Camden Fringe: Wasteland, post-apocalyptic comedy, returns for a third year

Tales From The Wasteland, Hen & Chickens Theatre, 20–22 August

Wasteland Improv take a single audience suggestion and build an entire post-apocalyptic world from scratch, no script, no pre-agreed characters, just a cast working out the story together in front of you. The show started life in Bristol, where it’s built a proper following, and this is its third outing at Camden Fringe, this time at the Hen & Chickens Theatre. I put some questions to director Pete Leaman about the show’s mix of influences (Mad Max, The Last of Us and Fallout all get a mention), how the cast balance comedy against real stakes, and what keeps an improvised show feeling fresh three years in.

Red Bus: Mad Max, The Last of Us and Fallout are quite different tones within the same genre. Do you find Tales from the Wasteland leans more towards one of those influences, or does that change from night to night?

Pete Leaman: The show definitely leans more into a blend of Fallout and Mad Max – as we often have crazed raiders, mutants and vaults/bunkers. This chaotic absurd fun tends to be where the cast has most fun – however we always try to pin it around a central grounded story with a changing/developing main character and arc.
The beauty of the improv does mean it can be quite different each time with some shows tending to be more grounded/interpersonal like Last of Us and other shows leaning much more into the crazy fun of Fallout/Mad Max.

Red Bus: Dark comedy about the end of the world is a tricky balance. How do you keep the humour landing without undercutting the stakes, or is that tension part of the fun?

Pete Leaman: The tension of balancing a show in the right way is definitely part of the fun. As is typical with narrative improv, the whole cast have to each act as a performer, director and writer as we come together to collectively figure out the story. Pacing scenes and figuring out on-the-spot when to have a character’s personal moment and when to have a high energy fun scene is tricky but I think that’s all part of the raw improv fun for both us and the audience.

Dark comedy comes naturally to a lot of us and with each passing year it seems like the apocalyptic theme becomes more real; this show helps me ease the tension of reality by laughing in its face.

Red Bus: The show started in Bristol and has clearly built a strong following there. What has it been like bringing it to London and Camden Fringe specifically?

Pete Leaman: It’s been incredibly helpful to bring the show to new audiences and perform back-to-back shows. As most people find with fringes, it’s a great space to test new ideas and see what lands or doesn’t land. We’ve made some of our best changes to format as a result of the fringe, such as a new introduction to the show involving a mad shouting man from backstage!
There’s a lot of improv happening in London and it’s been great to have some of the community there come and support our show too, we’ve had others from similar shows such as Improv The Dead (a zombie based improv show) come and support us.

Red Bus: This is your third year bringing the show to Camden Fringe. What keeps it feeling fresh for you and the cast, rather than repetitive?

Pete Leaman: The improvised nature helps keep the show fresh and enjoyable. Every show is unique is it’s own way and some shows can be incredibly memorable as a result – for example, we had a Christmas themed show with a warboss villain who loved to torture his enemies with Christmas games.
We have also been exploring different venues and parts of the city to try and reach out to new audiences each time – we were first at Etcetera Theatre, then Courtyard Theatre and this year at the Hen & Chickens Theatre.

5. What would you want someone watching Wasteland Improv for the first time to take away from the evening?

Pete Leaman: At a minimum, just to have a fun time! I hope our show makes people laugh and enjoy some of the absurdities that can come when mankind is pushed to its breaking point.
As a bonus, to connect to our characters and feel for their struggles and stories. We always aim to create an emotional core to our narratives which the whole show can revolve around. If people can both laugh at the fun mutants and also feel for the doctor who wants to deliver medical supplies to the settlement then we’ve done our job.
I also hope they can see the variety that improvised shows can bring – it’s a lot more than shortform games like Whose Line? and can produce some amazing tales that feel unique and personal to only the audience in the room.

LISTING DETAILS

Tales From The Wasteland
Hen & Chickens Theatre, 109 St Paul’s Road, Islington, N1 2NA
Thursday 20, Friday 21 and Saturday 22 August 2026, 9pm
Camden Fringe 2026
Tickets: https://camdenfringe.com/events/tales-from-the-wasteland-post-apocalyptic-improv/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wasteland_improv

Check out our other Camden Fringe 2026 interviews:

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