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Lyon Improv Fest will start in:

August, 20th - 26th, FRANCE

We are thrilled to announce the opening of the third edition of the Lyon Improv Fest, also known as LIF, taking place from August 20th to 26th. As the very first international improv festival in Lyon, we take great pride in bringing together renowned international guests whom we have admired and followed for years.

LIF is one of the largest improv events in France. 300+ improvisers, 30+ workshops, 30+ shows. It is the very first festival bringing together so many different improv trends. Choose your own path, register for workshops or apply with your own shows.

Discover the schedule

Note of Intent 

Dear Participants, Artists, and Improvisation Enthusiasts,

It is with great pleasure that I extend a warm welcome to you at the Lyon Improv Fest, an esteemed international festival dedicated to the art of improvisation. Our primary objective is to create a global platform where experiences and expertise can be shared within the improvisation community.

We are deeply committed to upholding ethical and economically responsible practices throughout our festival. We firmly believe in ensuring fair compensation for every artist’s performance. It is our unwavering principle that all improvisers, regardless of their background, should have access to affordable rates that are tailored to the prevailing purchasing power in their respective countries.

We actively encourage everyone to share their unique skills through captivating performances and engaging workshops. By fostering an environment of equality and inclusivity, we aim to celebrate and embrace the rich diversity of cultures and individual origins. To ensure the well-being and respect of all participants, we have thoughtfully implemented a comprehensive code of conduct that all festival-goers are kindly requested to acknowledge before joining us.

The Lyon Improv Fest takes place in a small theater passionately managed by a team that harbors ambitious aspirations. We are dedicated to creating an atmosphere that warmly embraces all individuals, irrespective of their cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Our fundamental purpose is to make improvisation accessible to all, fostering unity and promoting a harmonious coexistence.

I wholeheartedly welcome each and every one of you to this extraordinary event. It gives me immense joy to have you here in Lyon, renowned as the gastronomic capital. Let us unite, revel in the art of improvisation, and bask in the vibrant ambiance of this festival.

Sincerely,

Thomas Debray
Festival Director

Code of Conduct

The Lyon Improv Fest is dedicated to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for all participants. Our Code of Conduct applies to students, teachers, performers, volunteers, and all members of the LIF community. We have drawn inspiration from the Nursery Festival’s code of conduct, with the kind permission of Stephen, the festival’s founder.

1. Respect Boundaries: Communicate and honor personal boundaries both on and off stage, recognizing that these boundaries may vary for each individual.

2. Maintain Safe and Appropriate Physical Contact: Ensure that any physical contact remains safe and socially appropriate at all times.

3. Speak Up: If something makes you uncomfortable or if you observe another participant experiencing discomfort, please voice your concerns. Listening with an open mind when someone else speaks up is essential.

4. Act with Intelligence and Integrity: Play to the best of your abilities, upholding a high standard of intelligence and integrity in your improvisation.

5. Assume Good Intentions: Recognize that individuals rarely intend to be offensive. Approach interactions with the belief that people have good intentions.

6. Embrace Diversity: In improv, you have the freedom to embody any character or persona. Ensure that everyone else enjoys the same freedom of expression.

7. Address Concerns: If you have any questions, complaints, or if you have experienced any form of misconduct within a workshop venue or at an LIF event, please reach out to any staff member or contact us.

8. Avoid Spreading Rumors: Refrain from spreading rumors or engaging in gossip. Rumors are not a reliable source of information and can cause harm. If you have concerns or questions, address them through the appropriate channels.

9. Conflict Resolution: In the event of a conflict, we work with a **mediator of justice** in France and a law firm to ensure fair and just resolution. A mediator of justice is an independent person responsible for finding an amicable solution to civil disputes, such as conflicts. The law makes mediation mandatory in certain disputes. We will not hesitate to involve them if necessary.

