User:RichW/Improvised Comedy Ents

Improvised Comedy Ents (ICE) are the improvisational comedy society of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 2003 they regularly put on shows in and around Cambridge. The focus of ICE is on the teaching and promotion of improv to the student body as a whole and aims to provide opportunities, at all levels, for people to gain experience in spontaneous comedy without the degree of involvement usually required by drama societies.

History
Improvised Comedy Ents was founded in 2003 as an off-shoot from an existing troupe called The Comedy Iceberg initially as an unofficial way for the Iceberg to gain extra cast for their coming show Improwar!. Impressed by the success of the show, they formed ICE as a society expressly designed to foster new comedy talent in Cambridge.

Since Improwar! ICE has put on at least a show per term at the famous ADC Theatre in Cambridge along with a larger number of smaller charity or benefit shows in and around Cambridge. They have performed at many of the famous may balls held in Cambridge notably both those of John's and Trinity where, at the latter, they were a warm-up act for Hattie Hayridge.

Aims of the society
Unlike a traditional theatre groups in Cambridge, the putting on of shows is not the main aim of ICE. Instead the society aims to encourage students to 'try their hand' at comedy in a safe and welcoming situation. To this end they run weekly workshops during full-term in which anyone is free to turn up and have fun playing improv games, practising improvising sketches and learning the rules of improv. Attendees of the workshops are encouraged to take part in one of the many ICE shows. Since ICE put on small and large shows there is almost always a sufficiently sized opportunity for people to gain stage legs regardless of their confidence.

Reviews

 * Varsity review of Whose Ice Was It Anyhow?
 * The Cambridge Student review of the same show.
 * Varsity review of a smaller bar show.

Related pages

 * The Oxford Imps - a similar improv troupe based at Oxford University.