The show opens this weekend and the actors have no idea what it’s going to be about. That is what actors Chris Dingli and Malcolm Galea will face when they step out in front of their first audience on the opening night of Dingle Bells Malcolm Smells.

It is every thespian’s worst nightmare, but these experienced comedy actors will face four nights of this, performing a different show every time.

“There is no script”, said Mr Dingli, “Instead we will take suggestions from the audience and build our story from that”. This is a kind of improvisation that, while common overseas, is something new to our shores. Mr Dingli and Mr Galea, both Edinburgh Fringe veterans, have been busy rehearsing different scenarios with the help of director Wesley Ellul.

“We simply think up random scenarios and rehearse those, even though they won’t be what we will perform in front of an audience. There’s no way we can second-guess what an audience will tell us, so in essence we’re rehearsing scenes that nobody will ever see!” said Mr Galea. “Audience participation will be limited to shouting suggestions at us. We won’t be pulling anyone on to the stage or picking on them”.

The actors stress that this isn’t a play, but a comedy show. “The content depends entirely on the audience”, explains Mr Ellul. “Every show will be different and its content will be as tame or racy as the collective timidity or raunchiness or the audience that night. While we certainly won’t go out of our way to be outrageous or provocative, we have certified the show as 18. It will definitely be adult oriented”.

The show runs at 8 p.m. at St James Cavalier on 26, 29, 30 December and January 2. Tickets are available from www.theatregonewrong.com or 2122 3200.