History
Timeline
2001
We played our first show on May 14th. It was at the newly opened Café Oz by Pigalle and the show was called Improvisation Insanity. Lucy appeared on the first flyer and she's been with us ever since. We're not sure when, how or even why she acquired her name.
2002
We put on an improvised soap opera at the Théo Théâtre. We had two different stories running during a month, one on Saturday evenings, and one on Sunday afternoons.
2003
We took our soap opera to the London Comedy Festival, performing two episodes at the Soho Theatre.
We played Attack of the Improfessionals at Le théâtre de Nesle. It was a science-fiction long form/ improvised play.
2004
We created Impro à la Carte for our shows at the now gone Marais jazz club Le 7Lézards which became our first real 'home'. We performed Impro à la carte 48 times there over a period of three years.
We started performing improvised musicals.
We organized the first ever - and so far only - international impro festival in Paris: Improstival. Keith Johnstone gave a workshop and directed a Micetro. Mick Napier and the Annoyance Theatre from Chicago were here. LATS/Impro Theatre (Los Angeles) and Fluxx (London) also performed.
We played in the international festival in Leuven, Belgium.
2005
We played in the first Spontanéous Festival in Lyon.
2006
We began performing Improflicks - our improvised 'film festival'.
We played in the international festival in Amsterdam.
2007
We began perfoming Totally News. Scenes and games inspired by current events. It was the creation of the INN - the Improfessionals News Network. We did a special Christmas show - all in French.
2008
We experimented a little and did a couple of shows called Just Because. They were based on audience suggestions and... randomness.
The existence of the IDP - the Improfessionals Department of Propaganda - was finally revealed to the public.
We introduced Bubble Soup - an original format inspired by Rob Reese, a colleague from New York invited as a guest performer earlier in the year.
2009
We performed our 150th show in Paris!
2010
We introduced another original format, Coffee, a show inspired by peoplewatching in cafés.
Creation of the mask show “If We Must Part” in collaboration with Steve Jarand from Loose Moose Theatre, Canada.
We performed Bubble Soup at the Würzburg International Improvisation Festival, Germany.
We started producing the first official regular Micetro Impro in French, gathering the best improvisation groups in Paris.
2011
In May we celebrate our 10th anniversary!
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The First Improfessionals Flyer, 2001.
Lucy apparently scared people.
On the Beach in Normandy, 2003.
We sometimes mistook ourselves for being a rock band.
On Stage at the American Church, Paris, 2003.
"And... Florian Bartsch!"
At the Festival in Leuven, 2004.
Watching another team during a game of Theatresports.
At the 7Lézards, Paris, 2005.
Right before serving up some Impro à la carte.
Basement Studios, Paris, 2006.
Rehearsing the monkey walk.
(It's the only thing we don't improvise.)
At the 7Lézards, 2007.
Singing again. Or something like that.
Improflicks at the Antipode, Paris, 2008.
Introducing tonight's directors. With guest Ian Parizot. |
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