The Marvellous Maydays
In October, we received an email that surprised and delighted us as a group – the Maydays invited us down to Brighton to come play on their stage.
The Maydays, for those who don’t know, are an award-winning improv group that has been around for over 15 years. They have inspired thousands to bring a little more improvisation into their lives both through their countless performances and through the various workshops, lessons, and intensive weekends they offer.
This was like U2 ringing up a tribute band and asking if they’d open for them. Not to exaggerate, but when replying our internal monologue was: “play it cool, play it cool”. Needless to say, we replied with an emphatic “yes and!”
Several weeks later, we were all on a train headed to Brighton to play at Komedia. The Mayday’s were incredibly welcoming and even gave us a green room to warm up in. Despite our weekly rehearsals and almost bi-weekly performances, we were quite nervous. Fortunately, those nerves quickly subsided after an amazing intro and an extremely welcoming crowd.
Buffet acting cool in the green room.We enjoyed every minute we played on stage and couldn’t have been happier with the audience’s reaction and feedback after the show. After we left the stage, we were privileged to watch the Maydays do what they do best; improvise!
Watching such an experienced team is like nothing else. On the surface, it seemed like they were just playing together and having fun, which they were. However, even someone new to improv could see how well they were playing off of one another’s suggestions/offers, seamlessly transitioning between scenes, ensuring that nothing got dropped, and being 100% committed to the characters they created. We were awestruck.
So why write this post? Well, the reason is twofold;
First, we wanted to thank and recognise the Maydays for taking a chance on us. We’re a young improv group, especially when compared to them, and having us come down to open for them really meant a lot.
Second, we wanted to ensure that anyone who reads this goes to see a Maydays show (or even takes a class). Whether you’re a fan of improv or an improviser, you’ll love watching the Maydays…so do it!
We couldn’t have been happier with this experience and would relish the opportunity to play in Brighton again! As a group, this now marks the third city we’ve played in, where’s next? Who knows?
The only Canadian that was kicked out of his country for being too polite. He is incredibly loud and protective of his bike.