Top accolade for English-language improv club still only in its first year

Improv Comedy Copenhagen named ‘Best Stage in Copenhagen’ by AOK Byens Bedste

It sounded ambitious for a form of comedy that has surely seen better days since its eruption in popularity in the 1990s on the back of the Anglo/US show ‘Whose Line is it Anyway?’.

READ MORE: Carving out a career in comedy is no cakewalk

Four Anglophone shows a week in a still mainly Danish-speaking capital city, along with self-development classes for those interested in learning more about impro comedy – it was difficult to see where they were going to find the staff beyond importing a few Yanks on restricted work visas.

Nevertheless, when it opened in August 2016, Improv Comedy Copenhagen set its stall out to become a serious contender on Copenhagen’s theatre scene.

More than A-ok
And against all the odds, it has succeeded, recently winning the title of ‘Best Stage in Copenhagen’ awarded by AOK Byens Bedste, the listings website’s annual awards, which tend to always recognise achievement in the Danish-speaking circles.

READ MORE: Improvisation has a new home in Copenhagen

Seeing off competition from Eventyrteatret, BestTellers, Skuespilhuset and Republique, the award was the result of a combination of public and jury votes.

“Getting this award so early in the lifetime of the theatre is a huge honour,” enthused the theatre’s co-founder Stefan Pagels Andersen.

“And it’s a great milestone in our work to get improvised theatre the same acknowledgement as classical theatre. We’ve known for a while that we are delivering the absolute best comedy in Copenhagen at the moment, but to get the confirmation from AOK is even better.”

Charlie Waller and Adrian Mackinder
Since opening, ICC has had more than 600 students take part in one of its improv classes (see video – 5pm on  Friday and Saturday), and it continues to perform shows every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm.

Its line-up of performers is ever widening as its reputation grows. While the likes of experienced performers Andersen, Gordon Torbet and Erika Balint have been on board since the start, recent additions include Charlie Waller, the lead singer of the Rumble Strips, who it turns out is an exceptional actor, British stand-up comedian and actor Adrian Mackinder.

“Performing with Charlie Waller on stage is a blast. He has a very innocent presence and always manages to take the audience by storm – he is definitely an audience sweetheart,” enthused Andersen.

“Adrian really struggled with the rules of improv the first couple of times, but quickly understood that improv is not about trying to be funny and throw out punchlines, but about creating truthful scenarios together. We’re very lucky to have such an asset on our team”

Tickets cost 80-100 kroner and can be bought at the venue, which is located at Frederiksholms Kanal 2 in the city centre.

 

TOP STORIES

  • Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    After more than a decade living in Denmark, Russell shares why she made the move, how she’s coping, what she already misses, and the exciting new projects she’s working on. “It’s been a very tough decision. I love Denmark, and it will always hold a special place in my heart,” she says.

  • Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    The new Gefion AI supercomputer is one of the world’s fastest and will accelerate research and provide new opportunities in Danish academia and industry.

  • Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Experts believe it takes seven years to move into a new culture, according to leading Danish psychologist Jette Simon and therapist Vibeke Hartkorn. For expat couples, the challenges of starting a new life together in Denmark can put pressure on relationships, but emotions-focused therapy can help.

  • More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    Politicians debate a lot these days about when you can retire. The reality shows that an increasing number of Danes like to work, even if they can withdraw from the labor market. Financial incentives help.

  • Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Canadian-born environmental activist Paul Watson has been in prison in Greenland for almost 100 days awaiting an extradition decision for a 14-year-old offence against a Japanese whaling vessel that he calls a “minor misdemeanor”. The 73-year-old had previously passed through Ireland, Switzerland, Monaco, France and the USA without trouble, before Greenlandic police arrested him in July.

  • Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    When the Danish government in January presented the first of its schemes to make it easier to recruit foreign labour from outside the EU, it was hailed by the healthcare and service sectors as a timely and important policy shift. But while healthcare changes have been forthcoming, the service sector is still struggling, say the directors of the industry association Dansk Industri and one of the country’s largest private employers ISS.

Connect club

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.

Sign up here

Career

  • Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    On Friday 27 and Saturday 28 of September, The Copenhagen Post will be at International Citizen Days in Øksnehallen on Vesterbro, Copenhagen. Admission is free and thousands of internationals are expected to attend

  • Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Chisom Udeze, the founder of Diversify – a global organization that works at the intersection of inclusion, democracy, freedom, climate sustainability, justice, and belonging – shares how struggling to find a community in Norway motivated her to build a Nordic-wide professional network. We also hear from Dr. Poornima Luthra, Associate Professor at CBS, about how to address bias in the workplace.

  • Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality, home to Denmark’s largest infrastructure project – the Fehmarnbelt tunnel connection to Germany – has launched a new jobseeker support package for the accompanying partners of international employees in the area. The job-to-partner package offers free tailored sessions on finding a job and starting a personal business.

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Contact us

Jobs