Current Projects

Listen to An Improbable Podcast to get behind the scenes of Improbable shows with Phelim and Lee.

EPISODE THREE: On Perfect Show For Rachel

If you have questions or are interested in finding out more about our work, or booking one of our shows for your festival or venue then get in touch on office@improbable.co.uk.

My Neighbour Totoro

Winner of six Olivier Awards and five WhatsOnStage Awards, this “utterly beguiling” (The Stage) and “jaw-dropping” (Metro) staging of the celebrated 1988 animated feature film is brought to you by the Royal Shakespeare Company and Executive Producer Joe Hisaishi in collaboration with Nippon TV and Improbable.

Currently running at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in the West End - must end January 2027.

Lifegame

Every night, on stage, a surprise guest sits down with the cast. They’ve never met before. By the end of the show, their life has been made into theatre.

In 1998 Improbable worked with Keith Johnstone to create our production of Lifegame. It went on tour around the globe, played to thousands of people and became the first fully improvised show to run at the National Theatre. Now we’re reimagining it for today, in a new production created in partnership with Good Chance.

We’re performing a series of early scratch shows as we develop our new production. This is your chance to see the work as it evolves—and to help shape the show that will tour in 2027 and beyond.

Next performance: Friday 23 October, The Yard Theatre

Einstein on the Beach

Experience the gravitational pull of this iconic opera in a new production directed by Improbable’s Phelim McDermott and created for the present moment

“The distinction between past, present and future is… a stubbornly persistent illusion.” – Albert Einstein

29 May - 12 June

Aviva Studios, Manchester

Lifelines

Lifelines is a new, and very old, project with a show at its heart, but it is also a ritual, an invitation, an ongoing practice and growing community. It is an intergenerational project which invites and holds space for girls, women and non-binary people of different ages and backgrounds to share stories from their lives – funny, sad, significant, small, epic, surprising.

It’s a synthesis of everything Matilda has ever done- dance, aerial, improvisation, theatre, puppetry, storytelling, and the holding of space- plus a few things she has never done, or only recently taken up, like pole dancing.

Watch Matilda’s Poems On A Pole here.

Improbable Sessions

Sit in on the Session, as incredible musicians improvise music just for you. By turns rousing, melancholic, lyrical and funky, an evening of glorious music created before your very ears.

Part gig, part Ted Talk, all experiment. A thrilling evening of music and ideas like no other.

Booking future sessions now - get in touch to find out more.

Through The Door

A course of eight improvisation workshops exploring improvisation in theatre, comedy, storytelling, devising and movement led by Creative Facilitator Angela Clerkin. Angela says “we experiment with being heroes and villains, untold and unlikely tales, and putting our own stories centre stage. Oh, and practice being confident and generous as we fuck up. It’s time to find out what happens when we step through the door...”.

TTD is for women, non-binary and trans people who are actors, improvisors, writers, drag kings, dancers, designers, directors and theatre-makers at all levels of experience.

Sennockian Stories: An Eight Week Storytelling Workshop

Multiple Olivier Award winner Phelim McDermott (My Neighbour Totoro, Tao of Glass, Satyagraha) will explore with you personal stories, local stories, myths, forgotten histories and entirely new tales that emerge in the moment. Through improvisation, conversation, games and creative exercises, you’ll learn to notice the stories already present in your life and the places you live it…

The Trail You Leave: An Online Writing Course

Acclaimed novelist and Artistic Director Matilda leads a writing workshop with a difference, understanding writing as a form of improvisation – one in which you leave a trail behind you… Matilda will share the beauty of writing as a tool that anyone can use, anywhere. Come one, come all – and be ready to write.

BambinO

An operatic adventure for 6 to 18 month olds.

This unique and colourful work for infants aged 6 to 18 months reinvents operatic language and traditions for children at an age when their minds are wide open to new sounds, images and experiences. Babies are free to explore during the performance, interacting with singers, musicians and each other. We hope adults might find new ways of enjoying music too – through the ears of their bambini!

Currently touring in LA with LA Opera and in the UK with Scottish Opera

M/Others Who Make

M/Others Who Make is a growing international movement for women and non-binary parents who care about creating, and create whilst caring. Through a range of peer support meetings, artistic events and innovative projects we aim to support women and non-binary people to sustain their creative identities whilst also holding caring roles.

You can find our more about their programme, upcoming events and how to support the initiative on the website.