Improbable

Improbable occupies a vital space in the landscape of UK theatre. At the heart of our artistic practice is improvisation.

Whether in performance, rehearsal or development, the practice and philosophy of improvisation is at the core of our creative process —even when we’re working on classic plays or operas.

Over the past 25 years, we’ve staged epic outdoor spectacles like Sticky (which was seen by over 250,000 people); theatrical classics like The Tempest at Northern Stage and the Oxford Playhouse; intimate puppetry like Animo in studios across the country; adaptations like Theatre of Blood at the National Theatre; operatic triumphs like Satyagraha and Akhnaten at the English National Opera in London and the Metropolitan Opera in New York; and female-led impro project Permission Improbable.

We’re core supporters of initiatives like Through the Door, which seeks to nurture an improvisation culture grown by women and non-binary folks through impro workshops, and Mothers Who Make, an international initiative aimed at supporting mothers who are artists. We’ve also run vibrant community participation projects such as Generations and Impro for Elders, introducing our improvisation and creative practice to people don’t regularly engage with the arts.

Improbable is also one of the UK’s most experienced facilitators of Open Space Technology events.

With an unrivalled history and scale of practice, we have been nurturing a nationwide community of artists and theatre practitioners since 2006 through our programme of Open Space events called Devoted and Disgruntled (D&D).

This community has made shows, formed theatre companies, organised festivals and started new venues as a result of the conversations that have happened at Devoted & Disgruntled events. We now also offer our expertise to a growing number of people outside of the theatre sector, bringing the constructive and collaborate benefits of improvisation and Open Space to the wider world.