In 1999, The Spontaneity Shop staged a gala benefit in aid of the Royal Court Theatre which was struggling to raise the funds it needed for the refurbishment of its Sloane Square premises.

Keith Johnstone began his career as a play-reader at the Royal Court and many of his fundamental ideas about improvisation were developed during his time there. His involvement was a key part of the enterprise, and when we got a commitment from him to direct a show for us, the project began to gather steam.

Because it was not practical or cost-effective to stage the production in the Royal Court itself, the Hackney Empire offered its services, and we were delighted to bring both these theatres together on this occasion.

The format was a Micetro Impro show which featured appearances from such well known performers as Jonathan Pryce, Lee Simpson, Tony Slattery, Stella Duffy, Neil Mullarkey and Suki Webster. Keith Johnstone provided live, public direction along with Phelim MacDermott. The then cast of The Spontaneity Shop performed alongside, with Neil Mullarkey emerging as popular and well-deserved winner.

The show was an outstanding success, packing the Hackney Empire to near-capacity and raising a substantial sum for the Royal Court. A seat with "The Old Spontaneity Shop" (as we were then known) can now be seen in the Royal Court's Sloane Square theatre which is now open for business.

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Links

• The Royal Court Theatre
• The Hackney Empire
• Improbable Theatre (Lee Simpson and Phelim McDermott)
• Neil Mullarkey