Ensemble LIF 2023

Discover all the improvisers
 

Schedule

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  • August 20


  • 09:30 - 15:30
    We have all been in ‘Improv Hell’ when we have no idea what to say next and we are just hoping for someone to either pull the lights or “edit” the scene. What if we had tools to get us out of any jam on stage or to start scenes with immediate relationship and theatrical weight? This workshop will explore six magic bullets to enhance any scene you’re in. This workshop is all about the tips, tricks, styles, approaches to, misunderstood, positive, negative, get outa your head, wish I had said that and all forms of DIALOUGE….. It’s not what you say but what your character thinks! They say write about what you know well why not Improvise about what you know. Every single one of us has enough great DIALOUGE within in us to last a least 10 life times of improvisational DIALOUGE!!!! Come play with us and find the real joy in knowing you never need to feel you don’t know what to say in an improv. You do know what to say you just don’t know it yet! Exciting and inspired performance comes from the courage to work outside of our comfort zones. Come – Lets rediscover the play inside the play.
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Research shows that an average woman speaks approximately 20,000 words a day, while a man speaks only 7000. In fact, this research has been disproved, but how quickly it evokes our stereotypes? Since childhood, we are programmed by society to think of gender in a certain way – boys should wear blue and be powerful, while girls should wear pink and be gentle. As we progress in time, we start breaking these patterns. But they are more profound than we think. In order to break them completely, we must know the history of gender roles and challenge ourselves not to take the beliefs we were raised on for granted. This workshop aims to do exactly that. We will dive into gender theory and history before challenging ourselves to play the opposite sex on stage without judgment. We will then challenge ourselves to play scenes without ANY gender presumptions at all. The laboratory’s goal is to make us see the world through different gender glasses.
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    A class to work on the improvised stage. Space, objects, and characters live together in a place created before the eyes of the audience and our partners. If you see it, they will too. In this class we will work on the concepts of use of the space, focus distribution, the balance of forces and status, and framing.
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Learn the signature format of the Big Bang ensemble that explores stories that are happening now, could happen later, and simultaneously happening elsewhere. This workshop will focus on the free-form format that creates form where there wasn’t one before by exploring content, revisiting ideas and then organically closing the show by learning the signature pivots, parallel moves and portals that makes every Big Bang show unique.
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Creating something from nothing in longform contexts. Working awareness of pattern, story, scene and game and allowing the piece that “wants to be there” to exist.
    Workshops

  • 17:00
    "The 3rd edition of the LIF is officially open...!" An evening to meet you all and celebrate the opening of this 3rd edition! During this opening night, you will be immersed in a whirlwind of energy, humor, and spontaneity, with unique performances created on the spot by all the festival Ensemble. The show will be performed in English.
    Shows

  • August 21


  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Improv is creating theatre live in the moment so we are wise to borrow skills from actors. The ability to connect emotionally with ourselves and our scene partners, to communicate to the audience and make them feel. Discover the freedom of playing from instinct and sensation, rather than thinking, as we bring awareness into our senses and really listen. We will slow right down and feel the emotional connection between you and your scene partner, giving space for the magic and subtext to arise and develop. These skills will help you feel liberated onstage, allowing you to work less hard to move your audience. Playing from the heart creates scenes that really spark. When we get out of our heads and into our senses, creativity flows easily and compelling connections emerge which may be joyously funny or deeply touching. Pedagogical objectives of the workshop: Emotional connection and awareness Slowburn Theatrically truthful acting Subtext
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Research shows that an average woman speaks approximately 20,000 words a day, while a man speaks only 7000. In fact, this research has been disproved, but how quickly it evokes our stereotypes? Since childhood, we are programmed by society to think of gender in a certain way – boys should wear blue and be powerful, while girls should wear pink and be gentle. As we progress in time, we start breaking these patterns. But they are more profound than we think. In order to break them completely, we must know the history of gender roles and challenge ourselves not to take the beliefs we were raised on for granted. This workshop aims to do exactly that. We will dive into gender theory and history before challenging ourselves to play the opposite sex on stage without judgment. We will then challenge ourselves to play scenes without ANY gender presumptions at all. The laboratory’s goal is to make us see the world through different gender glasses.
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Learn the signature format of the Big Bang ensemble that explores stories that are happening now, could happen later, and simultaneously happening elsewhere. This workshop will focus on the free-form format that creates form where there wasn’t one before by exploring content, revisiting ideas and then organically closing the show by learning the signature pivots, parallel moves and portals that makes every Big Bang show unique.
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Creating something from nothing in longform contexts. Working awareness of pattern, story, scene and game and allowing the piece that “wants to be there” to exist.
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    People would tend to think improv is a blank page to be filled. To me, Improv is a page, already written in invisible ink that you only have to read. Improv is not a creative effort, it's an ability of the artist to be present and open enough to be the receptacle and the medium of the art. In this class I'll give you Improv glasses to see everything, we'll read the scenes, the space, the objects and of course our partners. Everything is already there, there's nothing to be created or invented. There's just momentum to be revealed.
    Workshops

  • 15:45 - 18:45
    How can you make magic happen on stage? In this workshop, we'll be exploring just that by working with our collective and personal truths together as well as how to delve into what they show us about ourselves using improvised scenework. We'll see how instinct and intuition can guide our work with these truths and how we can connect to states of flow and connection together that surprise. All of these things can help prepare the way for our shared connection to the unseen to manifest on stage. No knowledge of the Tarot is required. Only a willingness to explore what stories may come from our personal or universal truth in a safe environment is needed. This workshop leads to the option of performing in the later Whatever Fate Decides show ensemble at the festival.
    Workshops

  • 15:45 - 18:45
    You want to play a scene, with truth and emotions? Connect to your partner and create a sincere enjoyable story? Yes but… how? By using your superpower: your inner voice. In this workshop, you will listen to your instinct as an actor/actress during the scenes, to embrace your own flow when you improvise. Your inner voice is always there, knowing what to do. Just give it the floor. Just that? Yes, and improvise scenes that matter. Embrace emotion. Together we will explore our impulses to create intense and truthful scenes.
    Workshops

