Spontaneous Combustion

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twitter : SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION is the UK’s most versatile comedy improvisation company. Phil is a Comedy writer performer.

A pioneering comedy improv company specializing in long form narratives, as well as improvised games and sketches with international experience live, on radio, on TV and in corporate settings. Founded in 1989 by five talented actor/writers it pioneered the improvised play as a popular form of theatre and has served corporate clients for fifteen years. Together Spontaneous Combustion devised and pe

rformed improvised comedy plays True Confessions (biographical spoof), Outrageous Lies (literary spoof) Human Celluloid (movie spoof) Raise the Dead (improvised séance) as well as the semi-improvised play Sub-Post Office of Death. They have performed at The Globe Theatre, Battersea Arts Centre, Tabard Theatre, Latchmere, Banana Cabaret and Orange Tree in London as well as the Assembly Rooms and Gilded Balloon in Edinburgh and countless comedy clubs, arts centres and student unions all over the UK. Its members have also performed at comedy improvisation festivals in Toronto, Edmonton and Montreal, Canada; Los Angeles and Seattle, USA; and Melbourne, Australia. As Individuals they were all founder members of the UK’s first ever Theatresports company (competitive impro), performing at The Royal National Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, Canal Café, Tristan Bates in London as well as Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh. Most of them were also in Hamlet Improvised (spoof Shakespeare), Lust Boulevard (spoof soap) and Court in the Act (spoof trial) at The Other Place, the Albany and The Rosemary Tree in London as well as the Palace Theatre, Watford and Chichester Festival Theatre. Niall Ashdown is the man behind cult blogger, Derek “Robbo” Robson, is an alumnus of Whose Line Is It Anyway? (Channel 4), featured in improvised musical series Bootleg Broadway (Tyne Tees Television; Radio 4), and is a frequent guest with The Comedy Store Players and Improbable Theatre. He is the creator of two one man shows, Hungarian Bird Festival and The Man Who Would Be Sting both since adapted for Radio 4. Recent TV credits include Confessions, Swiss Toni, Outnumbered, Angel Cake, After You’ve Gone (BBC) and Open Wide (ITV). He played the lead in Accidental Death of an Anarchist at the Bolton Octagon and Sitting Bull in Annie Get Your Gun at The Young Vic. He is also a founder member of Impropera. Stella Duffy has published 13 novels, two of which were longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction, and two won Stonewall Writer of the Year. She has written 50 short stories, winning the CWA Short Story Award for Martha Grace. She has also written ten stage plays, including two solo shows. As a theatre director she has directed work at the Pleasance, Riverside, Soho Theatre, Oval House and Hen & Chickens. She wrote and presented How to Write a Mills and Boon (BBC4), is a former stand-up comedian, and was a team captain on Radio 4’s panel game, Whispers. She is currently adapting her novel State of Happiness for feature film for Fiesta/Zentropa. She is an Associate Artist with Improbable, touring the UK and off-Broadway with Lifegame, and Associate Director for Shaky Isles Theatre for whom she has directed six plays. Alison Goldie is an actor, theatre director, writer and teacher. After graduating from Hull University in 1982 with a degree in drama, she performed in many rooms above pubs on the nascent alternative comedy scene in a double-act, The Wild Girls, with Kath Burlinson. Following this, she performed solo stand-up comedy for a few years, simultaneously discovering impro, which she then performed in Theatresports, followed by many years as a core member of the acclaimed impro troupe, Spontaneous Combustion. Television opportunities occurred in the 90’s, and Alison played all the female characters in Newman and Baddiel in Pieces (BBC2), then became a travel reporter on The Travel Show (BBC2) for two seasons and on other shows such as Dream Ticket (ITV), Carlton Country (ITV) and Postcards (The Travel Channel). On radio, Alison was a regular contributor to Loose Ends (Radio 4) and has acted in many plays and sketch shows, including the infamous Mary Whitehouse Experience. In 1996, Alison and Kath reunited, forming The Weird Sisters theatre company which toured the world until 2002 with their own self-written shows, winning several major fringe theatre awards including The Grand Prize at the Adelaide Fringe Festival in 2000 and the Best Female Performer at the Orlando Fringe Festival 1999 for Alison. In the last 10 years, Alison has expanded her theatre directing and teaching of impro, drama, and confidence-building courses (such as Flirtshop). She has directed five plays for Vienna’s English Theatre including Look Back in Anger, devised and directed 10 musicals for Youth Music Theatre, and made many shows with disabled and community groups, particularly The Rainbow Group (Hoxton Hall). For two years she has directed the winning entries of the Trinity Guildhall International Playwriting Competition, Isilwanyana Esoykekayo (The Garrick Theatre) and The Quest of the Four Princesses (Unicorn Children’s Theatre). From 2007-2010, Alison performed her one-woman show about her colourful love-life, Lady in Bed around the UK (and Bruges). Alison’s latest script is Dancing With Decadence, a full-length play about the controversial Austrian artist, Egon Schiele, which received a rehearsed reading at Wilton’s Music Hall in September 2012, and is currently awaiting production. Luke Sorba was a regular in 2 series of kids’ sitcom, Monster TV and 4 series of entertainment show Confessions (both BBC1). He co-wrote and performed in the sitcoms, The World as We Know It and Losers (with Niall Ashdown) and the play Nothing Happened (Radio 4). He hosted the Radio 4 panel game You Asked for It and the live impro show Spontaneous Combustion (HTV) He wrote for BBC1 sitcom Mad About Alice and Channel 4 panel game The Staying-in Show and will be seen in Richard Hammond’s Secret Service (BBC1) and The Great Debate (Channel 4). He performed in the 2011 London Improvathon, hosts the annual Strictly Impro competition and is a regular act at Sutton Comedy Club. He does both in his radio 4 sitcom, My First Planet and with his sketch group, Pros from Dover who were in The Infinite Monkey Cage and 28 Acts in 28 Minutes (Radio 4.) He’s written and performed with an unsettlingly broad spectrum of people on TV and Radio, from Chris Morris to Basil Brush via Joan Rivers and Brian Conley. He’s written topical mirth for the 11 o’Clock Show, The Big Breakfast and The Now Show, he script edited BBC Scotland’s sketch show Velvet Soup and Radio 2’s Jason Byrne Show. He wrote the animation scripts for KNTV (“Channel 4 at its best” The Guardian.) He’s done impro all over the world, (currently with Grand Theft Impro) but also appearing in numerous failed TV and radio impro pilots and he accidentally saved the planet when he wrote the script for big Al Gore’s Live Earth show at Wembley Stadium. He directed Phil Nichol’s Edinburgh Comedy Award winner, The Naked Racist and he plays bass in punk covers band Beergut 100 with Kevin Eldon and Bill Bailey.

