Alan has been performing and teaching improv in North America and Europe for over 30 years, alongside improv legends such as Keith Johnstone, Colin Mochrie, Eddie Izzard and Jeremy Hardy.
He is also one the first people in the UK to integrate improv skills with business.
Using a unique blend of “yes-and” techniques, story structure, identifying core values and motivations of brands, Alan enables a company to access innovative paths to new product development, refreshing classic brands and corporate cultural development.
Alan’s Improv History
Alan got his first taste of improvisation with Vancouver Theatresports spending four amazing years there. While in Vancouver he was tutored by many impro pioneers (including Keith Jonstone) and starred in VTSL's original production of 'Suspect - An Improvised Murder Mystery', which also starred Colin Mochrie. Alan has worked with or taught many groups in London, Vancouver and throughout Europe including:
Showstopper,The Comedy Store Players, Grand Theft Impro, South of the River (with the late Jeremy Hardy), Scratch (with Ruth Bratt) Impropera (a two act improvised opera with Pippa Eveans), Lust Boulevard (an improvised soap opera directed by Phelim McDermott), The Impro Musical, Friday Night Live (with Liz Bowen), Vancouver Theatresports League, Hamlet Improvised, Omelette Broadcasting (with Lee Simpson), Slattery Night Fever (with Tony Slattery) and The Stephen Frost Impro Allstars (with Steve Frost).
Alan in Suspect.
Performing alongside the legendary Colin Mochrie.
As a teacher Alan has been spreading improvisation world wide for over 25 years. Some of his clients include the Society of London Theatres (SOLT), Independent drama schools, Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Springmaus in Germany, Whose Line is it Anyway in Belgium, and Snell Theatre in Amsterdam. Alan was the original Artistic Director of Theatresports London at the Donmar Warehouse. In 2015 Alan became the first head of the Comedy Conservatory program at School Creative in Vancouver.
A list of Alan's former students includes Eddie Izzard, Alan Davies, John Sparks, Jake Arnott, Stella Duffy, Gordon Kennedy, Neil Ashdown, Fay Ripley, Ben Keaton, Dylan Emery, Pippa Evans, Ruth Bratt, Phillip Pellew, Andy Stanton, Steve Roe, Abandoman and many more.
Alan regularly performs in London and throughout Europe. In 2017, he directed and performed in Will Shakespeare's Impro Musical for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and he can regularly be seen at Hoopla, London with the Grand Theft Impro team and with The Impro Twilight Zone and Mametprov.
Creativity Influencer
Alan has worked with many different companies, helping them with everything from brand innovation to corporate culture. It is often useful to highlight a brand's story, using concepts and forms such as 'The Hero's Journey' and semiotics, to clarify why a brand does what it does, what message it is projecting currently, and how that deviates from its true message.
Corporate sessions with Alan are always lively, light, and full of ‘ah-ha’ moments, deep thoughts and surprising insights. His unique combination of skills, experience and training gives Alan an intuitive understanding into what your brand may need.
