The Oxford Imps
Encyclopedia
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where they perform weekly during University termtime.
They were reviewed as "the best improvised comedy show I have ever had the pleasure to witness" by Edinburgh Fringe
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
festival magazine ThreeWeeks
ThreeWeeks
ThreeWeeks is a newspaper that covers the Brighton and Edinburgh Festivals in May and August respectively.It has covered the Edinburgh Festival since 1996 and the Brighton Festival since 2006.- Education Programme :...
in 2007.
History
The Oxford Imps formed in 2003, and it is a debated subject as to whether they are Oxford University's first improvisational comedy troupe. As there is little evidence to contest it, many reviews and publications regarding the troupe refer to the group as indeed the University's first improv group, however the group itself does not lay claim to the title.Since 2004, the Imps have performed at the Edinburgh Fringe
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
each year. They have previously toured to Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
and Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. They have also toured numerous times to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, and have performed in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. In February 2008, the Oxford Imps also performed a full-length improvised musical at the Moser Theatre in Wadham College, Oxford
Wadham College, Oxford
Wadham College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, located at the southern end of Parks Road in central Oxford. It was founded by Nicholas and Dorothy Wadham, wealthy Somerset landowners, during the reign of King James I...
, for four nights.
As of June 2010, the Oxford Imps have performed 272 shows at the Wheatsheaf Pub in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, 134 shows at the Edinburgh Fringe
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
, 81 private shows in Oxford, 2 shows in Holland, 3 shows in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, 5 shows in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 1 show in York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, 4 shows at UK Festivals, and 6 shows in the USA, making a total of 508 shows, not including street performances. They have also performed radio shows on Oxide Radio, BBC Radio Oxford
BBC Radio Oxford
BBC Radio Oxford is the BBC Local Radio station for the English county of Oxfordshire, broadcasting on 95.2 FM via the Oxford transmitter and online. The station broadcasts live from the BBC's Summertown studios in Oxford between 5am and 7pm each weekday, for over 13 hours on Saturdays & 19 hours...
, and Fest FM.
TV appearance
Eggheads
Eggheads is a BBC quiz show created by 12 Yard Productions, first broadcast in 2003, and presented by Dermot Murnaghan. For the 2008 series, Jeremy Vine was brought in to present on nights when Murnaghan was hosting the spinoff series Are You an Egghead? This happened again from October 2009 while...
was broadcast on BBC2. The team included John Gethin, Jim Grant, Rachel Parris, Alex Steer, Tom Wilkinson and Lauren Johnson as reserve team member.
Notable members
- Rose Heiney, daughter of Paul HeineyPaul HeineyPaul Heiney has been a radio broadcaster or television reporter in the United Kingdom for over thirty years.-Early life:...
(TV reporter) and Libby PurvesLibby PurvesLibby Purves OBE is a British radio presenter, journalist and author. A diplomat's daughter, she was educated at convent schools in Israel, Bangkok, South Africa and France, and then Beechwood Sacred Heart School in Tunbridge Wells.Purves won a scholarship to St Anne's College, Oxford, where she...
(radio presenter and author), finalist in Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's So You Think You're Funny? 2004, and author of The Days of Judy B - John Gethin, winner of the UK reality TV show Beauty and the GeekBeauty and the Geek (UK TV series)Beauty and the Geek is a reality television show, first aired in the United Kingdom on E4 on February 7, 2006, following the success of the format in the United States, and was advertised similarly as "the Ultimate Social Experiment". The first series ended on 14 March, and was repeated on...
- Heather McRobie, winner of the Hélène du Coudray Prize and author of the novel Psalm 119
Alumni Improv Groups
Imps alumni have continued their passion for improvisation founding groups around the world, including:- Dirty Water, founded by Jon Dick, based in Chicago and have performed at improv festivals across North America.
- Story Pirates, founded by Charlie Partridge and Robin Clyfan, based in London and have performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
- Dead Man in a Box, founded by Juliet Morrish, based in London and have performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
- Swords, founded by Bradford Jordan, based in New York.
- Impulse Factory, founded by Steve Kimmens, based in Sydney.
External links
Reviews:
- Oxford Theatre Review February 2008
- Oxford Theatre Review May 2006
- Daily Information Review May 2006
- Cherwell Newspaper Review June 2005
- BBC article on an Oxford Imps production June 2005
- Cherwell Newspaper Review January 2005
- The Scotsman Newspaper Review August 2004
Related links
- The ImprovertsImprovertsThe Improverts is the long-running improvisational comedy troupe of the Edinburgh University Theatre Company which primarily performs out of the Bedlam Theatre, Edinburgh...
— The University of EdinburghUniversity of EdinburghThe University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
's resident improv troupe - Improvised Comedy Ents — A similar improv group associated with the University of CambridgeUniversity of CambridgeThe University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. - Psalm 119 by Heather McRobie (Maia Press)