The Free Association

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]

For other uses of "Free Association", see Free Association (disambiguation).

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.[6]

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.[7]

Team Name Activity Type Members Performance
3[8] 2023 - Current Headline Show Oliver Chris, Alfred Chow, Graham Dickson, Helen Duff, Rob Gilbert, Anna Leong Brophy, Cariad Lloyd, Shaun Lowthian (also directing), Lola-Rose Maxwell, Haley McGee, Ambika Mod, Scott Oswald, Naomi Petersen, Kiell Smith-Bynoe Original Format
Winner[9] 2023 - Current Headline Show Greg Baxter, Katharine Bennett-Fox, Alex Berr, Michelle Fahrenheim, Sumina Kasuji, Shaun Lowthian (also directing), Sam Roulston, Anand Sankar, Charlie Sturgeon Narrative Improv
St Doctor's Hospital[10] 2021 - Current Headline Show Kiran Benawra, Kat Bond, Ian Thomas Day, Graham Dickson (also directing), Patrick Dishman, Chris Gau, Shaun Lowthian, Haley McGee, Naomi Petersen, Alison Thea-Skot Narrative Improv
NANA[11] 2022 - Current Harold Team Aram Balakjian, Luke Brown, Ellie Fulcher, Sumina Kasuji, Murieann Kelly, Jen Littlewood, Megan McCarthy, Gareth O'Connor, Charlie Sturgeon The Harold
Sweet FA 2015 - Current Weekend Team Graham Dickson, Michael Orton-Toliver, Katia Kvinge, Briony Redman, Naomi Petersen, Liz Kingsman, Jim Archer, Rhys Collier The Detour
The Wilsons 2015 - Current Weekend Team Sophia Broido, Chris Gau, Shamus Maxwell, Mariam Haque, Katharine Bennett-Fox, Ian T Day, Shaun Lowthian, Jonathan Broke Freeform
The Cartel 2015 - Current Weekend Team Alex Holland, Amanda Farley, Freya Slipper, Jez Scharf, Lola-Rose Maxwell, David Elms, Charlie Kemp, Kayleigh Llewellyn Freeform
The 838 2016 - 2018 Retired Harold Team Tom Levinge, Simon Lukacs, Freddie Sandilands, Ivan Gonzalez, Shivani Thussu, Clare Plested, Alison Thea-Skot, Nathalie Antonia The Harold
My Brother José 2016 - 2018 Retired Harold Team Lorna Shaw, Scott Oswald, Tamar Broadbent, Alex Morris, Clare Couchman, Nick Everritt, Kerry Gilbert, Steve Violich The Harold
Feast 2017 - 2019 Retired Harold Team Amanda Stauffer, Becci Ride, Kat Bond, Max Dickins, Matthew Cosgrove, Patrick Dishman, Sophie Dickson, Theo McCabe The Harold
Super Discount Party Store 2017 - 2021 Retired Harold Team Amy Annette, Clemence Billoud, Victoria Barry, Mathew Gundel, Ruairi McInerney, Nick Brown, Simon Feilder, Sasha Brown Tacocat
Night Bus 2018 - 2021 Retired Harold Team Freddie Sandilands, Lorna Shaw, Alex Morris, Shivani Thussu, Scott Oswald, Flora Anderson, Nicholas Everritt, Bryony Byrne Tacocat
The Millicent Tendrils Experience 2018 - 2021 Retired Harold Team Emma Pritchard, Lottie Field, Ambika Mod, Florence Mercer, Ishan Ganjoor, Luke Healy, Dom Ashton, Dan Kelly The Harold
The Fortitude 2018 - 2020 Retired Harold Team Nick Adamson, Simon Fazey, Rob Sladden, Deep Lidder, Liz Gutterbock, Jenny Donoghue, Kathryn Higgins, Victoria Beardwood The Harold
Long Weekend 2018 - 2020 Retired Harold Team Jay Bennett, Nick Elleray, Doug Crossley, Will Rowland, Liz Elms, Anna Carden, Dan Subin, Olivia Florence The Harold
Supreme Leader 2019 - 2021 Retired Harold Team Alex Bradbury, Kathryn Higgins, Nick Adamson, Flora Donald, Waleed Akhtar, Anna Carden, Victoria Beardwood, Craig Methven The Harold
Dream Phone 2019 - 2021 Retired Harold Team Kiran Benawra, Tom Levinge, Haley McGee, George Collecott, Jenny Donoghue, Tara Boland, Jack Barry, Phillip Kostelecky The Harold
I'm Filthy - Don't Touch Me 2019 - 2021 Retired Harold Team Laura Riseborough, Matt Hutson, Sammy Hannah, Jay Bennett, Doug Crossley, Will Rowland, Zoe Dunn, Jamal Khandar The 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.[12] Guest residencies from other London-based acts such as Do Not Adjust Your Stage, The Petting Zoo and Sorry take place monthly.[12][13] Jacuzii has played at The Pleasance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 2015 to 2018.[14][15][16]