https://wiltons.org.uk/whatson/860-the-london-50-hour-improvathon-the-wedding-party?fbclid=IwAR1ayrqTCERglSnP2EVZramTDKB...
16/02/2024

https://wiltons.org.uk/whatson/860-the-london-50-hour-improvathon-the-wedding-party?fbclid=IwAR1ayrqTCERglSnP2EVZramTDKB60wzUpBZd_8oYQKbA4R-SfMaOmiPwYj4

I am in this year's London 50 Hour Improvathon at Wilton's Music Hall on Saturday March 9th between 9.00am and 5.00pm.

The London 50-Hour Improvathon is back! Say ‘I Do!’ to an extraordinary weekend with the world’s best improvisers.It's wedding season at Everafter Manor - the UK's hottest spot to tie the knot. Loved-up couples are arriving with friends and family to celebrate their big day, but will they even...

FREE PODCAST https://themoviesthatmademe.podbean.com/.../the-movies.../Improviser and screenwriter Lee James Alabaster A...
21/09/2022

FREE PODCAST https://themoviesthatmademe.podbean.com/.../the-movies.../
Improviser and screenwriter Lee James Alabaster Apsey and leading UK human rights lawyer Susie Labinjoh and join me to discuss their favourite movies featuring trials or court cases. Included are To Kill a Mockingbird, Mrs Doubtfire, A Matter of Life and Death, Just Mercy, Jesus Christ Superstar and Twelve Angry Men. The producer is Andrew Paine

29/08/2022

https://themoviesthatmademe.podbean.com/.../the-movies...
Top screen partnerships chosen by top guests (and partners) Neil Cole and Lesley Ann Albiston. Movies discussed include Way Out West, Some Like It Hot, Fight Club, Shakespeare in Love, Harold and Maude, The Producers. My Producer is Andrew Paine but because no elderly widows were persuaded to invest in this show, please SHARE, RETWEET, SUBSCRIBE, POST etc if you like it.

