HOOPLA! to Host 50 Hour Charity Comedy Marathon

Hoopla Impro, or Hoopla!, are delighted to announce their official takeover and residency with The Miller Pub. This venture marks the creation of the UK's first full-time improv comedy venue, Hoopla at The Miller, with unscripted and spontaneously created performances programmed Monday to Saturday with up to 10 shows a night.

Ten years ago Hoopla founded the UK's first Comedy Club dedicated to the programming and nurturing of improvised comedy and since then have hosted some of the industry's top acts including Paul Merton, Josie Lawrence, The Showstoppers, Austentatious, Mischief Theatre, The Maydays, Grand Theft Impro and more. With a new venue dedicated to a full-time improv comedy programme Hoopla at The Miller aim to be the UK's answer to the legendary improv houses of North America including The Second City, IO and Upright Citizens Brigade whose training centres and theatres launched the careers of comedy giants Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Bill Murray, Steve Carell, Donald Glover, Kristen Wiig and more. Steve Roe, the founder of Hoopla says:

'Interest in improv comedy is really taking off across the UK, with larger audiences and lots of fantastic new acts. Having this full-time improv venue at The Miller will be a massive step forward for us.'

To launch this new venue Hoopla at The Miller is hosting the biggest gathering of improv performers and groups the UK has ever seen in The Hoopla Improv Marathon inspired by New York City's Del Close Marathon. The Hoopla Improv Marathon will span 50 consecutive hours with over 100 improv shows and over 200 improvisers coming together from across the UK. Hoopla at The Miller aims for their marathon and new full-time home of improv comedy to encourage future collaboration within the industry by booking groups from Brighton, Exeter, Scotland, Northern Ireland and more.

The full line-up of The Hoopla Improv Marathon is still to be confirmed but thus far includes:

• Actor's Nightmare - an improvised play with Steve Steen & Stephen Frost (Whose Line Is It Anyway, Comedy Store Players, Blackadder) and Lee Simpson (Comedy Store Players)

• Mamet - an improvised David Mamet play with the Olivier Award winning Dylan Emery and Alan Marriott

• Ghost Couple - with Ruth Bratt (from BAFTA winning People Just Do Nothing) and Dylan Emery (Olivier Award winning Showstoppers)

• Guest Speaker - with Suki Webster (Paul Merton's Impro Chums)

• The Maydays - award winning improv troupe

• Arnie! - an improvised Arnold Schwarzenegger film

• An improvised episode of The Crystal Maze

The Hoopla Improv Marathon is a charity event, raising awareness of Team Margot, an organisation that campaigns for people to register as potential bone marrow/stem cell donors. All profits will go to charity and Hoopla and The Miller aim to register 200+ new donors over the course of the marathon. In exchange for signing up, participants will receive a free drink courtesy of The Miller and the opportunity to potentially save a life.

The Hoopla Improv Marathon will run for 50 hours continuously from 19:00 on Friday 20th October to 22:00 on Sunday 22nd October at The Miller, SE1 3SS.

For further details about attending or participating in The Hoopla Improv Marathon please visit www.hooplaimpro.com and for tickets please visit: www.tickettext.co.uk/themiller/.

For further information and press images please contact HooplaImproPress@gmail.com

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