Dark Peak Adventure Club uses tarot cards and dice rolls to shape a long-form Dungeons-and-Dragons-style story.
1. Liverpool Comedy ImprovCast episode 143 features Matt Knowles talking about his path into improv and the Glossop Comedy Improv community.
2. Ian Luke-Jones hosts the conversation and Matt Knowles is the guest, bringing experience from Glossop Improv, Dark Peak Adventure Club, voice acting, and writing.
3. The episode asks how a largely non-performing science student ended up building improv skills, running workshops, and co-creating a long-form show.
4. Matt says his first full-time job came during the pandemic, which left him stuck at home and wanting a new outlet after university.
5. He joined Amdram in his local town, where John Martin from Improv On Demand invited people to try improv in Manchester.
6. Matt says he had “very, very little” performance experience beyond tiny school roles and described himself as “very much the STEM kid” doing science and maths.
7. His first improv breakthrough came at Glossop Improv, where he attended a musical improv session while nervous and inexperienced.
8. Matt says Glossop Improv “welcomed me into the fold” and taught him how to “yasand” and enjoy different improv skills.
9. Matt and Ian talk about Dark Peak Adventure Club, which Matt calls his “little baby” project.
10. Matt says Dark Peak started with himself, Amy, Greg, and Jess from Glossop Improv, plus an idea inspired by Greg’s Dungeons and Dragons game.
11. The show became a long-form format using tarot cards and dice rolls, with audience interaction deciding characters and scene outcomes.
12. Matt explains that the team first thought their chances of getting into the Manchester Improv Festival were low, then found out they had six weeks to build the show.
13. He says the first rehearsal removed the stress because it felt like “messing around and having fun with my friends again.”
14. Matt says the troupe premiered the show at Glossop Improv and kept learning from audience feedback after each performance.
15. He describes selling out their first Saturday Manchester Improv Festival show as one of his proudest improv moments.
16. Matt also outlines the show’s audience-facing mechanics, including tarot readings, dice checks, and the promise that a 20 is the best possible cheese and a one is a “melted disaster.”
17. The conversation stays informal and conversational, with Ian using follow-up questions and shared Glossop references to keep the pace loose.
18. Matt’s answers move between stories, examples, and practical details, with frequent laughter and digressions into teaching, voice work, and character choices.
19. Listeners who like Manchester improv, long-form formats, and community theatre should get a lot from this episode.
20. Listeners looking for a tightly edited or non-improv conversation will probably skip this one.