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,[17] 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.[18]

The Free Association provides improvisation training for businesses, focusing on communication and collaboration[2] through "FA at Work".[19]

Additional work

The Free Association's Michael Orton-Toliver and Chris Gau created the part-improvised "retro-scripted" comedy[20] mockumentary Borderline for Channel 5 in 2016. The show features a number of Free Association-trained performers[21] 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.[22][23] 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.[24]

Performer Freya Slipper created and wrote Audible musical Crush Hour in 2022, with additional material by fellow performer Doug Crossley.[25]

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.[26]

Performer Jim Archer directed feature film Brian and Charles in 2022, receiving a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film.[27]

Performer Ambika Mod appeared in a leading role in HBO and BBC TV series This Is Going To Hurt in 2022,[28] 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.[29]

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.[30]

Performer Shaun Lowthian was nominated for Best Online Comedy at the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards in 2019, for short-film Spokke.[31]

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.[32]

References
  1. "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  2. "The Rise Of Improvised Comedy By Sarah Powell". Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  3. "The FA Team". The Free Association. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  4. "The Free Association: JACUZZI". Fest Magazine. 7 August 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  5. "London's Newest Craze is Improv Comedy, Apparently". Broadly. 1 January 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  6. Comedy School, retrieved 31 May 2023
  7. "The Players". The Free Association | Improv Class | Improvisation Classes | Improv Comedy | London. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  8. "3 at The Free Association". The Free Association | London. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  9. "Winner at The Free Association". The Free Association | London. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  10. "St Doctor's Hospital". Assembly Festival | London. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  11. "Winner at The Free Association". The Free Association | London. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  12. "FA Shows". The Free Association | Improv Class | Improvisation Classes | Improv Comedy | London. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  13. "Do Not Adjust Your Stage". Do Not Adjust Your Stage | London. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  14. "The Free Association Jacuzii". The List. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  15. "The Free Association Jacuzii". Fest Magazine. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  16. "The Free Association Jacuzii". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  17. "Everything You Need To Know About Comedy Central Live". Comedy Central. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  18. Sargent, Emily (27 July 2017). "Take one introvert with stage fright and put her in front of an audience . . ". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  19. "Bring Improv Skills Into Your Business | FA Improv". The FA at Work. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  20. Borderline (TV Series 2016– ), retrieved 17 May 2018
  21. Borderline, David Avery, Jackie Clune, David Elms, retrieved 17 May 2018{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  22. Verdier, Hannah (18 August 2017). "Hear Here: Hot sex tips, ambition monsters and why life has never been so good – podcasts of the week". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  23. "Fact Up Podcast on Soap". SOAP. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  24. "BBC Radio 4 Extra Podcast Radio Hour". BBC Radio. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  25. "Crush Hour on Audible". Audible. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  26. BAFTA Breakthrough Brits 2019, retrieved 19 November 2019
  27. Film, Guardian (19 January 2023). "Baftas 2023: the full list of nominations". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  28. "This Is Going to Hurt's Ambika Mod: 'Whenever I did a caesarean I was buzzing!'". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  29. Logan, Brian (24 August 2022). "A love rat, a shelf-stacker and a Fleabag spoof: Edinburgh comedy awards shortlist announced". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  30. "Olivier Awards 2023: Paul Mescal, Jodie Comer and Totoro triumph".
  31. "WGGB Awards: Phoebe Waller Bridge & Charlie Covell make the shortlist".
  32. "Escape your comfort zone: I have a mortal, lifelong fear of public speaking. Can I be cured?". TheGuardian.com.
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