How long have you been with Showstoppers and how did you get involved?
Jonathan: “I’ve been performing with the Showstoppers for about three years; I’d seen them in Edinburgh and in the West End, and absolutely loved them – so, when I saw that they were auditioning for new members, I jumped at the opportunity!”

This is the first stop on the 2020 tour. Have there been any changes to the format? What can audiences expect?
Jonathan: “Audiences can expect a fully-staged, two-act musical, with everything that entails – a thrilling story-line, amazing songs and dance routines, unforgettable characters, a fantastic live band – it just happens to be completely made up on the spot, inspired by audience suggestions for the setting, musical styles and title. The format is still a winner: you suggest it, we sing it!”

What is your link to Salford?
Jonathan: “I live here! I had been living in the centre of Manchester for a while, then moved to Salford Quays about a year ago and I’ve completely loved it; it’s so peaceful and beautiful here”.

Will you be including any local references in the show?
Jonathan: “That depends on where the audience decide to set it! The first Showstopper! I did at the Lowry was set in a post-apocalyptic flooded Manchester, so I remember we squeezed in a few nods to the local area”.

What are you most looking forward to about your Lowry dates?
Jonathan: “It’s wonderful to perform to a home crowd; there’ll be lots of my friends and colleagues watching, which always gives it an extra burst of excitement. Also, the Quays Theatre at the Lowry is one of my favourite spaces in which to perform and experience theatre – no matter where you sit, you feel completely connected to what’s happening on stage”.

What do you most enjoy about improv?
Jonathan: “I love the collaborative nature of it: the way you’re working so closely with the people on stage with you and, indeed, the people in the audience. The sense of creating something wonderful, together, from scratch, is so exhilarating”.

How do you keep your ideas fresh?
Jonathan: “Whenever we perform Showstopper!, there’s a new combination of people in the room with us, with new ideas, new energy and new reactions. It means we can automatically start afresh and create something that’s never been seen before”.

What advice would you give someone who would like to try improv?
Jonathan: “Absolutely give it a go. Have a look to see what’s going on where you live (there are improv groups, quite literally, everywhere) and sign up to a class or a workshop. Improv develops so many qualities that are helpful in all areas of life, not just performing – listening to the people around you, trusting your instincts, responding in the moment – and it is also ridiculously fun”.

Are there any shout outs you’d like to hear from the crowd?
Jonathan: “I’m rather partial to a historical setting… but anywhere exciting and evocative is fine by me!”

Is there anything else you’d like to say?
Jonathan: “Come help us make up a musical! We’d love to see you there”.

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical is at The Lowry on 16 and 17 January 2020. For tickets visit www.thelowry.com

Read our interview with Showstopper co-founder Dylan Emery.

The post How Salford actor, Jonathan Ainscourt creates a new musical every night appeared first on Quays Life.

Showstoppers won the award for Best Entertainment and Family at the 2016 Olivier Awards. Who is it aimed at?

It’s aimed at people who like comedy – because trying to improvise a musical is a ridiculous idea; and at lovers of musicals, because we genuinely try to create a show that would stand toe-to-toe with anything in the West End. In terms of ages, we suggest anyone from 12 upwards will have a great time.

The show is billed as an improvised musical. That sounds very ambitious – how does it work?

It is insanely ambitious – and that is part of the joy of it. The shows starts with a writer of musicals, who gets a call from their producer – they need a new musical, now! Then the writer turns to the audience and says, ‘I need your help’. The audience then supplies the setting, some of the musical styles and the name of the show. Then the Showstoppers do the rest, creating characters, an epic storyline, songs, dance routines, everything that you would see in a big show!

Where did you first get the idea to do a show like this?

We were working with the late, great Ken Campbell on an improvised Shakespeare show called The School of Night. We started working on improvising songs in different styles of music. Then one day for a Halloween special, Ken told us that the second half of the show would basically be a musical. He threw us in at the deep end and it could have gone completely wrong – but instead it was really remarkable. Following that show, Adam Meggido and myself decided to develop a standalone improvised musical.

