About Insolent Retinue.
Training built from the event floor.
Insolent Retinue was created to give actors somewhere to develop the particular skills demanded by Event Theatre — character, improvisation, audience interaction, storytelling and ensemble work inside a live, developing story.
Meet the Retinue.
The people behind Insolent Retinue.
David created Insolent Retinue to share the skills learned through more than 15 years working in murder mystery, immersive and event theatre.
As an actor, writer and event-theatre practitioner, he has spent years performing in situations where audiences don't simply sit and watch. They create unexpected moments, and occasionally send the entire performance somewhere nobody anticipated.
The Insolent Retinue approach isn't about teaching actors a collection of tricks for dealing with difficult audiences. It's about developing performers who understand character and story well enough to remain confident when the unexpected happens.
Because in event theatre, preparation is only the beginning.
Joanne Claridge
Administrator.
Joanne keeps the Retinue moving.
Combining extensive administrative experience with her own background as a performer, she understands both the creative and practical sides of bringing people together.
Behind the scenes, Joanne helps make sure the organisation, communication and administration surrounding Insolent Retinue runs smoothly.
But she also understands the performer's perspective: the nerves before stepping into a character, the importance of a supportive company and the strange exhilaration of not knowing quite what an audience is going to do next.
That combination makes her an important part of the Retinue both on and off the floor.
David Claridge
Founder / Event Theatre Practitioner.
An Insolent Retinue?
What's in a name?
The name Insolent Retinue began with Shakespeare.
While performing in King Lear, David encountered a phrase that refused to leave him: "an insolent retinue."
A retinue is a group of people who accompany someone important: followers, companions and attendants.
Insolent suggests something rather different: bold, irreverent, perhaps even a little unwilling to behave exactly as expected.
Put the two together and it seemed like a rather good description of a company of event-theatre performers.
Because this kind of performance requires boldness: actors willing to play, respond and venture into the unexpected.
But it also requires a retinue: an ensemble listening to one another, supporting one another and keeping the story alive together.
Years later, when we needed a name for this project, there was really only one choice.
Event Theatre is an ensemble sport.
How we work.
The best event theatre can feel spontaneous, unpredictable and completely alive.
But underneath that apparent chaos are performers who understand three things.
Know your character.
Know what they want, what they fear and what matters to them.
Know the story.
Improvise freely, but protect the fictional world you're creating together.
Look after each other.
Listen. Support. Rescue. Adapt. Give other performers something to work with.
The strongest performers don't just make themselves look good. They make the whole story better.
Training with purpose.
More than an acting class.
Insolent Retinue develops actors for event theatre through practical, story-led training built around the realities of performing with an unpredictable audience.
But training is only part of what we want to build. We aim to develop relationships with professional event companies looking for capable, confident performers.
We don't promise work.
We don't operate as an agency.
And professional actors don't have to pay for training simply to introduce themselves to Insolent Retinue.
What we can do is train performers well, help them develop and create opportunities for good actors to be seen.