Belfast Improv

Background and Founding

Paul Mone began studying improv around 2013 while living in Shanghai. On returning to Belfast he found virtually no improv community in the city and set about building one from scratch by running classes at Accidental Theatre in Shaftesbury Square. The classes grew to 150 or more students and multiple nights of programming per week.

Belfast Improv Comedy Festival (2018)

In August 2018, Mone launched the Belfast Improv Comedy Festival, the first improv festival in Northern Ireland. The inaugural festival (August 1-5, 2018) brought companies from Chicago, Shanghai, London, Dublin, Galway, and Detroit, and featured formats including improvised Shakespeare, improvised musical comedy, improvised murder mystery, and two-person plays. The festival has grown into a recurring international event.

Venue

Belfast Improv primarily operates at Accidental Theatre in Shaftesbury Square, Belfast, with additional shows at The Pavilion Bar.

Belfast Improv is Northern Ireland's only dedicated improv organisation, built from scratch by Paul Mone following his training in Shanghai, with an international festival from 2018.

The Belfast Improv Festival, launched in 2018 as Northern Ireland's first improv comedy festival, featuring international ensembles from Chicago, Shanghai, London, Dublin, Galway, Detroit, Estonia, and Poland. Festival programming includes improvised Shakespeare, murder mysteries, musical comedy, two-person improvised plays, and improvised animated storytelling. Regular long-form shows (20-minute to 2-hour performances) in Belfast. Corporate workshops for Lego, Deloitte, and Queens University Belfast.

Founded and directed by Paul Mone, who has taught improv across Ireland, the UK, the US, Europe, and Asia. Mone has performed alongside international improv figures including Joe Bill, Katy Schutte, Jim Fishwick, Monica Gaga, Jonathan Pitts, Betse Green, Diana Brown, and Nick Armstrong. The Belfast Improv Festival has hosted visiting troupes including Big Bang Improv (Boston ImprovBoston alumni super-team), Couch (Glasgow long-form troupe), and Mixed Nuts (Warsaw English-language group).