  • 18:00 - 18:30
    Barcelona's newest and highest rated improv comedy show. Every Thursday night, TAB brings an action packed hour of silly characters, dramatic moments, and wacky shenanigans! Offering something unique on the European festival scene, we do a fast-paced short form improv comedy show. As the house improv team of a comedy club, we push ourselves to create big, bold characters and high energy scenes. Using the theme of Transcendence, and the idea of pushing to people to become greater than themselves, we will highlight games that involve challenge to the actors' creativity, pushing them to new discoveries, larger energy, and bigger surprises.
    Shows

  • 20:30 - 22:30
    Shows

  • August 22


  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Improv is creating theatre live in the moment so we are wise to borrow skills from actors. The ability to connect emotionally with ourselves and our scene partners, to communicate to the audience and make them feel. Discover the freedom of playing from instinct and sensation, rather than thinking, as we bring awareness into our senses and really listen. We will slow right down and feel the emotional connection between you and your scene partner, giving space for the magic and subtext to arise and develop. These skills will help you feel liberated onstage, allowing you to work less hard to move your audience. Playing from the heart creates scenes that really spark. When we get out of our heads and into our senses, creativity flows easily and compelling connections emerge which may be joyously funny or deeply touching. Pedagogical objectives of the workshop: Emotional connection and awareness Slowburn Theatrically truthful acting Subtext
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    We all know the “inner judge” thatsits on ourshoulder. While making a seriousface, it constantly makes us doubt ourselves, thinking and feeling that we are not good enough - A thing that couldn't be farther from the truth. During my years as an improviser, I have found out that one of my greatest tasks is to understand how to handle my inner judge. I have developed a set of tools for different kinds of situations that tend to wake my inner judge up. These are tools that help me turn my inner judge into an ally rather than an obstacle. In this workshop we will get to know more about our inner judge, where it comes from and why it is so loud. Using highly practical tools, we will learn how to silence our inner judge when needed - and when it is important to pay attention to what they have to say. The purpose of this workshop is to help you get out of your head, trust yourself and be more free in your improv.
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Some people think that improv is speed, dynamic, immediacy. But it's not just that. It's also pause, harmony and silence. It's a play written and performed on the spot and, like every play, it has its moments. Through this workshop we will try to find the joy of the scene through the use of music.
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    In this masterclass workshop, we will explore stories using truth, emotion and reaction through specialised exercises and grounded, naturalistic scene-work. Working with these themes, we can explore our own personal, dynamic emotional range as improvisers and performers. We will also be exploring truth through our own personal stories finding connection, trust and shared experience within the group. There will be an emphasis on slowing down, building trust, really connecting with and listening to your scene partner. Reacting not only to verbal offers but understanding body language and physical offers. I will help guide the group by directing scenes and giving feedback to help collectively understand what the story needs. We will explore and create juicy, dynamic stories and support each other to make the boldest choices possible. Whether our scene-work is serious or comedic, our aim will be to truly inspire each other and our audience
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    People would tend to think improv is a blank page to be filled. To me, Improv is a page, already written in invisible ink that you only have to read. Improv is not a creative effort, it's an ability of the artist to be present and open enough to be the receptacle and the medium of the art. In this class I'll give you Improv glasses to see everything, we'll read the scenes, the space, the objects and of course our partners. Everything is already there, there's nothing to be created or invented. There's just momentum to be revealed.
    Workshops

  • 15:45 - 18:45
    How does the audience know it’s improvised? The suggestion. It’s also the way that the audience member interacts with the players to become part of the show. This workshop will teach skills in incorporation of audience suggestions in creative ways, from initiation through to the end of the scene. As well, you will learn how to deflect “bad” suggestions. Great for people looking to improve MC skills and interact more creatively with the audience. (Note - this workshop can be tailored as 100% about MC skills if you desire)
    Workshops

  • 15:45 - 18:45
    We as improvisors like to be liked by the audience and not often play the evil character. Still, evil characters are so much fun to play and a gift for your fellow players. Which techniques can we use in a troupe to start a longform play which will feature an evil character. How can we support the evil one, so they truly can be evil, and more importantly, how can evil be defeated? Warning: the workshop might involve the use of strong language.
    Workshops

  • 15:45 - 18:45
    As improvisors, we play a lot with associations, as a verbal way to connect and inspire each other and ourselves. But we tend to give only a little attention to physical associations, what the body tells us and how it can inspire us. In this workshop we will work on "deep listening" and pay attention to each small gesture, to every tiny movement of the body. The transformation of our movement will inspire our stories and scenes. We will also work on team work and group support that leads to a chorus of echos enhancing the scenes on stage.
    Workshops

  • 18:00 - 18:30
    Vanilla Strawberry is an Amsterdam-based comedic duo that performs improvised biographies. Christianna Tsigkou and Willem van den Brink, hailing from Greece and the Netherlands respectively, enjoy blending their passion for pop culture with the belief that the truth should never impede a great show. As Friedrich Nietzsche famously said, 'The show must go on'! Here's a fun fact: Vanilla Strawberry can be easily bribed with ice cream.
    Shows

