What Made an Improv Company Create A Show For children? Grimm is the brainchild of Ian Hayles, the Artistic Director of Casino Improv. Created two years ago as The Old Courts own in-house improvisational theatre troupe, Casino deliver improv classes for adults, regular performances at The Something New Show and have recently started their own show, Baillaugh.
Their style is anarchic, hilarious, and always utterly brilliant. They have spent the last two years developing and successfully hosting their shows, which up to now, have all been aimed at ages 18+.
Grimm is Casino Improv’s very first foray into the world of creating work for children and young people. So, why did they decide to take this step? Ian explained to us the idea behind Grimm:
“One of the reasons we made Grimm is that we are so passionate about improvisational theatre, but it’s actually quite hard to get improv to be considered a proper art form and more than just ‘that thing that happens in bars sometimes.’ It is much more than that. Children innately ‘get’ improv because they just do it all the time. Improv is play. It is actually us as adults who forget how to do that well. ”
Ian sees a pathway for children who first experience shows like Grimm as audience members then gaining the confidence and ability to participate in performance classes and groups. Only about 80% of the Grimm script will ever exist. The rest is made up by the audience on the spot. By encouraging children to play a part in the creation of their own story, Grimm empowers kids to keep on thinking, playing and making up their own long after the show has finished.
Ian and Casino share the same passion as The Old Courts: that people can feel able to interact with the art, rather than simply be passively entertained.
Performing for HRH Prince Charles and brand-new audiences: Audience Reactions On April 11th-13th 2019, Grimm was performed at The Old Courts in our Theatre. Each audience was a great mix of adults and children. Overall, 108 people viewed the performance, as well as 150 people who watched a special preview in which we were honoured by the presence of His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, who also watched the show.
Below are two quotes taken from some of the audience members:
“Took my 8yr old boy to see Grimm, he thoroughly enjoyed it and so did I. We laughed all the way through, and he loved being able to shout out and take part. Well done to the two actors on keeping the kids and adults engaged and entertained throughout.” –Lisa S (Trip Advisor, April 2019)
“A fantastic experience! I took my two grandchildren (4&7) to watch Grimm. It was a superb interactive experience. I had never heard of this venue before (and would suspect many more haven’t). I will look each time I have grandchildren to see if anything is on! Great value, very reasonable drinks and treats! We will return!” – car0lann47 (Trip Advisor, April 2019)
