INTERVIEW 2024
THEATRE / COMEDY
LEE
APSEY
CSI: CSI
CRIME SCENE
IMPROVISATION
Improv is one of the best and hardest forms of comedy. It's not just relying on the artists but when the show is CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation they tend to reply heavily on the audience which can be hit or miss. But with 10 years under their belt CSI have built an unbelievable reputation, winning over audiences and critics with their brilliant and insightful improv style, CSI are heading back to iconic Wilton's Music Hall in London on September 28th. The show will be performed by Lee Apsey, Steve Bond, Michael Kunze, Danielle Downey, Sarah Kempton and Nicola Lucey.
It was a pleasure having the opportunity to talk with co-founder and star Lee Aspey.
Hi Lee, thank you for taking the time to talk with The New Current, how is your post-summertime going?
Great! I always say I'm going to take things easy after Edinburgh but never do. I blame my ambitious springtime self for booking it all in.
When you created CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation did you imagine you'd still be bringing your unique brand of comedy/improv/theatre to audiences all over the UK?
I was in my mid twenties at the time so I don't think I had a sense of 3 years into the future, let alone a decade. In the case of CSI, we started off with the artistic ambition that we trusted to make a good show, but definitely didn't picture it being the sort of consistent commercial success it is now.
Do you recall what your first show was like, and do you remember who was killed and who the murderer was?
It was upstairs at the Red Lion way back in May 2014. We'd done a huge amount of prep and polish to create the show but most of us were still fairly new to improv and couldn't really be sure how it'd go. A fruit taxidermist was killed with a sharpened piece of mango. People liked the mixture of slick and silly.
Oddly, I don't remember who the killer was but I do remember the moment I truly fell in love with James Cann as a performer: a surreal, unreasonably detailed, 3 minute monologue about the intricacies of the bureaucracy involved in the import/export of dried citrus fruit through which he conveyed his character’s frustration at always feeling his closest friend had held him at a distance. It was hilarious, it was tragic, and, like all improv, will sound like complete nonsense to hear it second hand. You have to see James Cann live to appreciate the way his mind works.
How did CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation come about?
I met the great and powerful Rachel E. Thorn at a Hoopla workshop back in 2013 and we instantly clicked. At the time we were both writers who were newish to improv so we wanted to make a show that made the most of the medium whilst still guaranteeing a satisfying climax. For those reasons we decided to build an improvised murder mystery: a type of story where the structure is a magic trick, the audience interaction is meaningful and the players can really let loose.
We scoped a few people out and avengers-style assembled the original cast to come in and develop it, adding the warm stand-up background of James Cann as well as the strong acting basis of Sarah Kempton and Nicola Lucey. Soon after we added Steve Bond and Danielle Downey: the smartest and funniest people I know respectively.
Did you and your team have any apprehensions about relying so much on the response and engagement from audiences?
We were committed to making it work: our mantra from day one was “the audience always wins.”
The learning curve was us becoming quicker and better at earning their trust and making a shy audience excited to talk to us. In large part that's a skill you just have to learn by doing. It was scary but necessary.
In the 10-years that the show has been running what has been the oddest murder/killer combination you've had?
I have a strong fondness for when the world's third best morris dancer killed his step-brother by showing him an energy bill: an act that shocked him into cardiac arrest because the bill was, unbelievably, actually affordable.
What was the experience for you and your team performing at Wilton’s Music Hall for your 10th Anniversary this past July?
Absolutely joyous. That space has a real magic to it. It's the oldest grand music hall in the world and that pre-microphone craftsmanship absolutely shines through: you feel connected to every single person in the venue. I can't recommend seeing a show there enough, let alone, biasedly, ours.
I have to admit the audience at Wilton's took their role seriously on the night, are your audiences usually so well focused and behaved?
100% no. Each audience is like a different family member at a barbecue. Some audiences are laser focused on solving the crime, picking up on tiny details and politely raising their hands to ask questions. Some audiences are there for the giggle and play it like a cheeky party game. Some audiences started drinking early and will absolutely get excited and shout over each other if we don't keep them in line. They're all their own kind of fun to play with and our detective will take good care of them regardless.
With such audience participation how do you manage to keep everything running smoothly, have there ever been any instances where it's just gotten away from you?
We have an onstage detective who acts much like an MC, always balancing things to make sure that a livelier audience is staying on the fun side of chaos. The only time an audience member has caused us to stop the show was by projectile vomiting over three rows.
We had a 10 minute pause and had to part-evacuate the theatre. Everyone was very supportive and cool about it though. We offered some free tickets and saw a lovely social media post to the effect of “had to leave early after someone was sick on my sister. Great show. Would go again.”
How much has your approach to improv and CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation changed in the 10 years?
We started out much stricter on using scripted theatre language. We wanted to assure the audience this was a polished piece of comedy theatre and shied away from things like calling cut-aways or other conventions you wouldn't ever need if you also had a plan.
As improv as a whole has become more mainstream and professional, and we've all become more seasoned performers, we feel that we're able to earn that trust and still be more experimental. We have the gravitas to be goofier.
What advice would you offer someone who is thinking of getting into improv?
Definitely do it. It's good for your brain and your heart to be empathic, playful and creative. Try Hoopla or do a drop in with Luke Sorba at the Comedy School. He's one of my original mentors and has a gift for seeing the type of support each individual needs. Try several different styles.
You'll hear a lot of advice and be told a lot of rules. The only one that truly matters is to genuinely care for and support what is happening right now between you and the other people on stage.
And finally, what would you like your audiences to take away from CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation?
A tote bag from the merch stand with designs by cast member Danielle Downey. Also, excitement to engage with a wider variety of shows knowing that good performers will reward you for it.