Interviews

Interview: Creating Community Conversations at Bush Theatre

Talking People with Elina Saleh Franck and Richard Vincent

Elina Saleh Franck and Richard Vincent are quietly – and now not so quietly – reshaping what theatre can be. With Talking People, their groundbreaking improvisational project, the duo are carving out a space where spontaneity, vulnerability, and audience collaboration take centre stage. Born from a post-lockdown longing for creative risk and deeper connection, their work isn’t just bringing non-comedic improvisation to audiences, it is revolutionising the way we experience live performance. In this interview, we talk to Elina and Richard about the history of Talking People, why you should see it, and their plans for the future.


Where did the idea for Talking People come from?

RICHARD: Elina was a student of mine back in drama school and a few years after she’d left she contacted me and asked me to direct her again in a play she was producing. I took it all with a pinch of salt; people have wild ideas all the time, and most go nowhere. But after the lockdown lifted, there I was, directing Elina in a play she was producing. What I didn’t know then is that Elina doesn’t do pinches of salt – if she says she’ll do something, she will. She actually reminds me of the 1980s. Sure, people love to badmouth that decade, and fair enough, there’s plenty to criticise, but it was also a time of big dreamers and bold doers. That’s Elina. She is the 80s (just without the shoulder pads).

Halfway through rehearsals, Elina pitched me teaching improvisation classes for established actors, and months later, there I am, teaching BAFTA winners. And the work? Honestly, it was fantastic. Moment after moment of brilliant pieces of art that would live and die in the moment, shared only by those in the room. Then Elina said, “We need to do this in public, on a stage”, and by then, I knew her well enough to believe it. Elina’s a force of nature, so when she mentioned talking to The Bush, I wasn’t surprised.

ELINA: After lockdown, I’d fallen out of love with acting. I felt lost and desperate, which I think a lot of actors can relate to. I’d been producing creative events and, while I was good at pulling things together, it wasn’t fulfilling me creatively. So I thought, what if I put on a show where I can use my producing skills and act again? The first person I thought of was Richard Vincent.

At Mountview, he taught me improvisation, and in 2022 we produced his play Grace at Jacksons Lane Theatre. After the run, I told him about an idea I had for some workshops. A year later, chatting to my friend Landry Adelard, I said, “What do you think about a class just for professional actors, centred around improvisation?” My thinking was that there are already so many actor training spaces focused on text, but improvisation is often overlooked, and I truly believe it’s one of the most powerful tools actors can use. Landry really pushed me – I owe him, Tuwaine and other friends from drama school a lot. We invited some incredibly talented actors down to a session that Richard directed and that first class was electric – we knew we had something special.

From there, it grew organically. People told their friends, I invited actors I admired, and now when I post about the classes on a Monday, the spaces go in minutes. The work we do is magic, it lives and dies in the room, and that’s what makes it so beautiful. Not long after, I thought, this needs to be in front of an audience. Around that time, I met Daniel Bailey at an event. I walked straight up to him, with my Egyptian street dog, and said, “Excuse me. I want to put on an improvisation show.”

In July 2024, we did our first Talking People show at the Bush – and we sold out. That’s how it all began.

What makes Talking People a unique theatrical experience?

RICHARD: Improvisation isn’t new, and neither is serious, non-comedic improvisation. What sets us apart is how relaxed the audience participation is: the fourth wall doesn’t exist, especially in the first half. You’re in a room with characters the actors play, but you help shape them in deep, complex ways. We don’t pull audience members on stage because that could lead to humiliation and the last thing we want to do is humiliate anyone. Just like actors work best when they feel safe, so do audiences. When people feel relaxed and know their input matters, they engage fully. That’s what we offer: a calm, collaborative space where the audience genuinely enriches the experience.

ELINA: I think what makes Talking People a unique theatrical experience is the fact that it does not exist. Not in the way we are doing it. I think that’s why it’s exciting, because it’s a genuine gamble. There is a chance that people may hate it or people might love it, but as the line in one of my favourite songs goes, “to do a dangerous thing with style is what I call art.” That’s exactly what we are doing. And the “style” comes from every element in the room: the incredible cast(s), Richard’s masterful direction, my producing instincts, the Bush Theatre’s support; each piece adds its own spark. By the end of Act One, audiences are hooked, Richard has to cut off questions because everyone wants in. They start shy, then suddenly they’re part of something alive, and that’s beautiful. Richard’s direction, the questions, the “bag of pain”, the character cards, shape magic in real time. Every show is unrepeatable. Most theatre asks you to sit quietly, observe, then leave. But people want to engage, especially now, when having a voice feels more important than ever. Talking People gives them that. It’s fun, it’s powerful, and it’s something truly special to be part of.

What should an audience member expect from a night with Talking People?

RICHARD: It’s hard to say, because it’s improvised. But as I’ve said before, if they choose to engage, they will become part of something, if only for a couple of hours, and the thing they become a part of will be unique and entertaining and wonderful.

ELINA: ​​You don’t know what to expect, because each performance is completely different. It lives and dies in the moment, even within the same show. And that’s what makes it special. But here’s what you can expect: to have an opinion, to care, to laugh, cry, maybe even be triggered. You might fall in love with a character, or really dislike one. You’re watching talented people go to places we usually avoid, talking about things we often keep quiet. That kind of vulnerability is powerful. You can also expect good energy. Everyone involved genuinely cares, loves what they’re doing, and is willing to take risks. That brings a very specific kind of energy into the room. It’s just a brilliant night out at the theatre, completely alive. People come away still thinking about it days later, saying, “I can’t believe she said that!” or “What was going on between them?” And the best part? It was all made up in the room.

Now that Talking People is moving to the Holloway Theatre at the Bush, tell us about your plans.

RICHARD: To become giants of theatre. My personal plan is to just get better at doing this. I’d like to really get a core of actors together, a company we can draw on, who I know I can trust. I really would like to take this on a tour of universities as well – I think that might be fun, and to go to regional theatres with it, really spread the word about what we’re doing. Plans change and plans evolve, so I guess I’m saying my main plan is to keep improvising around anything life throws at us.

ELINA: The plan has always been to grow and develop Talking People and that’s exactly what we’ve done. With the support of the Bush Theatre, but largely off our own backs, we’ve put on ten sold-out runs in the 60-seat studio. Now, stepping into the 200-seat Holloway space is not only a dream, but a real milestone for us; one we’ve had in our sights from the very beginning and that we can now tick off our list. We’ve been on sale for five days and already have just 20 tickets left, which proves the appetite is there, and that what we’re doing is resonating.

Looking ahead, my biggest goal is to get Talking People fully programmed, to make it part of a theatre’s season, and to tour it more widely, both across the UK and internationally. We want to take the shows and the workshops abroad, to places where this kind of storytelling and community-focused acting is really needed and wanted. We also plan to grow our company: to bring in more actors, collaborate with more established names, and keep building a wider creative network.

More than anything, the aim is to continue developing the community around Talking People, to reach more people, tell more stories, and keep proving that, with the right energy and vision, we can take this as far as we dream.


Talking People takes over the Holloway Theatre at Bush Theatre on Friday 18 July. Further information and tickets available here.

Harriet Ruggiano

Harriet is a leader in education specialising in secondary music. She is passionate about the arts and committed to widening access to creative opportunities for young people. Harriet has a particular love for musicals, new writing in fringe productions, and performances aimed at young audiences.

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