The Bristol Improv Marathon 2020 will be based around When In Rome (XXVI Hours BC), a 26 hour-long entirely improvised play.
Organised by Closer Each Day Company in association with Bristol Improv Theatre and The Wardrobe Theatre, the Bristol Improv Marathon is now in its sixth year.
The organisers say: "For a staggering 26 hours a team of intrepid performers will create an entirely improvised, entirely unscripted play using nothing but their skill, imagination and a hefty dose of caffeine. The show brings together performers from all across the city and includes stars of hit shows such as Closer Each Day: The Improvised Soap Opera (the world's longest improvised narrative), Steamed: A Dickensian Improvised Tale and Murder, She Didn't Write (the hit sell-out Edinburgh Fringe improvised murder mystery)! Previous Bristol Improv Marathons have taken place in dysfunctional TV studios, Caribbean islands infested with pirates and theme parks but for 2020 all roads lead to Rome..."
The blurb setting the scene for When In Rome (XXVI Hours BC) is: "It is the age of empires and emperors, and the western world revolves and converges on one thriving metropolis: Rome. The Forum hums with the plots and machinations of power-hungry Senators and their hand-wringing advisors, while the marketplace buzzes and jostles with wealthy merchants and struggling farmers. To the East, the still-warm sand of the Colosseum is splattered with the blood of heroic gladiators, as the jeers and cries of the masses echo from pillar to pit. The city streets are a medley of shrines and gutters, Roman legionnaires on leave spilling out of every taverna, while aspiring poets sing their songs for pennies on every corner. Meanwhile on the Palatine Hill, the lofty vestal virgins perform their sacred rites to protect the city walls. Home to plebeians, politicians, scholars and soldiers, Rome is the original toga party - and everyone's invited."
Speaking to BCG, a spokesperson for the Closer Each Day Company says: "This year will be the 6th Bristol Improv Marathon and the entire team are very excited and working hard to make it the biggest, boldest and funniest yet! We can't wait to don our best sandals and bed sheets to explore all things Roman for 26 hours non-stop."
The Marathon will run from 8pm on Friday 13th March through to 10pm on Saturday 14th March.