Hoopla Impro

Thomas Crapper and a toilet seat made from the Elgin Marbles

I’ve been up and down to London like a cockney yo-yo the past few days. Thursday: a sketch rehearsal at Theatre Deli in the city, followed by a show at Hoopla Impro in London Bridge with some visiting pals (one a big improv enthusiast) from Istanbul. Friday: an improv session with an experienced improviser, Melissa Read more

January 26, 2026

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by

jamesofwalsh

in

Diary, London, comedy, art, Improv

Writing, Hoopla Impro, Mr Crapper, Editing
An Englishman, an Irishman, and a Scotswoman

“Don’t ruminate”, advised my teammate, Nick. Good and kind advice, but he might as well have told me not to breathe – my ADHD is of the “extremely sensitive to what people think of me” kind. So here’s what happened. I did my first improv show of the year with my troupe, Not Suitable For Read more

January 14, 2026

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by

jamesofwalsh

in

Diary, Improv

Hoopla Impro, Not Suitable For Beebies
Next Level Sketch with Siblings, Joz Norris, Stephen Catling, Mikey Bligh-Smith – and not me!

Due to a fatality on the line, myself and fellow cast member Kat couldn’t make it up to Brighton for the show last night. I spent a weird hour at the station, surrounded by sad Arsenal fans, one crying about missing their match in the Littlewoods Cup (as I think it’s still called). Annabel Edmonds Read more

October 30, 2025

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by

jamesofwalsh

in

comedy, Diary, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy

comedy, Hoopla Impro, Joz Norris, London, Next Level Sketch, Siblings, Sketch Comedy
Next Level Sketch Comedy with special guests Lil Wenker, Alex Bertulis-Fernandes, Verity Sharpe and Sir Kier Starmer QC

Opinion was divided on how good a show this was, in terms of our own set. For [fellow producer] Rebecca, it was an 8/10. Very good, but not in the top echelons, for which you need a room absolutely rammed full of sketch appreciators, was her view. I disagree – I think this was the Read more

September 26, 2025

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by

jamesofwalsh

in

Acting, comedy, Diary, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy, theatre

Alex Bertulis-Fernandes, Hoopla Impro, Lil Wenker, Next Level Sketch, Next Level Sketch Comedy, Sketch Comedy, Verity Sharpe
Next Level Sketch Pride Month Special with Sam Nicoresti, Baba, Han Whyte, The Mayor & His Daughter, Dian Cathal, and Kit Loyd

Eeeee that was a very fun show. I was also very anxious during it. Lots to ponder there, especially the you-would-think contradictory nature of those opening sentences. I wasn’t hosting the show, or performing in any sketches. So why was it so stressful? My friend (and debut NLS cast member) Kat, as revealed in a Read more

June 27, 2025

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by

jamesofwalsh

in

art, comedy, Diary, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy

comedy, Hoopla Impro, London, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy
Next Level Sketch with Soft Play Area, Luke Rollason, and The Awkward Silence

A late write up of a very enjoyable show, so please forgive the fragmented recollections as the near-distant past retreats into the fog of hearsay and memory. Something very unusual happened at the April NLS: most of our audience didn’t show up. Ticket sales were very healthy indeed, and I told all and sundry – Read more

May 3, 2025

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by

jamesofwalsh

in

cities, comedy, Diary, Improv, London, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy

Hoopla Impro, London, Luke Rollason, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy, Soft Play, the awkward silence
Next Level Sketch with Camilla Borges, Ali Brice and Rob Duncan

Is there a link between audience size and performance quality? Laughter is a contagion, and logic suggests that a packed room = punters giving themself the permission to let go. And so: a great atmosphere, and performers raising their game accordingly. The answer, after five years of hosting alternative comedy shows, is I’m really not Read more

February 22, 2025

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by

jamesofwalsh

in

comedy, Diary, Improv, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy

Ali Brice, Camilla Borges, Hoopla Impro, London, Next Level Sketch, Rob Duncan, Sketch Comedy
Next Level Sketch’s 5th Birthday Show with Julia Masli, Luke Rollason and Jamie Mykaela

We are five! It was a splendid evening at Hoopla, our first Thursday show and a sold out room to boot. We prepped a greatest hits set – pimped up with Josephine’s wonderfully bizarre sketch about being a sofa in a nightclub toilet, alongside Ben’s pleasing anti-Dyson rant. And I rebooked some of our favourite Read more

February 3, 2025

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by

jamesofwalsh

in

comedy, Diary, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy

comedy, Hoopla Impro, Jamie Mykaela, Julia Masli, London, Luke Rollason, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy
Next Level Sketch with Lorna Rose Treen, Joz Norris, and Grubby Little Mitts

Our final show of the year was one of our very best, despite the loss of Susan Harrison to “double booking” and a a smaller than expected crowd for such a banging lineup. Fortunately those that did attend were WELL UP for a bit of alternative comedy, and they were repaid for their enthusiasm with Read more

December 10, 2024

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by

jamesofwalsh

in

comedy, Diary, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy

Grubby Little Mitts, Hoopla Impro, Joz Norris, Lorna Rose Treen, Next Level Sketch
Next Level Sketch with Jamie Mykaela, Mikey Bligh-Smith, Michael Brunström and The Mayor and His Daughter

Hello! I did the Treason Show for the first time, and am back in London with some cats. I sometimes find it difficult to sleep after a show, and so after a few aborted attempts at no longer being conscious, I thought I’d write a short post about last week’s Next Level Sketch, which was Read more

October 5, 2024

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by

jamesofwalsh

in

Diary, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy

comedy, Hoopla Impro, Jamie Mykaela, London, Mikey Bligh-Smith, Next Level Sketch, Sketch Comedy, The Mayor and his Daughter