17 – 20 September 2026 · Maidstone, Kent
Four days of live, unscripted comedy descend on Maidstone. Workshops, shows, late-night jams — all of it made up on the spot, none of it to be missed.
From kids' workshops to late-night improv jams, there's something across all four days — with or without a script (well, always without a script).
Tickets for most events are available now. Book early — spaces fill fast, particularly for the Saturday workshops.
Questions about the festival, press enquiries, or just want to say hello? Drop us an email and we'll get back to you.
✉ countytownimprov@gmail.comFour days, seven events, zero scripts. Here's everything that's happening — click any Book Now button to secure your place.
Featuring No Name Nomads and The Chairmen Of The Bored
📍 Craft Brewed, 9 Market Buildings, Maidstone ME14 1HP
No Name Nomads bring The Old Curiosities Road Show — timeless tales about your valued objects and family treasures, made up entirely on the spot. Joined by The Chairmen Of The Bored for a full evening of two-person improv.
ShowMaidstone's own improv group bring their sell-out short-form show to the Museum
📍 Maidstone Museum, St Faith's St, Maidstone ME14 1LH
Everything you see will be made up on the spot, based entirely on your suggestions. Full bar on site, provided by the award-winning Craft Brewed.
ShowFor young performers — games, characters, scenes, and plenty of laughter
📍 Exchange Studio, Market Buildings, Maidstone ME14 1HP
Two hours of wonderfully creative chaos for children — no scripts, no right answers, just pure improvised fun. All coaches are fully DBS-checked and experienced improv teachers. Back by popular demand.
Workshop · 2 hrs · Ages 8–18With Lucy Trodd and Seamus Allen
📍 Exchange Studio, Market Buildings, Maidstone ME14 1HP
A full four-hour deep dive into the art of improvisation. Two two-hour sessions run simultaneously — spend the first half with one coach, then swap at 3pm. Two completely different perspectives, one afternoon. Essentially two workshops for the price of one.
Workshop · 4 hrsFeaturing The Two McClanes and Folkestone Improv Theatre
📍 Exchange Studio, Market Buildings, Maidstone ME14 1HP
The festival's headline evening event — two outstanding professional improv companies, no scripts, no rehearsed punchlines, no safety net. Just brilliant performers, your suggestions, and whatever magic happens in between. No two shows are ever the same, which is precisely what makes it so thrilling.
Headline ShowLate-night jam — join in, or just enjoy the chaos from a safe distance
📍 Craft Brewed, 9 Market Buildings, Maidstone ME14 1HP
Like a jam, but with attitude. Jump up on stage alongside workshop attendees and festival performers for improv games and scenes in a relaxed, chilled environment. The ideal end to the main day.
Free EventThe perfect festival finale — comedy, brunch, and the warm glow of a good weekend
📍 Craft Brewed, 9 Market Buildings, Maidstone ME14 1HP
For just £12 you get a meal, a hot drink, and an hour of quality improv comedy. The last two sold out — book early to avoid a very unfunny disappointment.
Show · 1 hrQuestions about tickets, accessibility, or anything else? Drop us an email and we'll get back to you.
✉ countytownimprov@gmail.comThe Maidstone Improv Festival brings together some of the finest improvisers in the UK — from West End award-winners to beloved local troupes. Here's who you'll see.
Lucy has been performing, learning, and teaching improv since 2005, when she worked with theatre maverick Ken Campbell. She was part of the ensemble that played at The Royal Court in Décor Without Production.
In 2006 she travelled to Canada to play in the Die-Nasty 53-hour Soap-A-Thon, and has performed in many London 50-hour Improvathons since. She is a founder member of Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, part of the Olivier Award-winning West End run, and has toured the world with the company for over 16 years.
Most recently, Lucy set up Folkestone Improv Theatre (FIT) in her hometown and has been enjoying her first year on the international improv festival circuit — Impro Amsterdam, Momenta Leipzig, and Robin Hood in Nottingham.
Seamus trained at the Conservatory of Music and Drama in Dublin, then toured nationally with Ireland's premier children's theatre companies before developing clown work for Barabbas and magic shows for Cahoots N.I.
Since moving to the UK he has appeared in productions for Creation Theatre Company, Folklore Presents, and Rifco Arts, and is a core cast member in the annual London 50-hour Improvathons. He performs with Austentatious, The Improvised Jane Austen Novel.
Seamus was Head of Acting at Read College and most recently Head of Year at Drama Studio London, where he gained an MSc in Performance Psychology focusing on excellence in actor training.
Familiar faces from No Name Nomads are on the road again, bringing their much-loved antiques antics to the Maidstone Improv Festival. In this new Twoprov show, seasoned improvisers Amanda Croft and David Robert tell timeless tales about your valued objects and family treasures.
Please don't bring any real antiques — we'll be making it all up.
No Name Nomads are a troupe of experienced improvisers who have been playing in Kent for the last ten years, regularly performing at the Faversham Fringe Festival and numerous venues in East Kent.
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Performer enquiries, press requests, or anything else — we'd love to hear from you.
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The Maidstone Improv Festival is an annual celebration of live, unscripted comedy — the kind where the script doesn't exist yet when the performers walk on stage, and every moment is invented in real time, entirely from your suggestions.
The festival brings together local groups, visiting professional companies, and world-class coaches for a long weekend of shows, workshops, and the kind of late-night improv jams that make you feel like anything is possible — because in improv, it genuinely is.
Now in its third year, MIF has grown from a small local showcase into a proper festival weekend, with professional headline acts on the Saturday, workshops led by coaches who've played the West End and toured internationally, and events that range from family-friendly kids' workshops to ticketed evening shows.
In 2026, the festival runs across four days — Wednesday 17th to Sunday 20th September — with the main day on Saturday the 19th packing in a kids' workshop, four hours of pro coaching, a headline evening show, and a late-night jam at Craft Brewed to round it all out.
The festival is organised by County Town Improv, Maidstone's own improv comedy group, founded in January 2023. CTI runs weekly sessions, courses, and regular shows throughout the year, and the festival is the centrepiece of the calendar — a chance to bring the wider improv world to Maidstone and show the town what this artform can do.
To find out more about County Town Improv's regular programme — weekly drop-in classes, courses, and shows — visit www.countytownimprov.com.
For press enquiries, performer applications, or anything else, get in touch via the County Town Improv website or social channels.
Questions about the festival, press enquiries, or just want to say hello? Drop us an email and we'll get back to you.
✉ countytownimprov@gmail.com
