Max Adams, producer of Duck Productions talks to us about The Shambles, a shambolic comedy troupe gracing the stage this Ed Fringe.
We want to get as many people laughing with us as possible. Since our scenes are based on what the audience wants, we feel that we make a genuine connection to people watching our show, and love nothing better than to see them leave with smiles on their faces.
Tell us about your show
The Shambles are York’s premier improv comedy troupe. Established in 2007, we specialize in short-form improvised comedy, creating scenes, songs, characters, and other wacky scenarios based entirely on audience suggestions. We have a proud history of performing in and around York, and have had a fantastic time being at the Edinburgh Fringe for the last three years. Our brand of silly, off-the-wall comedy has been described as having “True hilarity and genius” (York Vision) and being “chaotic madness but unquestionably funny” (EdFringe Review). We can’t wait to get back to performing in front of Fringe audiences, from whom we always get a host of crazy suggestions which form shows that are great fun both to perform in and to watch unfold.
Why did you decide to take your show to Space UK this year?
We performed with Space UK for the first time last year and they were absolutely brilliant. The have wonderful performance spaces, friendly and helpful staff, and are just a lovely company to work with. We were delighted when they agreed to have us back. It was a complete no-brainer.
What are you most looking forward to at this year’s festival?
We’re most looking forward to seeing what kind of situations our audiences can put us in. No two shows are the same with The Shambles: the direction we take depends entirely on what our audiences shout out to us. Whether it’s Cher on a motorcycle or a horse whipping up meringues, we’ll make a scene out of it!
You've brought a show to the festival before, right?
This will be The Shambles’ fourth consecutive year at the Edinburgh Fringe. It’s a fantastic experience to perform to Fringe audiences, who are always up for a laugh. Edinburgh is always the place to be during August, and we’re thrilled to be one of the shows contributing to that.
What’s the main thing you want to get out of the festival this year?
We want to get as many people laughing with us as possible. Since our scenes are based on what the audience wants, we feel that we make a genuine connection to people watching our show, and love nothing better than to see them leave with smiles on their faces.
Venue: theSpace @ Surgeons Hall
Dates: 7th-29th August (not 16th)
Times: 10:05pm-11:00pm
Twitter: @ShamblesImprov