Trivia questions

More trivia questions

What is improvisation theater?

This is explained in the start of each show that Shoot From The Hip does. It usually goes something like this.

And according to wikipedia

Who are the members?

Luke once described their crew as "A blonde one, a tall one, a standard one and one with alternative dress style". But there is more to be said!

Tom Mayo

The person most likely to call out a fellow member on faulty grammar (examples here and here and here), and least likely to break character by laughing. Is known for doing amazing improvised monologues and is proud of his stagecraft! Is the best improv actor among them according to Luke, and a very ethical person! Says himself that he can't do anything with a script, but also if you don't have a script you can't mess it up!

Sam Russell

The person most likely to use words wrong but still insist he is right. Also the person most likely to call out others when they mess up the narrative (example here or here) or do something generally weird (example here). Has a BA in drama but does not remember any Stanislavski. Will happily make up facts on the spot to fit his purposes. When counting to large numbers he needs to use his fingers and he starts with his pinky finger as number one! He produces an impressive range of quotes, has a quick wit, knows the names of 12 fish, and can impersonate sheep and goats like nobody's business.

Luke Manning

Has to endure gibes from the others about him being short. Can't count to 7, which is why they rarely do Limited words with more words than 3. Is referred to by the others as the most musical of them, and as the best actor. Knows a lot of names on holy books, and speaks only true facts even while on stage. Speaks Spanish, also lives in Spain and comes to UK for performances.

Alexander Jeremy (AJ)

The person most likely to look confused and/or to make up new or slightly changed names for established characters. Is refered to by the others as a wildcard. He can cartwheel and has done so during shows. Never has breakfast, is probably the most fit one among them, and has the most experience teaching improv. Speaks French.

Where did they all meet?

They all met at the Royal Holloway University of London, which says it is in London but it isn't. This was back in 2011, and then they used to have 8 members.

How did the group get their name?

They were all in a bar one day because why not, thinking hard about what to call themselves. They had been asked for a name by the venue they had a performance at the day after, because why plan ahead? Finally, one of them came up with the name "Shoot from the hip" and it has stuck ever since.

What does the expression "shoot from the hip" actually mean?

To shoot from the hip is an idiom that can mean "to speak in a very direct and honest way" or "to react quickly, without thinking carefully about something". I can't help but finding both these meanings very well suited for an improvisation theater group!

The members sometimes fight about the origin of the idiom. Some claim it's to do with revolvers (Sam), when you shoot from the hip you are in a hurry since you are not taking aim properly. Some claim it has to do with photography (Luke), where you take photos without looking through the viewfinder. Of course it's possible to google, but it's more fun watching them fight ;-)

Which improv actors inspire them?

During a QnA Luke mentions Robin Williams, among other things for his acting in Aladdin which was partly improvised. Also Colin Mochrie and Ryan Stiles from Whose Line Is It Anyway.

Do they always take turns introducing stuff?

They all take turns compering scenes and games, but Sam is the one who usually does the introduction to the show. They mention it can be quite scary to be the first up on stage — you're alone, and the funniness hasn't started yet. Sam has done stand-up in his career and is most used to introducing shows and being alone on stage, so he seems most relaxed and can give a strong start that the rest of the show can build on.

What is a compere?

Sometimes the performers refer to each others as a compere (or compère if you want to be classy). This is defined as "a person who introduces the performers or contestants in a variety show" or "act as a compère for (a variety show)" according to Oxford Languages. In some game types, like CHANGE, GENRES or TIME WARP the compere has a very obvious role, but in other games they introduce the scene and then don't have any direct further function.

What is corpsing?

The word corpsing refers to when an actor can't stay serious and breaks character by laughing or giggling during a scene. It is supposed to have it's origin in when an actor laughs even though their character is supposed to be a corpse. See an example of Sam corpsing here, AJ corpsing as a corpse here and Tom here. All of them do it quite a lot, which I think adds to the enjoyment of improv. Without using a scientific method I'd say Tom does it the least and Sam the most.

Any tips for getting into improv?

Improv can feel scary, but it's very collaborative and is best enjoyed with a group of friends or other nice people. See if there are courses held in your city or town. Try to relax into the experience and have fun, and the result won't matter as much. After all, what's the worst that can happen?

About this site

This site is created and maintained by me, Kresh! I'm not only a big SFTH-fan, I'm also interested in information and analytics and I work daily with data management. I also have neurodivergent super-focus periods, and during one of them I decided to create this data catalog about the improv group we all know and love.

I want to give a special thanks to Luna and Chloe who have helped in collecting some of the material!

//Kresh 2024