Rachel E. Thorn & Alex Keen present:
lying together
A black comedy about sex and deception.
Each show is inspired by an anonymous confession chosen by the audience and completely improvised by award-winning comedians.
Let’s find out why we lie to the people we love.
Demon MediaBouncing dry humour and tear-jerking moments off each other at the snap of your fingers… pure talent that deserves recognition by the masses. It’s live entertainment at its best. Surpassed all expectations, a show that was genuinely funny whilst delivering real emotional depth and audience connection. I came away marvelling at the talent. ACT OF THE YEAR Remarkably sincere and authentic. There were laughs (a lot of them) contained within a serious, moving drama. The story develops with extraordinary deftness as they effortlessly weave a wider world around them. This is live theatre taken to a whole new level. As an artform, this is very difficult. Keen and Thorn manage it with panache, sharing excellent chemistry onstage.
Tour dates
January 2025, Sheffield
February 2025, Barnsley
February 2025, York
Previous shows
November 2024, Marsden
- Marsden Mechanics
May 2024, Brighton
- Sat 4 May 2024
- 8:30pm
- Komedia Studio
April 2024, Halifax
- Sat 20 Apr 2024
- 8pm
- Square Chapel, Copper Auditorium
March 2024, Leeds
- Sat 2 Mar 2024
- 7:30pm
- Seven Artspace
Feb 2024, Leicester Comedy Festival
- Fri 23 Feb 2024
- 9:30pm
- PETER Pizzeria
Send your secrets!
Each performance of Lying Together is inspired by a lie told or a secret kept in a real relationship, submitted anonymously by members of the public like you.
You can submit a secret you've kept, a lie someone has told you or something you've heard about from a friend, but weren't personally involved in. All we ask is that you only submit genuine secrets and lies between a couple.
Previous inspirations include:
- Rachel sat in a shepherd's pie and pretended the dog ate it
- Alex told Rachel he'd been in a car accident
- Rachel hid the fact that the wedding she went to was her ex's
- Alex told Rachel his mum was dead when she wasn't.
Share a secret kept or a lie told in a romantic relationship — it's completely anonymous!
Meet the cast
Alex Keen
Alex co-created, coaches and performs with Stürike Comedy, who have created the shows Teen High: An Improvised High School Movie, Story Time and Fan Friction.
Alex co-founded and co-runs the Sheffield Improv Jam, a bi-monthly improv event in Sheffield. He is a welfare officer and teacher at The British Improv Project, a biannual residential retreat in the Midlands. He has performed with The Shrimps, Cambridge Impronauts, The Same Faces, Stealing the Show and Tiny Stories.
Rachel E. Thorn
Rachel E. Thorn co-created the five-star sell-out show CSI: Crime Scene Improvisation. She has performed with Cambridge Impronauts, Upstairs Downton and The Shrimps.
Rachel's scripted work has been longlisted by the Kenneth Branagh Award, the Female Pilot Club, the Painkiller Prize and Pentabus. She has written for Dead Ringers, The Now Show, DMs Are Open, Newsjack and Breaking The News. Her sketch comedy has been heard on BBC Radio and she's collaborated with impressionists Alistair McGowan, Charlie Hopkinson and Darren Altman. She trained at Drama Studio London.
Our history
Alex & Rachel first worked together when they co-created Scriptless In Seattle, which was nominated for Best Improv Show at Leicester Comedy Festival.
When that show concluded, they formed a two-person improv show called Between Us, which was awarded “Act of the Year” by The Phoenix Remix. They went on to create Sex, Lies & Improvisation and now perform Lying Together. They co-created and tour the award-winning, sell-out show MATES: The Improvised ’90s Sitcom with Hugh Clark.
We have taught improvisation in the UK and abroad for:
- Equity UK
- Chicago Dramatic Improv Festival
- British Improv Project
- The Cambridge Impronauts
- Nottingham Student Improv Festival
- Liverpool Comedy Improv
- Sheffield Improv Jam
- Making Room at Sheffield Theatres
- The Same Faces
- The Shrimps
- Wayward Souls
Email contact for teaching availability and prices. @lyingtogether.co.uk
Really fun and useful classes with a good mixture of activities for everyone. Rachel and Alex made me feel really confident about coming out of my comfort zone and trying new things.Nicky Hindmarch, improviser