Impro's Dickens Unscripted at North Coast Repertory Theatre at North Coast Repertory Theatre

Los Angeles Times calls Impro Theatre “Amazing! One of the funniest evenings in town, the troupe spins an entire play into comedy gold right before your eyes.”

Starting with an audience suggestion and creating completely improvised, full-length plays in the styles of the world’s greatest writers, Impro Theatre a comic laugh out loud evening of theatre. They have performed all over the country.

A holiday comedy inspired by the works of Charles Dickens. This is a Winter Holiday show built on vivid narration and rich characters inspired by the books of Charles Dickens, all of it improvised. Comic portraits, cruel melodrama and humane charity of heartbreaking tenderness explode onto the teeming streets of Victorian London. Coincidence, redemption and the spirit of Christmas drive the plot – as one might expect from a holiday show with Dickens in the title. In Dickens UnScripted, the entire ensemble shares storytelling duties. As in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s classic production of Nicholas Nickleby, any character can take over the narration at any time. The exciting difference is that no cast member knows in advance who will wind up a street urchin or doting aunt, sailor or jailer, judge or kindly chestnut-seller-who-turns-out-to-be-the-missing-heir-to-a-large-fortune.

Inventive, surprising theatre where anything can happen is what does happen in Dickens UnScripted. It is a show where keen imaginations steeped in Dickens and Christmas work feverishly to create theatre on the spot. The pace is swift, and the performers are pushed to the peak of their abilities as they attempt to juggle character, plot and staging all at once. Dickens UnScripted is a holiday treat that is never, ever the same story twice and gives fans of A Christmas Carol a whole new way to celebrate the season!

Paul Rogan directs Amy Kidd, Gale Brennan, Leanna Dindal, Mike Rock, Paul Rogan, and Ryan Smith. Produced by Mike Rock, Sound by Tyler Weil, and Lights by Liam Sullivan.

DICKENS UNSCRIPTED will run December 1 & 2, 2025 at 7:30pm.  North Coast Repertory Theatre is located at 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach, CA 92075.  Tickets are $50 with discounts for students, military, and educators. Call 858-481-1055, or visit www.northcoastrep.org to purchase tickets.