  • 18:30 - 19:00
    Every family has an image they want to convey to the outside world. To achieve it, they need to build a facade to trick their surroundings. Yet, behind the walls lies terrible dark secrets. This is what our show will do, push the limits of a family to reveal the underlying secret they want to hide so badly.We will ask the audience an input to build the ordinary family world before smashing it to pieces through the use of the dark secret.
    Shows

  • 19:15 - 19:45
    This is what happens if you mix clown, mime, silent movies and commedia dell´arte. No knowledge of any language is necessary.
    Shows

  • 19:45 - 20:15
    Whatever Fate Decides centers around our shared connection to each other and the unseen world. We have an invited guest join us on stage. We then use the Tarot and improvisation together with that person's questions that they want to ask the show about their life. Our invited guest can be anyone open to having their Tarot cards read on stage. As we move toward the Future, our guest gets to both see the future as it stands and is given the power to change it if they want to. This way, our guest can potentially alter their own future or change aspects of their own life in the show.
    Shows

  • 20:30 - 21:15
    The birthday of a member of the audience is the trigger for a series of scenes inspired by different historical events that took place on that day throughout history. Any given day explores the infinite possibilities of improvisation through short scenes in which the dialogues and character relations play a fundamental role.
    Shows

  • August 23


  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Some people think that improv is speed, dynamic, immediacy. But it's not just that. It's also pause, harmony and silence. It's a play written and performed on the spot and, like every play, it has its moments. Through this workshop we will try to find the joy of the scene through the use of music.
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Create an all-immersive world that has its own history, physics and momentum. Focus on the skills that will set your ensemble up to perform a serial show that can take place anywhere in this world at any time. The techniques of Quest will be used to create a medieval fantasy world but can also be applied to any other type of world you’ll like which will then provide hours, days and months of entertainment for your actors and your audience.
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Explore your dark side in this workshop about playing authentic Villains. Recently toured in Israel, Belgium and Sweden with excellent feedback from participants. This workshop asks -how do we get good at being really bad. For most of us it feels very unnatural. But, every great hero needs a great villain to overcome. Villains can be integral to a story. This workshop explores how to bring out our inner villain and not in a 'pantomime' way! I mean dark, dangerous and unpredictable. Exploring offers and characters we would never have dreamed of before. It also explores why we might be afraid of playing the villian on stage. Because of the nature of the work this workshop requires absolute commitment, trust and openness from all participants.
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Playing scenes that have characters who speak different languages, playing with the music and pauses of the voice, exploring understanding beyond the meaning of words.
    Workshops

  • 15:45 - 18:45
    Ever found yourself on stage in a death scene, and stalled? Unsure how to approach these difficult subjects? Want to bring more pathos to your improv? Then this is the workshop for you. In this workshop, we will examine our relationships with the end of life, how we can represent these relationships truthfully onstage, and how we can treat our fellow players and audiences with compassion and humour while approaching these tough topics. There will be some in-depth discussion of death, dying, and cultural and religious attitudes to bereavement, which we will use as inspiration for introspective, open-hearted improv. Participants should be prepared to discuss both religious and non-religious aspects of death culture. This may be emotionally challenging. We will discover together what death and bereavement mean for you, and how you can realistically portray end of life scenes in front of an audience. Syllabus includes: Examinations of various end of life traditions, and how these can inspire improvisation Discussion and exploration of themes of death, dying, and bereavement Realistic acting for end of life scenes
    Workshops

  • 15:45 - 18:45
    "When we improvise a scene, we are keeping several balls in the air at the same time: remembering who we are, where we are and what we are doing, for starters. But because of all this multitasking, often a ball can drop, and one of the first things to go is our physicality. Suddenly, we become two talking heads on stage and our thoughts go something like this: “Why are my arms not moving? I was making coffee, yet I can’t seem to find the coffeemaker. How did we go from drinking coffee to a crusade to find the alien princess trapped in the secret room of the American White House where two families are ruling the earth and are responsible for 6G Antennas?” Alas, the minute the balls start dropping, we get inside our heads and self consciously start overcompensating by adding more and more information, confusing both ourselves and our partners in the process. But there are ways we can keep ourselves grounded and present in the moment: for example by taking our time to add the logical movement, actions, facial expressions, enjoying the process of realistically weilding a weapon, truthfully eating a sandwich where the mayo is overflowing… Just by adding one of these simple things, we simplify the scene by filling in the silence with actions. As the saying goes: actions speak louder than words. In ‘Add to Simplify’, we shall explore different points of inspiration for our scenes from our surroundings and object work, without becoming a mime-player in the process. Time to let our inner actor enjoy the act of ‘doing’!"
    Workshops

  • 15:45 - 18:45
    (Workshop in french) Bienvenue à "Improviser EN ANGLAIS" où nous combinons le plaisir de l'improvisation avec l'apprentissage de la langue. Dans cet environnement dynamique et bienveillant, vous participerez à des exercices et des jeux d'improvisation spécialement conçus pour améliorer vos compétences en communication en anglais. À travers des histoires spontanées, la création de personnages et la réactivité, vous développerez votre capacité à réfléchir rapidement et à vous exprimer avec confiance en anglais. Vous acquerrez du vocabulaire précieux, améliorerez votre prononciation et renforcerez votre fluidité générale tout en vous amusant dans un cadre de groupe bienveillant.
    Workshops

