THE improvised comedy troupe Austentatious is coming to Winchester in November.

The cast devises a comedic play from nothing other than a title suggested by the audience of a supposed lost Jane Austen novel. The plays draw on tropes found in Austen novels and adaptations, and feature period costumes and live music. Previous titles of plays include ‘Crazy Rich Georgians’, ‘Strictly Come Darcey’ and ‘Game of Scones’.

The show began in London in 2011 and was met with critical acclaim, winning the Chortle Award for Best Character, Improv or Sketch Act in 2014. Austentatious moved to the West End in 2017, and performs annually at the Edinburgh Fringe. The cast also did two unique shows for BBC Radio 4 in 2019.

Austentatious is embarking on a national tour, the finale of which will be three performances at the Theatre Royal on November 4-5.

READ MORE: Award nomination for Winchester theatre company Blue Apple

Winchester and the surrounding area have a deep connection with Jane Austen.

Austen was born in Steventon in 1775 and educated in Southampton. In 1809 Jane moved to a cottage in Chawton with her mother and sister Cassandra.

It is here that she completed Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey, and wrote Mansfield Park, Emma and Persuasion. After falling ill in 1816, she moved to College Street in Winchester to be closer to her doctors. She died there in 1817, and was buried in the north aisle of Winchester Cathedral. It is perhaps appropriate that the Austentatious tour will conclude in Winchester.

Tickets are available from austentatiousimpro.com/shows/tour/.