Big Scene Improv Festival

Overview

Big Scene Improv Festival is London's first international improv festival of this scale, created and curated by The Free Association. The inaugural edition runs for five days across two venues in Southwark's Old Union Yard - The Free Association (105 seats) and the Union Theatre (90 seats) - with more than 25 shows, workshops, and headline acts.

The festival draws international performers from the US, Canada, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, and across the UK. It follows The Free Association's 2025 opening of the UK's first purpose-built improv theatre. The Free Association has been a cornerstone of UK improv for over a decade, training thousands of students and producing dozens of original shows since its founding by Graham Dickson.

Headliners

The 2026 headline acts include Mailbox #23 featuring Ambika Mod (Netflix's One Day), Asian AF (Los Angeles/New York variety show), Cook County Social Club (Chicago Reader's "Best Improv Group"), and Tennessee Williams UnScripted by Impro Theatre featuring Edi Patterson.

Sources

• Big Scene Improv Festival - Official Website
• About Big Scene Improv Festival
• Beyond the Joke - London Venue To Stage Improv Festival
• BroadwayWorld - Ambika Mod and Edi Patterson To Perform At Big Scene Improv Festival
• Entertainment Now - The Free Association Announces International Improv Festival
• London TV - Ambika Mod and Edi Patterson at Big Scene Improv Festival
• British Comedy Guide - The Big Scene Improv Festival