[Try This] Shanghai Has an Improv Group That's Going International

Shanghai ENCORE!, the city's first musical improv group, is taking its all-international ensemble to the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe – the world's largest arts and performance showcase – to shine light on Shanghai's grassroots performance scene.

Founded in 2022, the group performs fully improvised musicals, blending diverse cultural perspectives with musical comedy. With no script, the cast of seasoned improvisers and live musicians creates full-blown, ever-evolving musicals on the spot, backed by a blend of funk, jazz and pop. Because the entire story, scene and song structure is made up on the spot, no two performances are ever identical.

We recently caught up with British native Stacey Pedder, a major contributor to the ENCORE! team. Pedder previously cut her teeth working in London's West End as a theater publicist. After rubbing shoulders with numerous celebrities and taking part in globally celebrated shows, like "Phantom of the Opera," "MAMMA MIA!," Gloria Estefan's "On Your Feet," "Bat Out of Hell" and more, she moved to Asia in 2022. She now wears many hats: a drama and singing coach, entrepreneur, producer, publicist, performer, and – as you may have guessed by now – a key member of ENCORE!'s musical improv team.

In this exclusive interview, we are able to learn more about ENCORE!'s growing success, how the creative process works, the team's upcoming plans for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and how this will positively position Shanghai's evolving arts scene on the global stage.

CNS: For readers unfamiliar with the local scene, what is "ENCORE!" and how does it fit into the broader arts and comedy community in Shanghai?

Stacey: ENCORE! is an unscripted, improvised musical comedy show by the acclaimed international comedy troupe Zmack. Shanghai has a big, passionate improv community, and we're seeing more small groups emerge. But apart from us, nobody is really doing the musical version of it. To be honest, a lot of the art scene here plays it safe – there's a big jazz scene, and commercial theater coming from abroad. But improv is less safe, and so many people love it and get real joy and confidence from it.

Since 2022, the theater community has gotten smaller and more competitive. There are still tons of events – you can do almost anything you want in Shanghai – but what we do brilliantly is the interactive musical element. We bring audiences together. We're for people who love live music that they've never heard before, and for people who love watching scenes that have never happened before.

We combine comedy, musicals, acting and improv all in one performance. Everyone else might do one thing very well, but we're trying to do something different – something a bit scary and vulnerable.

Plus, with immersive theater like "Sleep No More" closing, the scene is shrinking. So groups like us are really trying to keep the theater and music communities alive and connected.

CNS: How did the idea for Shanghai Encore! first come about, and what was the initial spark that brought this unique group of improvisers together?

Stacey: The idea started with our founder Curt Mabry. He created Zmack, which is probably the most famous improv team in Shanghai. It's more traditional, acting-based improv. Then he wanted to add a musical element, so he formed ENCORE!.

I joined a little later. Our core vision was simple: bring together people who love theater, love musical theater, love live music, and love acting, and then make something that felt different and more exciting for the audience. The main goal was creating a space where all those passions could collide live on stage.

CNS: What can people expect at an improv show like yours?

Stacey: Honestly, it's hard to put expectations on it because we don't even know what's going to happen on stage. That's the most exciting part. We also can't guarantee laughter.

A lot of improv is hilarious simply because you know people just made it up; it's not scripted, and we aren't trying to be funny. We rarely go two minutes without a song. We warm the audience up with music, then go straight into scene work.

We might do a game called "Sing About It." We set a scene, and within a minute, someone shouts, "Sing about it!" based on a line, and we create a whole song on the spot as duets or solos.

Then there's "Encore Idol." We don't know the style of music or what we'll sing about. We leave the room, come back, and the host tells us, "This is what you're singing about, in this style," and we just go for it, feeding off the audience and each other. Guests can expect a couple of hours to truly unwind, immerse themselves, and be involved. There's no chance of boredom. It's not lounge background music; it's a full, live performance.