15/08/2022

https://themoviesthatmademe.podbean.com/.../the-movies.../
Improviser, author, theatre-maker, yoga instructor Stella Duffy plus architect and political activist Anshu Srivastava (oh and they are both psychotherapists too) join Luke Sorba to discuss the movies that made us want to change the world, including The Battle of Algiers, Desert Hearts, Boy, Gregory's Girl, The Florida Project and Five Easy Pieces.
Please SHARE, POST, TWEET, SUBSCRIBE if you like it as we have zero budget for marketing.
Produced by Andrew Paine for Picard Productions

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/displayCharityCampaignPage.action?charityCampaignUrl=StandUpAndRunF...
21/07/2021

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/displayCharityCampaignPage.action?charityCampaignUrl=StandUpAndRunForMentalHealth
Run 5K to raise 5K. Please support Comedy School volunteers seeking to raise money through a sponsored run that will fund free comedy workshops for mental health service users who are very keen for them to continue. Mental Health is seriously under-funded yet the Pandemic has accelerated need. Even £5 can make a difference.

Help The Comedy School Charitable Trust change the world!

21/06/2021

.https://thecomedyschool.com/comedy-courses.shtml
Luke Sorba is teaching two one-day intensive in-the-room Impro Workshops again in September.
On Saturday September 4th"Further Impro- Character"
On Saturday September 18th "Intro to Impro".
Yes, "Further " comes before "Introduction"... like a Backwards Scene.. Book one (or both) via The Comedy School website.
SOME TESTIMONIALS:
“We had fantastic feedback on the session; a brilliant way to end the day.”
Katie Lightfoot, RADA
“A very fine facilitator”
Professor Louise Stoll
“Brilliant, 10 out of 10, wouldn’t change a thing”
Student on TCS Beginners’ Improvisation Course
“Sorba the Great, Best comedy impro teacher!
Student on TCS Drop-In Improvisation Class
“Loved it. Well prepared, Great teacher, Thanks”
Student on TCS Advanced Improvisation Course
“Luke was brilliant, positive, encouraging and professional”
Student on TCS Beginners Improvisation Course
Luke is an excellent teacher who handled the different levels and abilities excellently”
Student on TCS Beginners Improvisation Course
“My first port of call and primary improv mentor.”
Student on TCS Drop In Workshop
“Lots of fun and laughs. I could do that every evening”
Student on TCS Impro Drop Workshop

Comedy performance course workshops for Stand-Up, Improvisation, Writing, Clown, Mime and much more

https://www.youtube.com/user/sonofrenatoPlease can you help out myself and my producer, Andrew Paine.Unmute is launching...
23/05/2021

https://www.youtube.com/user/sonofrenato
Please can you help out myself and my producer, Andrew Paine.
Unmute is launching a YouTube channel and we are asking friends to subscribe. (Costs nothing and you don't get any notifications.)
It was huge fun broadcasting the fortnightly show but we are both out of pocket and are hoping YouTube may lead to future revenue opportunities so we can return in the Autumn. One video will land every Sunday featuring impro royalty Pippa Evans Stella Duffy Alison Goldie Ruth Bratt Ali James Lesley Ann Albiston Bev Fox Suki Webster in our Season One shows plus a gallery of inspiring viewer suggestions. Granny Jones-Jones, Algernon Bumrush, The S**t Magician, Angela Doppelganger, Simon the Animal Therapist and the Lady Obsessed with Historical Re-enactments are already up there awaiting your visits. Link is above.

Interactive improv comedy for the Zoom generation! Hosted by Luke Sorba with guests playing characters based on live viewer suggestions.Unmute is a professio...

21/05/2021

Here it is the final episode of Unmute Season One with myself and Lesley Ann Albiston as Ruby Diamond the Explorer, Montgomery the Model Train Enthusiast, Phyllis the Cat Burglar and her brother Crispin the Egg Collector, Susie Q the Town Cryer and watch the transformation in the final scene as Diogenes Alcatraz the Ice Sculptor morphs into Fire Sculptor, Diogenes Inferno!
Thank you to Beth Black fast fingered Technical Director and Andrew Paine our ever patient producer. And on Sunday watch out for the launch of our Unmute Impro You Tube Channel to which we will be begging people to subscribe!
All PayPal donations gratefully received so we can put on a Season Two after the summer.
https://www.facebook.com/108890081031261/videos/618689399121943

18/05/2021

Final Episode of interactive improvised comedy Unmute is this Friday May 21st at 8.00pm with special guest Lesley Ann Albiston. Suave production from Andrew Paine. Wizard technology from Beth Black. And an endorsement from Stephen King!
https://www.facebook.com/events/334720474738144/?ref=newsfeed

05/05/2021

Two Spontaneous Combustion members - Luke Sorba and Stella Duffy - reunite this Friday at 8.00pm in "Unmewt XII" endorsed by Bond Villain cat.
https://www.facebook.com/events/513512139657036/

(Unmute is a professional production entirely dependent on viewers' PayPal contributions).

23/03/2021

A special celebrity recommends this Friday's Unmute show.

03/02/2021

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