Hoopla produce lots of different shows at The Miller and also work closely with other groups to help grow the audience for improv and support the flourishing impro community. Some Hoopla shows are heavily produced and rehearsed within a tight team, while others are more open to guest performers without rehearsals.  

CURRENT HOOPLA CASTING CALLS

Hoopla are currently casting a few new shows for next year. These are to form new groups to perform at The Miller and will be supported by full Hoopla marketing with Steve Roe directing. Please read through the details, and contact Steve if you would like to be considered for one of the shows. Audition or casting dates will then follow after people have registered interest.

What Hoopla generally look for in performers:

- Humility and bravery in equal measures.

- Commitment.

- Reliability with rehearsals and other dates.  

- Confidence not arrogance.

- Always looking to learn and redefine what impro is.

- Willing to constantly practice the basics of impro, like a footballer practices passing. Wax on, wax off.

- No expectation of where impro can/should go. Willing to smash through the glass ceiling of improvised expectation.

- Passionate about growing improvisation in the UK in its own style and rhythm, looking at the present and future rather than the past.  

From these the most important at the moment is reliability. We can’t direct a team that isn’t there. Once rehearsal dates are agreed they are to be stuck to, and if people don’t turn up they will be asked to leave for the greater benefit of the group.  So please don’t join a show unless you can offer commitment and reliability, as there are other drop-in shows that are better suited.

What Hoopla offer in return:

- Direction from Steve Roe, building on six years of teaching workshops and over a year of running the improvised comedy club at The Miller.  

- Full marketing support from Hoopla for all shows.

- Regular performing slots at The Miller and other venues.

- Profit share from shows (see below for details).

- No financial investment needed for shows. Flyers etc all covered by Hoopla.

- Learning some new stuff that nobody else is doing.

- Loads of performing skills you can go on to use for loads of other things.

- Good times!

Casting Process

Step 1: Read all the information above and also below for the show you are interested in.

Step 2: Check you can make all the rehearsal and show dates. This step is essential.

Step 3: Email Steve if you would like to be considered for this show. Email is the best way to keep track, don’t rely on facebook messages or chats in the pub!

Step 4: Casting/audition details will follow once we’ve received people’s interest.

Show 1: Narrative based show pushing boundaries of impro CASTING COMPLETE NOW

Description: Taking a couple of suggestions at the start and then improvising an entire one act story together. Perhaps using Hero’s Journey or other narrative structure at first. Incorporating some new physical styles, and also some slightly commedia dell arte characters and techniques. Perhaps some verse too. Once the initial skeleton of the show is created it might change to adapt to different themes and directions. The main aim of the show is to do something new with improvisation and grow it into new directions.

Rehearsal Dates:

Tuesday 3rd January 2012 7pm - 10pm

Wednesday 4th January 2012  7pm - 10pm

Saturday 7th January 2012 7pm  - 10pm (optional drinks after of course)

Wednesday 11th January 2012 7pm - 10pm

Friday 13th January 2012, 7pm - 10pm (optional drinks after of course)

Other rehearsal dates confirmed once show performing run starts. It will be essential to turn up to all rehearsals. Not turning up to rehearsals will mean not being in the group.

Show Dates:

Tuesday 17th January 2012

Tuesday 14th February 2012

Tuesday 13th March 2012

Tuesday 10th April 2012

More TBC.

Venue: The Miller. Other dates and venues possible but main commitment is as a house group at The Miller. No current Edinburgh plans.

End of Run: Show ending by July 2012, after which it merge into other things, evolve, or members go on to form own things.  

Please contact Steve if you’d like to be considered for this project.

Show 2: Redefining and modernising Short Form CASTING COMPLETE NOW

Description: We like short-form, in fact we like all improv. Short Form is great for The Miller in the first half when we have new audiences in. It gets them laughing and warmed up, and introduces new audiences to improvisation. But we’re a bit tired doing the same old games. So we’re going to progress short form by introducing new games and scenes,  mastering short game of the scene style improvised sketches, and really ‘nailing it’. The main aim of the show is to update short form and make it exciting again.  

Rehearsal Dates:

Wednesday 14th December 2011 7pm - 10pm

Wednesday 18th January 2012 7pm - 10pm

Wednesday 25th January 2012 7pm - 10pm

Other rehearsal dates confirmed once show performing run starts. It will be essential to turn up to all rehearsals. Not turning up to rehearsals will mean not being in the group.

Show Dates:

Tuesday 31st January 2012

Tuesday 21st February 2012

Tuesday 27th March 2012

Tuesday 24th April 2012

More TBC.

Venue: The Miller. Other dates and venues possible but main commitment is as a house group at The Miller. No current Edinburgh plans.

End of Run: Show ending by July 2012, after which it merge into other things, evolve, or members go on to form own things.  

Please contact Steve if you’d like to be considered for this project.

Show 3: You Tube Sketch Show CASTING COMPLETE NOW

Description: We’re working together with Mike Hutcherson to start a new You Tube sketch channel, delivering a different sketch every single Friday lunchtime to office workers across London in need of cheering up before the weekend. Using improvisation in the first rehearsal of a month to generate sketches, writing them down, then improvising around the script on the filming day later in the month. The main aim of the show is to build up a large audience of youtube subscribers by producing high quality funny sketches on a regular reliable long term basis.

