 2015 to 2018.[13] [14] [15]

The Free Association performed a live version of Drunk History (UK TV series) at Comedy Central LIVE, a three-day stand-up festival at Southampton’s Hoglands Park on 5, 6 and 7 October 2018,[16] with special guests including, Joel Dommett (Skins, Live in Chelsea, Impractical Jokers UK, I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!), Nish Kumar (The Mash Report, Newsjack) and Iain Stirling (CBBC, narrator ITV2 reality series Love Island).

Guest monologists

The Free Association's headline Saturday Night show Jacuzii, and other 'special guest' nights welcome a guest monologist (frequently a celebrity) who uses a suggestion from the audience to inspire a truthful, personal monologue. The improvisers then use the monologue as inspiration for a series of scenes, which in turn inspire a response from the monologist.

The Free Association has performed with the following guest monologists and performers: Ralf Little, Nish Kumar, Oliver Chris, Tom Rosenthal, Phil Wang, Rachel Parris, Cariad Lloyd, Mae Martin, Steen Raskopoulos, Brett Goldstein, Rose Matafeo, Sindhu Vee, Matt Jones, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Neil Casey and Jason Mantzoukas.

Training programme

The FA training programme takes place over 6 levels and focuses on learning "The Harold", a form created by Del Close. The training is attended by performers, comedians, and individuals looking for extra confidence and a community.[17]

The Free Association provides improvisation training for businesses, focusing on communication and collaboration[2] through "FA at Work".[18]

Additional work

The Free Association's Michael Orton-Toliver and Chris Gau created the part-improvised "retro-scripted" comedy mockumentary Borderline for Channel 5 in 2016. The show features a number of Free Association-trained performers and was directed by Breaking Bad's Matt Jones.

Performers Ian Thomas Day, Chris Gau and Shaun Lowthian created the improvised character comedy podcast Fact Up in 2015.[19] [20] Now running to over 150 episodes, the podcast featured on BBC Radio 4 Extra's Podcast Radio Hour in 2018, chosen by comedian Cariad Lloyd.[21]

Performer Freya Slipper created and wrote Audible musical Crush Hour in 2022, with additional material by fellow performer Doug Crossley.[22]

Awards and recognition

Kayleigh Llewellyn created In My Skin, winning Best Television Drama at the 2019 BAFTA Cymru Awards, and Best Television Drama and Best Writer at the 2022 British Academy Television Awards. She was also named as one of BAFTA's Breakthrough Brits in 2019.

Performer Jim Archer directed feature film Brian and Charles in 2022, receiving a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film.[23]

Performer Ambika Mod appeared in a leading role in HBO and BBC TV series This Is Going To Hurt in 2022,[24] and Netflix series One Day in 2023.

Performer Liz Kingsman was nominated for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play at the 2023 Laurence Olivier Awards for her show One Woman Show at Soho Theatre. The show was also nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2022.[25]

Performer Haley McGee was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre at the 2023 Laurence Olivier Awards for Age Is A Feeling at Soho Theatre. Performer and writer Waleed Akhtar won in the same category for The P Word at Bush Theatre.[26]

Performer Shaun Lowthian was nominated for Best Online Comedy at the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards in 2019, for short-film Spokke.[27]

In 2021, The Guardian featured The Free Association's improv classes in a range of articles on activities to get out of your comfort zone.[28]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Google Maps. Google Maps. 2018-05-17.
  2. News: The Rise Of Improvised Comedy By Sarah Powell. 2018-05-17. en.
  3. Web site: The FA Team. The Free Association. 2023-05-31.
  4. News: The Free Association: JACUZZI. 2016-08-07. Fest Magazine. 2018-05-16.
  5. News: London's Newest Craze is Improv Comedy, Apparently. 2016-01-01. Broadly. 2018-05-17. en-us.
  6. Web site: The Players. The Free Association Improv Class Improvisation Classes Improv Comedy London. en-GB. 2018-07-17.
  7. Web site: 3 at The Free Association. The Free Association London. en-GB. 2023-06-29.
  8. Web site: Winner at The Free Association. The Free Association London. en-GB. 2023-05-31.
  9. Web site: St Doctor's Hospital. Assembly Festival London. en-GB. 2023-05-31.
  10. Web site: Winner at The Free Association . 2023-05-31 . The Free Association London . en-GB.
  11. Web site: FA Shows. The Free Association Improv Class Improvisation Classes Improv Comedy London. en-GB. 2018-05-17.
  12. Web site: Do Not Adjust Your Stage. Do Not Adjust Your Stage London. en-GB. 2018-07-17.
  13. Web site: The Free Association Jacuzii. The List. en-GB. 2018-07-23.
  14. Web site: The Free Association Jacuzii. Fest Magazine . en-GB. 2018-07-23.
  15. Web site: The Free Association Jacuzii. British Comedy Guide. en-GB. 2018-07-23.
  16. Web site: Everything You Need To Know About Comedy Central Live. Comedy Central. en-GB. 2018-11-23.
  17. News: Take one introvert with stage fright and put her in front of an audience . . .. Sargent. Emily. 2017-07-27. The Times. 2018-05-17. en. 0140-0460.
  18. Web site: Bring Improv Skills Into Your Business FA Improv. The FA at Work. en-GB. 2018-05-17.
  19. News: Hear Here: Hot sex tips, ambition monsters and why life has never been so good – podcasts of the week. Verdier. Hannah. 2017-08-18. The Guardian. 2018-07-17. en. 0261-3077.
  20. Web site: Fact Up Podcast on Soap. SOAP. en-GB. 2018-07-17.
  21. Web site: BBC Radio 4 Extra Podcast Radio Hour. BBC Radio. en-GB. 2018-07-17.
  22. Web site: Crush Hour on Audible. Audible. en-GB. 2023-06-01.
  23. News: Baftas 2023: the full list of nominations . The Guardian . 19 January 2023 . 22 January 2023 . Film . Guardian . 22 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230122053448/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/jan/19/baftas-2023-the-full-list-of-nominations . live .
  24. Web site: This Is Going to Hurt's Ambika Mod: 'Whenever I did a caesarean I was buzzing!'. The Guardian. en-GB. 2022-03-31.
  25. Web site: Logan . Brian . A love rat, a shelf-stacker and a Fleabag spoof: Edinburgh comedy awards shortlist announced . . 31 May 2023 . en . Aug 24, 2022 . subscription.
  26. Web site: Olivier Awards 2023: Paul Mescal, Jodie Comer and Totoro triumph.
  27. Web site: WGGB Awards: Phoebe Waller Bridge & Charlie Covell make the shortlist.
  28. Web site: Escape your comfort zone: I have a mortal, lifelong fear of public speaking. Can I be cured?. .