Monkey Toast UK

Presenting The Monkey Toast Players…

David Shore – Artistic Director
Two-time Canadian Comedy Award winner, David Shore, is an alumnus of The Second City Mainstage, The I.O. West, and Paramount Television’s Comedy Writer’s Apprenticeship Program.  While at The Second City, David wrote and performed in the award winning revue, Psychedelicatessen. Upon leaving the Second City, David created the six-time Canadian Comedy Award winning show, Monkey Toast: The Improvised Talk Show. David was the Producer/Host of Monkey Toast for seven years in Toronto, where the show still runs.

Rob Broderick
Winner of the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year, The Musical Comedy Awards, and the 2012 Adelaide Fringe Festival  “Best Comedy Newcomer” award, Rob Broderick – as Abandoman – creates hilarious musical sketches at lightning speed live in front of their audience. No two gigs are ever the same. For info go to abandoman.com

Dylan Emery
Dylan Emery has been performing, teaching and directing improvised theatre and comedy for more than 10 years. He has performed at The National Theatre, The Royal Court, the Bristol Old Vic, Latitude Festival and many times at the Edinburgh Fringe; he has also performed for BBC Radio 1 and 7 and hosted the Radio 4 series of Showstopper! The Improvised Musical. He co-founded both Grand Theft Impro and Showstopper; he is a member of The School of Night; and he runs the Impro website www.thecrunchyfrogcollective.com

Paul Foxcroft – Associate Artistic Director
Paul Foxcroft: Word Assassin, has been pretending at a professional level for over six years. As an improviser he has performed throughout Europe and Canada, is a veteran of 13 “improvathons” and was a finalist in the Just For Laughs scriptwriting competition 2011. 50 words are too few to really

Charlotte Gittins
Charlotte has lived in the Home Counties, New Jersey, France & Russia, so is a repressed mezzo-soprano with a penchant for bears. Actress, writer & improvisational recidivist, her recent shows include Catch23, London’s 50-hour Improvathon & guest appearances with Austentatious, Grand Theft Impro & Music Box. She’s been spied acting on BBC2/3 and slaving behind-the-scenes on numerous documentaries.

Susan Harrison
Susan is a character comedian, actress and improviser. Her last Edinburgh show “Creatures” won a Three Weeks Editor’s Choice Award. She performs regularly on the London circuit, as numerous characters including mermaids, horses and humans. She is the co-founder and host of the popular monthly comedy night “Cabarera”.
www.susanharrisoncharacters.com

Javier Jarquin
In New Zealand Javier was a member of the professional improv troupe The Court Jesters as well as working as an actor, comedian, magician, variety artist, pantomime, corporate host and human statue. Having moved in 2010, Javier now performs comedy and his Card Ninja act around the UK and abroad. www.card-ninja.com

Lauren Shearing
Lauren studied at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts and has a background in stand-up, cabaret and sketch comedy. As well as Monkey Toast, Lauren regularly performs her two-person improv show Breaking & Entering. She also appeared in Newsrevue, ITV’s in Comedy Cuts, the Edinburgh Fringe and has presented interactive kids shows for CBBC.

Cariad Lloyd
Cariad Lloyd is an actor, writer and character comedian. Her debut Edinburgh Fringe show, Lady Cariad’s Characters, received rave reviews and was nominated for the Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Best Newcomer in 2011.  She recently starred in E4?s hit sketch show Cardinal Burns, and has made a number of shorts for . For more info go to cariadlloyd.com.

Joseph Morpurgo
Joseph Morpurgo is a founder member of improvised comedy show Austentatious: An Improvised Novel. He has also performed with and directed The Oxford Imps, guested with Grand Theft Impro, and improvised in the USA and the Netherlands. Writing credits include Lucy Montgomery’s Variety Pack (BBC Radio 4).

Sara Pascoe
Sara is a gifted actress and highly original comic. Her many TV credits include series regular roles in Campus, Free Agents, and The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret., with guest leads in The Thick of It and Being Human.  A highly sought after writer, Sara as been voted one of Time Out Magazine’s “Rising Stars of Comedy”.  For more info click here.

Richard Soames
Richard is a writer and performer in critically acclaimed sketch group The Beta Males. As well as Monkey Toast UK, he improvises regularly with The Wilmington Players and guests for Jane Austen-based improv troupe Austentatious. www.thebetamales.com

Briony Redman
Briony started improvising with The Edinburgh University Improverts and performs in The Spontaneity Shop’s Horse Aquarium and The London 50hr Improvathons.  She is one half of double act Bronya and Siony; “very funny” Guardian Guide and is in sketch group Ladies & Gentlemen performing in the Edinburgh Fringe 2012.

Phil Whelans
Phil wrote and performed his own Radio 4 sitcom, My First Planet, in Spring 2012. His sketch-group, Pros from Dover starred in The Infinite Monkey Cage (Radio 4.) He’s written acres of mirth for TV and radio and done improv all over the world, appearing in numerous failed TV and radio improv pilots.

Andrew Hunter Murray
Andy is one of the founding members of Austentatious, the Chortle-Award-nominated improvised Jane Austen novel. He’s also guested with Marcus Brigstocke’s Unavailable for Comment, Grand Theft Impro, Freshly Pressed and Baby Wants Candy.
During the daytime, he works as a writer on ‘QI’ and for Private Eye magazine. If he was ever in a duel, his weapon of choice would be hypothetical situations.

Rachel Parris is an award-winning musical comedian and improviser. Her songs have been played on BBC Radio 4 and BBC 6 Music and earned her a nomination for best musical act in the Chortle awards, as well as being named The Independent’s One To Watch in 2014.  She is a member of the acclaimed improv group Austentatious, and longform improv group, The Bishop. She has appeared on Channel 4’s The IT Crowd, BBC3’s Sweat The Small Stuff, and is the presenter of Thronecast, the Game of Thrones fan-show, on Sky Atlantic