Liverpool Improvisation Festival 2026 dates and performers

Liverpool Improvisation Festival (LiF) returns to the Unity Theatre this spring for a fourth year.

The annual event, which attracts some of the world’s leading improvisers to the city, takes place from May 7-9 and promises no fewer than three world premieres.

Tickets for both individual shows, along with a limited number of one, two and three-day all access passes, are available now.

Improv fans are set to enjoy 18 live shows across the three-day festival weekend, with performances taking place in both the main Unity 1 space and the more intimate Unity 2 at the Hope Place theatre.

In addition to improvisation, the line-up also encompasses clowning, shadow puppetry, storytelling and musical theatre.

Highlights include:

David Elms Describes a Room: The multi-award-winning show following sold-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe and Soho Theatre.

Limboland: Internationally acclaimed musical improviser TJ Mannix brings his latest hit show to the LiF stage.

The Sinners’ Table: The world-renowned ImprompTwo & Co present a sharp, improvised look at "those" guests who always end up on the most awkward wedding table.

Ancestors: A sweeping, ambitious production where 12 international and national improvisers trace a story across generations through the memories of a single house.

School of Night: The legends of literary improvisation return to LIF. They have played venues across the world including the world-famous National Theatre, the Globe and Elsinore Castle.

Along with the main shows, there will also be seven intensive workshops run by leading international improv practitioners and taking place at the Liverpool Arts Bar Studios in nearby Hope Street.

LiF co-director Mark Smith says: “Festival LiF 2026 is designed to showcase the full, incredible range of improvised performance.

"Whether you are here to watch, learn, or perform, it is the ultimate space for spontaneous innovation."

This year’s festival is supported by the Unity Theatre, Liverpool John Moores University and Liverpool Arts Bar Studios.

Liverpool Improvisation Festival runs from May 7-9 at the Unity Theatre and Liverpool Arts Bar Studios. More details and tickets HERE

Top: School of Night. Photo by Andrew AB.