Showstopper! The Improvised Musical; Cornerstone Arts Centre, Didcot, Feb 13 (From Herald Series)

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical; Cornerstone Arts Centre, Didcot, Feb 13

9:00am Wednesday 3rd February 2010

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When you book tickets for a musical at your local theatre, you normally know what kind of show you are in for.

But, with Showstopper! The Improvised Musical coming to the Cornerstone Arts Centre, Didcot, on Saturday, February 13, as the name suggests, you won’t have a clue as it’s all invented on stage before your very eyes.

A writer has just an hour to create a hit show and enlists the audience’s help in providing the title, themes and ideas.

From that, the cast creates a musical from scratch, replete with dance routines, comedy and drama. So no two shows can ever be the same — and Showstopper! promises to have you singing all the way home.

Presented by Showstopper Productions in association with The Sticking Place, Showstopper! The Improvised Musical is suitable for adults and children aged 12 upwards. Tickets for the Didcot show, starting at 8pm, are priced at £16, £14.50 concessions, and £13.50 for centre members.

The winner of the Spirit of the Fringe Award at Edinburgh 2009, the production comes to Cornerstone following sell-out shows at London’s Drill Hall and Leicester Square Theatre, and Bristol’s Old Vic Theatre.

Showstopper! has had five-star reviews from Time Out, The Independent on Sunday, What’s On Stage.com, The Scotsman, British Theatre Guide, Edinburgh Evening News, Three Weeks, Fringe Review and FringeGuru.com The Showstoppers company was formed from some of the leading improvisation groups in the country.

The show began as a workshop at the Actors' Centre in London when Dylan Emery, Adam Meggido and the late Ken Campbell took a group of actors with little or no improvisation experience and within a week attempted to get them to perform an hour-long, extemporised musical in front of a packed house.

The idea proved such a success that Dylan and Adam decided to gather together a group of professionals and create a fully-fledged show.

After a few try-outs at The King's Head, in Islington, London, the project immediately secured financial backing for the Edinburgh Fringe and a London residency.

The Showstoppers relish a challenge (the cast is always changing from a pool of skilled performers) and keep pushing to create shows that are not just funny, but can be frightening, exciting and moving. Showstopper! is part of the Sticking Place’s ongoing commitment to re-inventing improvisation as a theatrical art form for the 21st century.

Tickets can be bought online at www.cornerstone-arts.org, by telephone on 01235 515144 or in person at the centre.

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