What does it take to be a good improv artist?

For the kind of improv that we do, you have to be able to pay close attention to what everyone else is doing and understand it, uncynically embrace whatever they have created, and then add your own ideas with 100% commitment. They are the essentials. For our show, you also have to know your musicals inside out, be able to direct yourself on stage, be a great writer of dialogue, be able to create characters on the fly, understand narrative, etc.

How did you get started in the business?

Most of the Showstoppers are trained actors, musicians and comic performers. I’m a bit different because I started out as a financial journalist working in London, doing improvised comedy on the side. Until I met Ken Campbell, then it all became a lot more high-profile.

Has the structure of Showstopper changed since you first started it in 2008 and if so how has it changed?

Nothing massive has changed since we started either in terms of who is in the company, who runs it and the show itself. The only big difference to the show – and it’s not obvious unless you’ve seen the show a lot – is that when we started we tried out fairly rigid structures to the stories we told. However, as we have got better and better at doing the show, we’ve relaxed almost all the structures we used to hold on to. So now, more than ever we are flying by the seat of our pants.

What do you do with the cast to prepare – do you have rehearsals?

Yes, we rehearse an awful lot – although we don’t usually call it rehearsal but practice. We’re more like a sports team, with lots of skills but no idea what the match will be like on the day itself.

Do you have a live band?

Yes – we usually have a keyboard player, a percussionist, a reeds player (clarinet and saxophone) plus sometimes a guitar.

Are the songs new every night? Where does the inspiration come from?

Yes – everything is new every night. The inspiration comes from two places – firstly, the story for that night. So, if the audience suggests the musical is set on the Titanic and the captain is having a scene about how isn’t afraid of the sea – when that turns into a song, that will inspire the musicians in terms of style and mood and emotion – and the music will in turn inspire the singer to create certain types of lyrics.

The second inspiration comes from the fact that we ask the audience to suggest musical styles for some of the songs – so if someone is singing in the style of Phantom of the Opera then it will push them in very different places to The Sound of Music.

How do you take suggestions from the audience and how do you decide whose idea to run with?

We ask the audience for suggestions for the setting and the title of the show and then get the audience to vote by cheering. The loudest cheer wins!

What is the strangest suggestion you’ve had, and did you go with it?

Because the audience votes on which setting we go for, most of the truly bizarre ones are filtered out. Still, we had one show set inside someone’s head, which was a challenge…

Do you have a favourite musical you’ve created for Showstopper, or any you would consider developing into a stand-alone show?

We’ve done close to 1,000 shows so it’s impossible to name one favourite. But there are quite a few that we think would provide the basis for a great written musical. But so far, when it comes down to it, it’s more fun to make up another one than write one down…

What is your favourite musical?

Very hard question. I’m currently listening to Waitress on a loop, which has stunning songs and a lovely story. Hamilton is non-stop audio-visual assault – it’s amazing. But then what about the gothic majesty of Sweeney Todd? The incredible catchy and emotional Les Mis? Sorry – there can’t be one!

You’ve now played Showstopper in 12 countries. Why do you think it has such an appeal across different communities and cultures?

Well, we’ve only ever performed in English – luckily there are lots of countries in the world where the theatre-going public speak good English. One advantage our show has is that you don’t have to be absolutely fluent in English. Musicals are based around big emotions, great visuals, dance, big songs; they are mostly not about clever language or cultural references, which would limit where we take the show. But also, at heart we are a bunch of clowns trying to do the impossible – and basic dynamic is recognisable in every culture.

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical is at The Lowry Theatre, Salford Quays on 16 and 17 January 2020. Visit website for details.

The post Dylan Emery co-founder of Showstopper! The Improvised Musical shares the secrets behind his unique blend of musical comedy improv appeared first on Quays Life.