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Who we are

Alex Fradera
Co-founder and Director

Alex has been improvising for over ten years, and has taught the art form in Germany, Poland, Finland, France, Slovenia, the UAE, USA, and across the UK.

Alex works with a number of UK-based and international improvisation groups, including the eclectic German/international supergroup Der Kaktus and performance art parodists The Dreaming.

He has developed original improvised formats that have played internationally, including chamber pieces, middle eastern metafiction, and shows inspired by the writings of Tom Stoppard and Haruki Murukami.

He became an Artistic Director of the Würzburg Festival in 2016, and is a member of Ohana, a European network of improvisers.

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Will Steele
Co-founder and Director

Will began his journey in Impro in 2008 whilst studying Scriptwriting at Northumbria University He stumbled across Keith Johnstone‘s seminal work ‘Impro’. Fascinated, he immediately began experimenting with friends around their studies and has been going on about and around with this ever since. He was also immediately held by Impro’s last chapter on ‘Mask and Trance’ and was lucky enough to attend a workshop with Steve Jarand where he (along with Alex) was first exposed to this mad artform. His impro has been tied up with both of them ever since! He is also a puppeteer and a director of the rehearsal and collaborative working venue Space Six.

Owen Scrivens
Director

Owen’s first taste of improvisation was at the National Youth Theatre in 2002. He immediately fell for the art-form and jumped at the chance to learn from Paul Foxcroft (Monkey Toast) while at the University of Liverpool.

While at Liverpool Owen went on to co-create improvised comedy group Sticky Floor, who for five years performed throughout the city and beyond. Owen also performed with and taught for Liverpool improv group Impropriety, including in numerous improvathons.

Back in Newcastle since 2016, Owen is hoping to expand the already thriving Newcastle Improv scene, co-founding the night Let Us Make It Up To You. He performs as part of The Hang and as The One Man Improvised Musical.

Katie Tranter
Associate Director

Katie is an Actor-Musician, Movement Director, Clown & Improviser who specialises in physical theatre. She creates and performs across the UK and internationally, her work spanning theatre, circus, film, improv and street arts.

She has been recently been working with Extraordinary Bodies, the UK’s only fully integrated professional circus company, and is currently collaborating on a diverse range of outdoor projects with Circus 250.

As a teacher and facilitator, she has worked for Seven Stories, Pauline Quirke Academy, Theatre Sans Frontieres, Jack Drum Arts, The Witham, Circus Central, Circus in a Field and Let’s Circus. She regularly performs with The Hang as part of Let Us Make It Up To You.