  • 18:00 - 18:30
    One show, 2 actors, 3 different stories. In this improv comedy show, Pan and Gian, along with the help of the audience, are going to create 3 different stories from scratch, all inspired by the concept of “journey”. These stories, although different at the beginning, in the end will become one with all the characters and the relationships coming together on a single “journey”.
    Shows

  • 18:30 - 19:00
    Infinite possibilities open up in front of our eyes when two clowns take the stage and improvise. These two clowns look for the poetic and the ridiculous in a show full of movement, music, and madness. Dressed in truth and authenticity, they create a poetic world where reality and imagination lose their boundaries, transcending the limits of the stage and themselves, breaking the fourth wall, and making the audience part of the show. Imaginary worlds, full of fantasy and metaphor, are created on stage together with the audience, connecting us all... like strings.
    Shows

  • 19:15 - 19:45
    This show is about what you normally don't get to see: the behind the scenes. This improvised story takes place in a theatre, behind the stage. Where the actors are preparing their roles for a play you'll never get to see. A peek in the lives of a very close group of friends.
    Shows

  • 19:45 - 20:15
    Should we always tell the truth? “The secret of happiness in a couple is not to be blind. It is to close your eyes at the right time.” Simone Signore (French actress) An improvised play by the irresistible Mark Jane and Peggy Pexy Green.
    Shows

  • 20:30 - 21:15
    Two people meet somewhere. Nothing can go wrong, right? But it does. It always does. And every time they try to make it right, it just makes it even worse. Have you ever been in this kind of situation? Two characters. One location. Thirty minutes. One big problem. Hila Di Castro and Feña Ortalli destroyed Lena Breuer's kitchen in when they only intended to make coffee. Since then, they're known as: The Coffee Saboteurs.
    Shows

  • 21:30 - 22:30
    Does the love of your life truly exist? "Call me maybe" follows three love stories in the life of a central character. Each story marked him/her in a certain way. Each partner has his/her qualities and flaws. What starts out as a romantic comedy might end up as a nightmare. But at the end of the day a choice must be made, who will the hero/heroine stay with, and more importantly what compromise will he/she accept to make their couple work? Love is never as easy as it seems...
    Shows

  • August 24


  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Our body is our greatest resource onstage. It is our communication tool to the audience, to our partners and also to ourselves. So don't just be a talking head. Tune in to your body and let's move! Our embodiment drives how we feel, think and play. We’ll look at how to change your state of mind through the body - increasing your sense of power and calming nerves. Notice how your embodied patterns influence the choices you make and that by recognising them and trying new styles you can discover new perspectives. We’ll see how every body tells the story and how we can work together physically to make our stages more visually engaging. Discover how playing your whole instrument - not just relying on what comes out of your mouth - can expand your range, change your choices and really bring your improv alive.
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Michael Gellman will lead a three-day workshop to explore the work described in his book – Process: An Improviser’s Journey, and new applications developed at The Process Theatre in NYC, Toronto and Chicago. Participants will focus on the tools necessary for powerful performance used in improvised acting and explore methods used to create unique and truthful improvised theatre. Y OUR CHARACTERS – YOUR STORIES _ YOUR TRUTH This workshop will encourage us to expand our potential for creating inspired improvisation as we explore: • The Freedom to react and make discoveries in performance. • Our potential for creating unique characters with emotional and physical truth • Playing and being truly present in the moment. • Trusting ourselves and our characters in performance. • Ways to be a truly great ensemble member. • Getting out of our own way. • Courage to work outside of our comfort zones. • The Joy in our performances. Michael’s unique approach to improvisation encourages the participants to explore the idea that all improvisation is ultimately about focusing out. Our characters react to what they see, hear taste touch and smell. We will understand: the difference between reacting and responding, the power of improvising in the here and now and staying truly grounded for our fellow players. The ensemble will explore techniques to: enhance emotional honesty, maintain a point of concentration, connecting to your partner and exploring and heightening Point of View to advance story. TOOLS TO KEEP THE PERFORMANCE GOING AND GROWING FIND THE PLAY WITHIN THE PLAY
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    How can you pass from one scene to another in a creative way? How can you make your narration more dynamic and playful ? This workshop proposes tools to boost your improvisation thanks to techniques inspired by cinema and television. You will work on multi scene transitions and jump transitions. The goal is to acquire a range of tools that you can then adapt to your shows. These tools are made to vary the pace and style in a performance. They also spice up the experience for the players by adding a little "organized chaos." This can be a wonderful way of pushing yourselves further in your narrative work and breaking dull routines. These concepts can be used in both long form and short form improvised shows
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Create an all-immersive world that has its own history, physics and momentum. Focus on the skills that will set your ensemble up to perform a serial show that can take place anywhere in this world at any time. The techniques of Quest will be used to create a medieval fantasy world but can also be applied to any other type of world you’ll like which will then provide hours, days and months of entertainment for your actors and your audience.
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Playing scenes that have characters who speak different languages, playing with the music and pauses of the voice, exploring understanding beyond the meaning of words.
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Deal with the worst improvisers and worst situations. Improvising implies taking risks but also commitment to your partners. We want to feel safe on stage but that often makes us too polite. We'll study both sides of the coin and learn how to break the rules and deal with the rulebreakers! To do so we will go through cases study, bring your worst moments on stage, we'll turn them into graceful bits!
    Workshops

