|
|
|
|
LIF is back for 2027
We're turning five! 2027 marks the 5th anniversary of the Liverpool Improvisation Festival (LIF), and we want you there to celebrate with us and our long-standing venue partner, the Unity Theatre.
The festival will run from 6th – 9th May 2027.
We champion innovation, fresh perspectives, and creative risk-taking, celebrating artists who push boundaries. Our goal is to curate a diverse program featuring work from new, emerging, and established artists or companies across a variety of spontaneous art forms. As a reflection of this commitment, LiF 2026 proudly showcased 4 brand-new pieces.
Submission Guidelines
As a cornerstone of the city’s creative calendar, the festival continues its mission to bring the world’s finest improvisers to Liverpool while showcasing our incredible local talent to a global audience. By centering world-class national and international performers in the heart of the city, LiF remains a vital hub for the craft.
Liverpool was recently ranked as the UK’s top city for culture and the 7th best globally by The Telegraph and Time Out. We are already looking forward to 2027, where we will celebrate our landmark 5th anniversary and once again transform Liverpool into the epicenter of improvised creativity.
We are proud to be supported by our dedicated partners: the Unity Theatre, Liverpool John Moores University, and The Liverpool Arts Bar.
The festival will run from 6th – 9th May 2027.
- Applications for performers and artists will officially open on 1st August and close on 12th September 2026.
- Applications for the ensemble will officially open on the 13th September and close on 13th October 2026.
We champion innovation, fresh perspectives, and creative risk-taking, celebrating artists who push boundaries. Our goal is to curate a diverse program featuring work from new, emerging, and established artists or companies across a variety of spontaneous art forms. As a reflection of this commitment, LiF 2026 proudly showcased 4 brand-new pieces.
Submission Guidelines
- Multiple Entries: You are welcome to submit multiple proposals, but each show must be submitted via a separate application form.
- Fresh Programming: To ensure our audiences enjoy new experiences each year, we generally do not re-program works previously performed at the festival. If you are submitting a past festival piece that has been significantly revised or reimagined, please highlight this clearly in your application.
- Ensemble Sizes: We welcome submissions across all scales and styles (formats) — including solo, duo, trio, and group.
As a cornerstone of the city’s creative calendar, the festival continues its mission to bring the world’s finest improvisers to Liverpool while showcasing our incredible local talent to a global audience. By centering world-class national and international performers in the heart of the city, LiF remains a vital hub for the craft.
Liverpool was recently ranked as the UK’s top city for culture and the 7th best globally by The Telegraph and Time Out. We are already looking forward to 2027, where we will celebrate our landmark 5th anniversary and once again transform Liverpool into the epicenter of improvised creativity.
We are proud to be supported by our dedicated partners: the Unity Theatre, Liverpool John Moores University, and The Liverpool Arts Bar.
LIF 2026 images by Andrew AB
|
|
|
'LiF is a rip roaring success' North West End
Socials
Visiting the festival
The Unity Theatre
|
The Unity Theatre is located on:
1 Hope Place, Liverpool, L1 9BG Home - Unity Theatre (unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk) 0151 709 4988 Box Office Opening Hours Unity is open to the public 2 hours before show start time You are able to contact our box office at the following times: |
Via Phone: Mon – Fri, 10am – 5pm
In Venue: 2 hours before show start time You can book tickets for our shows 24/7 using the UNITY website. |
Travel, Accommodation, Food Outlets
|
The Unity Theatre is a 15 minute walk from Lime street station (Mainline) and a ten minute walk from Central station (Merseyrail).
There are numerous small hotels within the area all of which are 5 minutes from the venue. There are numerous bars, coffee shops, cafes and restaurants near to the Unity theatre. There is on street pay & display parking around Hope Street. There are car parks on: – Renshaw Street (8 min walk) – Hanover Street (15 min walk) – Mount Pleasant (10 min walk) – Duke Street (10 min walk) – Lime Street Station (15 min walk) |
If you are staying overnight these are a good resource for affordable accommodation.
https://www.theatredigsbooker.com/towns/liverpool https://www.kayak.co.uk/hotels/Unity-Theatre,Liverpool,England,United-Kingdom-c17586-l26306/2024-04-18/2024-04-21/2adults?sort=distance_a |
LiF is supported by:
|
|
|
|
Thank you to all our partners who support the festival in kind. Without their support there would be no festival.