The Free Association, the UK’s leading home of improvised comedy, has announced two major new additions to its programme: the launch of The Big Scene Improv Festival, running 13th – 17th May 2026, and a limited two-week run of the new show Mailbox #23 that started 29th January and runs to 7th February. Tickets are on sale now and available from The Free Association website.
Mailbox #23, is a collaboration between US improv royalty Greg Hess and Holly Laurent, and UK improv legend Graham Dickson, and will feature an all-star cast of improvisers including David Elms (David Elms Describes a Room), Kiell Smith-Bynoe (Ghosts, Taskmaster, Kool Story Bro) and Naomi Petersen (Drifters, Broken Water, We Started To Sing). The show will feature exciting guest stars from across the UK and the US and will comprise a trio of spontaneously created one-act plays inspired by anonymous messages left on a mysterious mailbox by real members of the public! Audiences are invited to leave the players a message now on 0203 026 2351.
Later in the year, the FA will welcome improv stars from the US, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, Ireland and more, as the company hosts an international improv festival that will firmly establish London as one of the world’s most exciting destinations for improv. The Big Scene Improv Festival will see five days of shows, workshops and headliners, and will showcase the very best in improvised comedy. The festival follows the opening of the UK’s first purpose-built improv theatre in 2025 – with two theatres, three bars, a restaurant, outdoor seating and some of the world’s top improv comedy talent all tucked into Southwark’s Old Union Yard, one thing is for sure, The FA will be making a very Big Scene in 2026!
Graham Dickson, Director of the Free Association and Big Scene Improv Festival organiser said:
“We are beyond excited to add London to the list of major improv festivals and can’t wait to welcome talent from all over the world to our stage”.
About the cast of Mailbox #23
Greg Hess is a founding member of the critically acclaimed Cook County Social Club and the internationally renowned Improvised Shakespeare Company. He is also the co-creator of the acclaimed podcast “MEGA” (“Best Satire” Vulture). A veteran of the Chicago improv scene, Conservatory member at Second City, in LA Greg performs regularly at UCB and the Largo.
Holly Laurent is an LA-based writer and performer. She is a founder of legendary Chicago improv team The Reckoning and a former Artistic Director of the iO (Improv Olympic) in LA.
She is the creator and host of the hit podcast MEGA, and co-host and producer of It’s a Wonderful Lie (audiochuck). She is an alumnus of the Second City main stage in Chicago, where she wrote and performed three critically acclaimed revues. She toured with the Second City national touring company and was a featured performer at the TBS Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal.
Graham Dickson is the founder of the UK’s leading improv theatre and school, The Free Association, and a founding member of the acclaimed, West End smash hit Austentatious. He also performs and tours regularly with Graham & Steen, Kool Story Bro and headline show at the FA, This Doesn’t Leave the Room. He is also a writer and actor.
About The Free Association
Over just a decade, The Free Association has grown into a powerhouse of UK improv. From humble beginnings above the De Beauvoir Arms to the opening of the permanent FA venue in the heart of London, the company has taught thousands of students – including high-profile alumni such as Ambika Mod, Phil Wang, Ritu Arya, Tom Burke, and Tanya Reynolds. Its theatre has produced dozens of original shows, and cast over 150 performers – from seasoned professionals and rising stars to complete newcomers trained through its school.
Other distinguished alumni include Olga Koch (comedian), Kate Herron (director/writer), Stevie Martin (Taskmaster), Liz Kingsman (One Woman Show), Kayleigh Llewellyn (In My Skin), Jim Archer (Big Boys), Hayley McGee (Age Is a Feeling), and Luke Healy (acclaimed cartoonist), among many others.
Throughout its history, The Free Association has remained committed to its founding mission: to provide the highest-quality improvised comedy and training available; to establish long-form improv as a respected and cherished art form in the UK; and to offer a vibrant, welcoming community to anyone who loves comedy. With its brand-new venue in Southwark, The Free Association looks forward to continuing that mission – on a bigger stage and for many years to come.
Big Scene Improv Festival Listings:
Main Venue (105 seats): The Free Association, 26 Old Union Yard, SE1 0LR
Second Venue (90 seats): Union Theatre, 22 Old Union Yard, SE1 OLR
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