  • 15:45 - 18:45
    One single element can inspire you to create a character in an improv scene. But you need consistency and depth to make that character believable and interesting. In this workshop we’ll work on two triangles, two sets of 3 elements each that can inspire a character. On each triangle, one element informs and modifies the other 2, and when combined, they can help you to create and maintain characters that make your improv scenes more interesting, entertaining and deep. Find ease in playing characters that are very different to you, and get inspired by stepping in your character's shoes and reacting how they would react."
    Workshops

  • 15:45 - 18:45
    It is very common in our improv work to lose ourselves into constant talking, where we just stand still in front of our partners, simply talk and nothing happens. Sometimes this may work, but most often not. But what will happen if, instead of all that, we just gave a big reaction (through our bodies/our actions/our emotions) to what our partner gave us? We would soon discover that simply by reacting emotionally and physically to something it immediately becomes more interesting and entertaining. Not only for the audience but also for us, the performers on stage. So, what do you expect to see in this workshop? By using techniques from theatrical clown as well as physical and improv comedy, we will find ways not only on how we can react but also how we can provoke reactions to our improv partners. We will discover the limits of our reactions, how we can heighten them and what it means to have a big or a small reaction (and know when and how to use them both). We will also focus a lot in the relationships of our stage characters and will explore how our reactions can create interesting obstacles and solutions for each other. And of course, we will discover that every proposal that our partner gives us, every little detail, can be pure gold – if only we react to it!
    Workshops

  • 18:00 - 18:30
    A couple is on the verge of ending their relationship. But why and how did it happen and can their relationship be saved. With the help of four people who will play the therapist, selected in the audience before the start of the performance, we will try to understand, the character and temperament of both people, their hopes, dreams and fears, their expectations in life, the joy of being together in the past and the disappointments of each other. We will take our audience into a journey of emotions where they will drive the story, until the unexpected denouement, which waits for us at the end of this wonderful psychological drama. It will develop right in front of our eyes only once seen and never again to be repeated.
    Shows

  • 18:30 - 19:00
    A group of friends meets for a reason. Where do they know each other from? Why do they meet today? It's up for audience to decide. What we know for sure, it's the evening that will change their relationship forever. What seemed to be a regular get-together evolves into so much more. Everyone has their history. Everyone has their secrets. The relationships tend to be different from what we see on the surface.. And all of this will be revealed during the course of the show. Will friendships witstand all that will happen during this evening? Will lovers remain lovers? During an evening like that almost everything can happen. The limits will be pushed further than ever. Let's sit down and enjoy the drama as it unravels.

  • 19:15 - 19:45
    It's time to stir the pot and offer up some ingredients to "Cookbook," the unscripted one-person performance piece by Tom Tollenaere. The audience adds the ingredients and Tom's brain cooks up a feast of characters, concepts, dialogues, scenes, music, songs and choreography, all made up on the spot. It will make sense when it does, even if only in the darkest recesses of his own mind. Disclaimer: there's no money back guarantee if the promise of choreography isn't realized. There are especially no refunds if it does.
    Shows

  • 19:45 - 20:15
    The concept of the show is to use improvisation to provide an honest, open and enquiring look at how death can affect people, while still being an entertaining and engaging show. Spontaneous theatre is ideal for the subject matter because the cast and the audience are responding honestly to difficult situations that are often avoided. This allows for moving relationships, unexpected humour and moments of visceral response to be found together and all this is based on questions specifically asked by the audience. The show opens with a character receiving a diagnosis of an incurable problem. We follow this character - as well as their family and friends as they respond to this situation. We also see life before this moment and after the characters death to fully explore life, dying, and how we respond to death.
    Shows

  • 20:30 - 21:15
    Hovering over a public toilet seat while keeping your pants from touching the floor, wearing another pair of underwear over your stockings to keep them from sliding down, being sexually harassed, coughing over your farts to cover the sound, keeping business as usual even while hurting from period pain, allowing someone to help you carry your suitcase up the stairs, feeling your baby kick in your womb… These are only some of our experiences as women in this world. The kind of things women talk about behind closed doors, (if they even talk about them at all...) and the kind of experiences we rarely see on stage. Until now ! In this show everything will be out in the open - all the funny, painful, scary, icky and powerful moments we experience as women, alone and together. How does it feel to be a woman on this planet? Come watch the show!
    Shows