CNS: Musical improv is often described as a "high-wire act." Can you walk us through the mental and creative process of building a melody, lyrics and a narrative entirely from scratch in front of a live audience?

Stacey: We rehearse every week, but not to script anything, to learn how to trust each other. It's all about active listening. I listen to what Bastien (our pianist) is playing: What style is he going for? How can we adapt our voices to that?

I've been a singer for a long time, trained in musical theater, which is very structured. I've had to learn to adapt my voice to whatever Bastien feels from the scene. It's about interaction, how well we work together in real time. We don't plan. We just listen, respond and commit.

CNS: Bastien Bousquet is credited as the "musical engine" of the group. How do the cast and Bastien communicate and anticipate each other's moves in real-time to create a cohesive song without a single rehearsal?

Stacey: First, we all genuinely get along and support each other; that's the foundation. Because of that, we perform better together. We respect what Bastien decides musically, and we just say "yes" – that's a big rule of improv. Say yes to everything.

He feeds us, and we start a new process. Instead of jumping straight into a song, we now listen to Bastien's music for a moment before entering. We've rehearsed that transition many times: a little introduction, getting ourselves ready, and supporting each other to launch into a song.

Recently, Bastien actually said to me, "Will you just effing sing?" – meaning I was overthinking it. It's a constant balance. But the real secret is supporting each other and saying yes.

CNS: With absolutely no scripts or prior planning, what has been the most bizarre or delightfully unexpected setting, character, or plotline you have ever created on stage?

Stacey: There's been some genuinely creepy stuff, honestly. But one that stands out is when we did a long-form show last year, where we were all stuck in a fridge. It was bizarre. The storyline was about how we'd escape the fridge. Then, when we got out, we ended up stuck in a house, dealing with the politics of a weird family living together. That was our first show as a new team, and the audience absolutely loved it. We took their suggestions and just ran with them. It worked really, really well.

CNS: You are bringing your show, "NO SCRIPT. NO NET. NO REGRETS," to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. How are you preparing for a run of shows where literally anything can happen?

Stacey: Right now, I'm managing the group and producing the Edinburgh run. My main goal, alongside rehearsing, is to make sure we have fun together. I'm organizing more social time because if we're having fun with each other and with the art we're creating, that energy will reach the audience.

Of course, there's a ton of admin and management side to handle, but for the team, I just want us to have a great time. We're not going to Edinburgh to make money. We're going for the experience – to see what happens, with no heavy expectations.

Improv requires an intense level of vulnerability and trust. How does the cast build that level of ensemble trust, especially when navigating the added pressures of live music and singing?

It goes back to what I said earlier: establishing key friendships in the group is everything. That means supporting each other not just on stage, but outside of work – outside of the art. That's been really important to our growth. We try to understand how each other works.

It doesn't always go smoothly. Like any team, we have moments where it's not working. But we learn everyone's strengths and weaknesses. For me, I've done improv the least amount of time, but I'm probably the strongest singer. I have theater training, so stage presence is my strength. Eddie is an amazing actor, brilliant at building characters. Fulvio is just hilarious, our funny Italian man. And we can't do any of this without Bastien. Jennel is our pro; she's been doing improv for 15 or 16 years and manages the Zmack side too. Everyone has their strengths, and we learn how those work within a show and in rehearsals.

CNS: Musical improv is sometimes dubbed a "double terror" (the terror of regular improv combined with music). How do you transform that fear into joy and courage?

Stacey: To be honest, the double terror slowly goes away, especially because I'm on stage with the same people. That makes a huge difference. We've talked about expanding the team, but my philosophy for this year, especially because of Edinburgh, is that we need to work closely together, being a tight-knit unit. When I'm on stage with people I love, the terror really drops. And that's what brings the joy. That's where the courage comes from: each other.

CNS: Why do you believe musical improvisation is a uniquely powerful medium for storytelling compared to traditional, scripted theater?

