ABOUT INSOLENT RETINUE
BIRMINGHAM
Built for actors who want to play.
A company, not a classroom.
Insolent Retinue grew from a simple idea: to share the skills and experience gained through years of creating and performing Event Theatre.
The kind of performance where audiences can talk back. Stories can change direction. Actors need to think for themselves. And knowing your character matters more than knowing your next line.
We're here to help actors develop those skills - practically, collaboratively and through play.
TRAIN WELL. PERFORM BRILLIANTLY. GROW TOGETHER.
WHY WE STARTED
Some things are difficult to learn from a script.
Event Theatre asks something particular of an actor.
You can rehearse the character. You can understand the story. You can prepare for the things you expect to happen.
And then the audience arrives.
Years of performing murder mysteries and interactive theatre showed us that some of the most important skills are learned in those unpredictable moments - when somebody asks the question you weren't expecting, misses the information you thought was obvious or changes the direction of a conversation completely.
We wanted to create somewhere actors could practise those moments.
Not by talking about them.
By getting on their feet and playing them.
THAT BECAME INSOLENT RETINUE.
THE RETINUE
Train together. Grow together.
The name matters.
We want Insolent Retinue to feel like a company of performers rather than a room full of people taking a class.
That means taking risks together. Supporting each other's choices. Sharing focus. Learning when to lead and when to give somebody else the scene.
You might arrive for one Training Night. You might take part in a Block. You might return again and again.
Each time, you're part of the Retinue.
We want Insolent Retinue to feel like a company of performers rather than a room full of people taking a class.
That means taking risks together. Supporting each other's choices. Sharing focus. Learning when to lead and when
to give somebody else the scene.
You might arrive for one Training Night. You might take part in a Block. You might return again and again.
Each time, you're part of the Retinue.
CHARACTER FIRST
Know who you are. Make choices from there.
STORY ALWAYS
Improvisation has freedom, but the story gives it purpose.
GENEROSITY MATTERS
Support the people you're playing with. Give them something to work with.
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
Don't fight the moment because it wasn't the one you planned.
A Company, not a Classroom.
CREATOR / EVENT THEATRE PRACTITIONER
David Claridge
David created Insolent Retinue after around fifteen years of working in murder mystery and interactive theatre.
His experience has largely been gained where Event Theatre actually happens - in rooms full of actors, characters, stories and audiences who don't necessarily behave as expected.
Over that time, he became increasingly interested in the particular skills actors need when there is no conventional script to fall back on: building a character strong enough to improvise from, listening and responding truthfully, interacting directly with audiences and understanding how individual choices affect the wider story.
Insolent Retinue brings those ideas together in practical training designed specifically for Event Theatre.
“Know the story. Know your character. Then let go.”
COMPANY ADMINISTRATOR
Joanne Claridge
Joanne helps keep Insolent Retinue running - bringing together her experience as a performer with the organisation needed behind the scenes.
As a performer, she understands the vulnerability of being asked to make choices in the moment, work without a conventional script and trust the people you're playing alongside.
Behind the scenes, she supports the practical administration of the company and helps create an environment where performers can concentrate on the work.
That combination matters to Insolent Retinue.
"Good training needs room for unpredictability.
Running it shouldn't."
WHAT WE'RE BUILDING
More than somewhere to take a class.
We want Insolent Retinue to become a home for actors interested in Event Theatre and interactive performance.
A place to train regularly. Develop particular skills. Take on characters. Work with other performers. Experiment. Make mistakes. Get better.
And, as the Retinue develops, to create connections between training and opportunities to put those skills into practice.
Training is training. It isn't an audition and it doesn't guarantee professional work.
But we believe actors should have somewhere to develop the particular skills this work demands — and that the Event Theatre industry benefits from performers who arrive ready to use them.