  • 21:30 - 22:30
    The show that reveals the Hero hidden in each of us! Two audience members are randomly picked, they choose a genre for an adventure they would like to live, and they are off! They become the unexpected heroes of a thrilling story. Mark narrates, directs and plays all the other characters whilst the lucky couple are transformed into the heroes of their own fabulous adventure. It’s obviously improvised, it’s obviously a unique performance and it’s obviously an unforgettable moment for everybody. The Oscars for the best actor and actress are not far off...
    Shows

  • August 25


  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Michael Gellman will lead a three-day workshop to explore the work described in his book – Process: An Improviser’s Journey, and new applications developed at The Process Theatre in NYC, Toronto and Chicago. Participants will focus on the tools necessary for powerful performance used in improvised acting and explore methods used to create unique and truthful improvised theatre. Y OUR CHARACTERS – YOUR STORIES _ YOUR TRUTH This workshop will encourage us to expand our potential for creating inspired improvisation as we explore: • The Freedom to react and make discoveries in performance. • Our potential for creating unique characters with emotional and physical truth • Playing and being truly present in the moment. • Trusting ourselves and our characters in performance. • Ways to be a truly great ensemble member. • Getting out of our own way. • Courage to work outside of our comfort zones. • The Joy in our performances. Michael’s unique approach to improvisation encourages the participants to explore the idea that all improvisation is ultimately about focusing out. Our characters react to what they see, hear taste touch and smell. We will understand: the difference between reacting and responding, the power of improvising in the here and now and staying truly grounded for our fellow players. The ensemble will explore techniques to: enhance emotional honesty, maintain a point of concentration, connecting to your partner and exploring and heightening Point of View to advance story. TOOLS TO KEEP THE PERFORMANCE GOING AND GROWING FIND THE PLAY WITHIN THE PLAY
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    To work with masks is to work with the sensation of pure spontaneity. A mask can only operate in the present moment, it is never in the future or the past. Masks also develop the notion of another "self", a character that is not you even if you are its vehicle. The experience of mask allows the participants to open up their personal awareness of the "moment" and develops their spontaneity and expression on stage. The full masks will work on connection, listening, relational stakes and building a scene one moment at a time. The half masks will provide an experience of truly “letting go” as actors transform into masked characters with their specific personality and vision of the world. This workshop is based on the techniques of Full Mask and Trance Mask developed by Keith Johnstone.
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Didaskalia (stage direction): an instruction in the text of a play indicating the movement, position, or tone of an actor, or the sound effects and lighting. Have you ever wondered how you can incorporate these directions into your improvised scenes? In this class we will work on the different types of didaskalia we can find in universal theatre and how to adapt this element to the improvised work.
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    This is a workshop about creating safe, consensual romantic and intimate improvised scenes on stage. I have been exploring this work for the past 10 years and am also trained as an Intimacy Co-ordinator for film and tv. The themes of the workshop are - Love and intimacy in romantic relationships and applying these concepts to our performance without wimping out, stressing out, crossing your partners boundaries and also understanding how to express your own boundaries! How do we give our audience the gift of a truly romantic love scene and story? Whether it be hilarious or serious? How do we electrify our audience with our performers sexual energy without being too explicit? How do we break their hearts a little? How can we create intense and electric scenes? Why don’t we ever hear honest conversations around sex in our scenes? We see it all the time in film, theatre and in music, why not improvisation? The workshop is designed to help improvisers explore their fears around intimacy on stage, practice their acting skills when it comes to love scene’s, build trust and break down barriers with an ensemble and impro partners. I ask improvisers to share their fears around performing intimate scenes. I challenge them to separate themselves from their character to be able to fulfil their characters journey. We discuss boundaries as performers - I always assure students that; I will never push anyone into anything they are not ready for, for example kissing or touching. Though this is an area we will be venturing into, I teach how to build sexual tension without touching at all. After some discussion around the ideas of love, intimacy and understanding consent. We explore how to stage kiss, holding and embracing, eye contact, slowing down and reading body language. We explore a series of heart-warming exercises designed to build trust, playfulness and intensify energy. Then we run through a series of scenes based around relationships.
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Playing the truth of the drama of human existence, where comedy may be a consequence of play, but not the goal. This is the next level in the arc of my teaching.
    Workshops

  • 15:45 - 18:45
    Although we give our mind and thoughts a lot of power,they are only a small and rather limited part of the instrument that we access as an actor,our whole body A character does not arise from your thoughts,it is created with your body. If we think, we only recycle what we already learned and know. It is through observation that we discover new things and possibilities. Observation is also the easiest way to be here,now,in the moment. In this workshop we will observe how our body reacts to impulses given by using our 5 senses ( touch, hearing. sight, smell and taste) . We will use these reactions to create a character with your body instead of your thoughts. It is a fun and easy way to discover a whole new range of characters you probably never played before.