Rehearsal and Filming Dates:

1st Friday of every month (daytime, all day) improvisation and script writing session

3rd Friday of every month (daytime, all day) filming session, aiming to film four sketches in the day.

Venue: Filmed on location.

End of Run: Ongoing long term project.

Please contact Steve if you’d like to be considered for this project. We’re looking for  both core members who will be needed for all rehearsals and filming each month, and additional members who will  be called upon to play roles as and when needed.

ADDITIONAL SHOWS, OPEN TO ALL, NO AUDITION OR ONGOING COMMITMENT NEEDED

Hoopla’s Friday Night Improv Party

Open to everyone, the improv equivalent of an open mic night. Performers just turn up on the night, put their name in the hat, and are then picked at random to improvise various games and scenes. Anyone can participate. It’s unpaid as it’s free to the audience. For details go to Hoopla’s Friday Night Improv Party.

Stand Up For The First Time CASTING COMPLETE NOW

If you’re interested in performing stand up then Hoopla host a monthly free stand up night. All acts must either be completely new to performing stand up comedy, or people who have done it before but are doing completely new material. The new material rule creates a lively atmosphere and also accelerates the writing of many comics. It’s unpaid as it’s free to the audience.

Acts are booked in advance, no space on the night, so please contact us to register interest. For details go to Stand Up For The First Time.

FORMING YOUR OWN GROUP AND FINDING OTHER GROUPS

Improv Networking Events

A good place to meet other improvisers and groups, and maybe form future performing teams. These are held every quarter at The Miller. Free, no need to book in advance.

For details go to Improv Networking.

Hoopla helping you to form your own group

Forming your own group with like minded people is the best way to get some performance experience. Steve from Hoopla is happy to help connect people together and form groups, and occasionally directs new groups early on to get them started.  Steve is also available to hire for running group workshops or directing some rehearsal sessions away from public workshops. Hoopla can also advise on performing spaces and rehearsal spaces, as we have good connections to both The Miller and The Horse, which are very popular with impro groups.

New shows

If you are a performer and have an idea for a new impro show or a new impro group then please get in touch. Even if we don’t have space for your new show or group at The Miller we can hook you up with other decent venues and help spread the word. We book The Miller at least three months is advance.

OTHER THINGS WE’RE LOOKING TO BOOK AT THE MILLER

Established Impro Shows and Groups

If you are an established impro group then please contact us if you are interested in appearing at The Miller. We arrange evenings of stand alone guest groups, collaborations with Hoopla produced shows, and multi-group shows.

Cabaret Acts, Musical Comedy, Musicians

We’re currently hosting a monthly Music Box Cabaret of improvised musical, musical comedy and cabaret. If you have a cabaret act, or if you are a musician or musical comedian and are interested in performing at the night then please contact us.

Film

We’re currently in the early stages of starting a YouTube channel, so if you are interested in performing in YouTube comedy please contact us. We also run occasional improvised film challenges.

Hoopla’s work at The Miller

The main aim of our work at The Miller is to enable the cross-marketing of improv groups in order to grow the overall audience for improvised comedy in London and make improv a mainstream genre. Work includes:

Coordinated press listings for all shows performing on Tuesday.

Additional online listings of all shows using sites like Remote Goat etc.

Coordinated marketing using Hoopla mailing list.

Coordinated marketing using Hoopla facebook pages and groups.

Coordinated marketing of The Miller shows at Hoopla events and workshops.

Management of show listings on Hoopla website.

Management of show listings on The Miller website.

Management of show listings on the London Improv website.

Management of posters and listings boards at The Miller.

Promotion of your show at other nights at The Miller.

Design, print and distribution of flyers promoting The Miller.

Front of House.

Tech support where required.

Hosting if required.

Contact with actors and musicians if required.

Ongoing management with The Miller.

Planning and booking of shows to achieve a combination of high audience numbers and fun shows.

Management of online ticket sales.

Financial details for performing groups

Hoopla are operating on a maximum 33% (to Hoopla) box office split, usually less, in line with most fringe theatres.

Remaining profits are split equally among the groups performing. It is up to the director/leader/coordinator of each group whether this is then split further between each actor or used for a central group fund.

Occasionally higher profile acts are booked on a guaranteed rate. Stand ups aren’t paid as it’s a free night to the audience on that night.

The Miller is a very flexible venue so an audience as small as 15 can still feel quite large, while it can also go up to 100.

Hoopla put some people on a free guest list, or use various pricing offers each week in order to keep audience numbers up and raise the long term profile of the venue.

Marketing details for performing groups

Hoopla’s aim is for impro groups and The Miller to build up a shared audience of impro fans, rather than competing against each other.

Hoopla and The Miller’s coordinated efforts do help bring in an audience, but we still do rely on the groups bringing in some of their own audience, which combined together makes for some amazing evenings.

So please can each group take responsibility for the following and also pass on to your own actors:

Facebook events and updates.

Twitter messages building up to the show.

Any email list messages you can provide.

Please keep your audience aware of the show in the build up, we find that messages at 4 weeks, 2 weeks, 1 week, 3 days and 1 day before in various forms is best.

Any additional press you can get.

Performers putting show details on facebook profiles.

Inviting people along.

Spreading the word.

When we all do that together great shows happen.