Taxi Tales (Ensemble)

Mark Smith's Taxi Tales is at MAC Birmingham on Sunday 8 November, the final night of the Birmingham Improv Festival 2026. The show is set in the back of a taxi and unfolds over a single night, with the driver and their passengers trading stories and crossing paths. It's a playful look at humanity as seen through the simplest of interactions, and it runs for an hour.

Smith takes his inspiration from Raymond Carver's short stories, which were later adapted into Robert Altman's film Short Cuts. Like Carver's work, the show focuses on the small, everyday moments that reveal the personal struggles and frustrations of ordinary life, for both the driver and the passengers. It's voyeuristic, funny and very human, and it all happens within the confines of that one taxi.

Taxi Tales is part of the Birmingham Improv Festival 2026, which runs from Thursday 5 to Sunday 8 November at MAC Birmingham. This is the festival's closing night, so it's a good one to catch if you're planning to see a few things over the course of the week.

The show starts at 6:00pm on Sunday 8 November and runs for an hour. Entry is free, though you'll need to book your place in advance.