Stacey: Because when you express yourself through a song, you can truly feel the emotion – especially if you pay attention to the lyrics. As a singer, I didn't do that enough early on. But when I started improvising musically, I realized lyrics really mean something. They can hold so much tension and passion. You can see it on performers' faces.

Music adds a whole other level of emotion and expression. Everyone has that one song that brings back a moment, an emotion. That's what musical improv does for the audience, too – it brings a story to life, brings experiences to life, makes you think about your own life and emotions. That's why it's more powerful than scripted theatre.

CNS: Encore! boasts an all-international lineup with cast members from China, Italy, the USA, the UK and France. How do your different cultural backgrounds and comedic sensibilities blend together during a performance?

Stacey: There's actually a lot to say about this. Even Bastien sometimes can't even understand what's happening on stage due to different accents. He has to concentrate really hard. All of us do too.

My comedy is very dry, very British, and not everyone gets it. Then there are accents we put on for characters, mixed with our own natural accents. So yes, it's challenging. But it's also brilliant – this is one of our unique selling points. Because we come from so many different countries, we can connect and relate to audiences from many cultures. We don't over-develop it; it's natural, but we do play with stereotypes a bit and have fun with that.

CNS: As some of your team are bilingual actors, how does incorporating multilingual wordplay or cross-cultural references enhance the comedy?

Stacey: It happens organically. We don't force it. But because we're all from different places, those moments just emerge – a word in Italian, a French expression, a British turn of phrase – and the audience picks up on it. It makes the comedy feel more layered and real. We also play up our differences on stage sometimes, leaning into stereotypes just enough to get a laugh, but always with affection.

CNS: Transitioning from 12 years as a West End publicist to performing on stage, how has your background in traditional musical theater influenced your approach to on-the-spot songwriting?

Stacey: It's been really interesting. Musical theater is usually so structured – script, stage directions, specific vocal techniques. In improv, you don't have to do any of that. At first, I tried to pull away from that structure and just have fun. But the more I do this, the more I realize that structure can actually help us.

Now we're trying to create stronger song structures – more of a musical theater format. We're telling a story, creating emotion, developing characters within the scene, creating harmonies and making the song part of the scene – not just singing random stuff (which was hilarious, but for a Fringe production, we need to up our game). My musical theater training is helping me help the team. And Bastien – who's an incredible musician – is also adapting, because even for him, it's a new challenge.

CNS: This Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut is historic for China's grassroots improv community. What message do you hope to send to the global stage about the performing arts scene emerging from Shanghai?

Stacey: What I've really learned living abroad in Asia is this: There are many cultural differences, but when it comes to art and creativity, we're all searching for the same thing. We all want something that makes us smile, laugh, forget, be present, feel joy, sadness, anger, or release. It doesn't matter what country you're from. It's possible to work together to create that art. And we're proof of that – five different countries, on stage together, having fun. The audience has fun. We just want to bring joy to people's faces. That's the objective of theatre and art.

With all the geopolitics and everything happening in the world, we forget that – sport, food, art, culture, music – these things bring communities together. We're all from Shanghai, a huge international city we're proud to live in. We all met there.

To be able to take this to an international stage like Edinburgh and show that we're just a great group of talented people who have fun and put ourselves out there – that's a cool thing. It shows what Shanghai is really about: how modern, how accepting, how possible it is to bring people together. There aren't many cities in the world where you can find exactly the people you need – through WeChat, through a show, through random meetings. We hit the jackpot with Bastien. We found each other.

That's the message: This is what's possible. This is what we're able to create together.

Want to see their next show?

ENCORE: Improv • Jam • Party – The Pre-Edinburgh Send-Off!

One night of musical chaos. One step closer to Scotland.

Your favorite musical improv band is going to the Edinburgh Fringe – but FIRST, we're throwing the ultimate warm-up party in Shanghai!

Date: June 11, 7:30pm

Admission: Free

Venue: My Place Cocktail & Bar

Address: 363 Kangding Rd

康定路363号