  • 15:45 - 18:45
    There's nothing as bonding as singing together in an improv setting. We've seen many people connect instantly over singing an improvised duet together for the very first time. Singing brings a lot of energy and joy, while being vulnerable at the same time. In this workshop we'll show you how you don't need a great voice or singing technique to shine while singing on stage. We provide you with the skills you need to have a reason to sing, present your song and how to find a structure. You'll notice how singing songs in your improv shows is very impressive for the audience, while it's actually pretty easy to do, once you understand how.
    Workshops

  • 15:45 - 18:45
    "Miming and manipulating is difficult" especially if you have to do it while making up a story. So instead, we can use the imaginary set we create as a tool to construct our story. That way the décor feeds the story and the story feeds the décor. If our story is inspired by the visual universe we create and fits into it, it makes it a lot easier both to play with the decor and to make up the story. So let's create a visual universe together, that way the only thing left to do is playing in it.
    Workshops

  • 18:00 - 18:30
    SPECTRUM is an original improv format. In each performance, 8 characters will encounter each other on stage, having one common starting point: their personal connection to the "key protagonist" of the story. Through a thread of different viewpoints, a mutual reality will unfold, where any outcome is possible and every truth will eventually find its place. 1 PRISM, 8 PERSPECTIVES, A STORY COMING TO LIGHT
    Shows

  • 18:30 - 19:00
    In contrast to painting, writing, film, where the products are "finished" and the artists can showcase their paintings, books, feature films, improvisational theatre does not have a final product. In reality, the final product is a process in which we invite the audience, thus exposing ourselves and at the same time creating the performative value of the creation. Every end is a new beginning, as they say. What do we say goodbye to when we leave a story, an idea, a person, ourselves...and... Why? In her first improvised solo performance, Sara says goodbye to her fellow performers and faces the void they leave behind. How does this emptiness enrich her, what does it give her, what does it take away from her, who and what does she meet when she is alone? With the help of a musician, she descends into the unknown, and asks more questions than she gives answers. The Art of Saying Goodbye is the result of many years of research and of the creative path of one of the most outstanding and internationally recognized creators of improvisational theater in Slovenia. It is a superb demonstration of hard work over many years, which questions how far a performer can go in perfecting her craft and what she has to give up or what she has to say goodbye to. The performance maintains a delicate balance between accessibility, which is made possible through vulnerability by the format of impro theatre, and the question of how demanding this artistic genre can really be.

  • 19:15 - 19:45
    Venghino, siori, venghino! Look out for us! Cantastorie came here to make a fuss. We are ready to honour ancient traditions As we are singer, improvisers and musicians We’ll perform your feelings, sorrows and glories As your suggestions will create our stories The show is unique, we’re aiming high On this stage our stories grow and die From Italy, the land of taralli and vin santo, Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to DALTROCANTO!
    Shows

  • 19:45 - 20:15
    Sum of Them A cast of international improv teachers from around Europe comes together in the spirit of play, exchange, and cooperation to create Sum of Them. Featuring Alfonso Garzas, Flavien Reppert, Liz Peters, Noah Levin, and Sara Soukal Tutti Frutti A freeform collage, inspired by the players, the moment, the audience, and the creative insanity of LIF technician Antoine. A theme running through all of the scenes will be discovered and elevated through organic play. There are no rules, only Tutti Frutti.
    Shows

  • 20:30
    It's a fun character driven narrative show that can use up to ten players. It's an episodic story that builds with each chapter. Like the movie, Ocean's 11, players will each have a unique skill to contribute to the heist. These skills will be proposed and created with help from the audience.
    Shows

  • 21:30 - 22:30
    From Australian creator and director Rama Nicholas CLOSE TO YOU... A fully improvised show about Romantic love, Intimacy, Passion and Sexual Attraction. Romantic love is a theme we see in cinema, books, poetry, myths and legends. There are love stories everywhere and whether or not we like to admit it these stories intrigue us and draw us in with the thrill of feeling and hurting just as much as the characters do. And yet, romantic love is a place that improvisers rarely dare to tread. This intimate show, however, courageously draws back the veil on our secret lives and loves and gives the audience the chance to glimpse love in its rawest form improvised on stage. Experience the highs and lows. That warm and fuzzy feeling only a new love can invoke, candid conversations about sex, the ups and downs of lasting relationships, the passion, the craving, the break ups, the broken hearts and the electrifying tension of desire... Like all great love stories - CLOSE TO YOU will leave you wanting more.
    Shows

  • August 26


  • 09:30 - 15:30
    In improv we have the opportunity to be anyone or anything so let’s have fun with that! Discover lots of ways into characters from big and bold to subtle and intriguing. We’ll play with a toolkit of different acting techniques to become someone or something else, using voice, physicality and concepts to unleash your character range. If you know what your character wants, you'll know what they would do in any situation, whether you are playing a teapot or a president. We'll use tools and games to help you find points of view through internal and external traits. After this energetic and joyful workshop you’ll never be stuck playing the same few characters again
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Put the essence of acting into your improv. Two of the fundamental principles of professional acting (which we tend to forget when we are improvising) are action and reaction: Action means how we affect and move our partner emotionally; reaction means how we become emotionally affected and changed by our partners. By focusing on attentive, intentional action and emotional reaction, the relationship between characters immediately deepens and we automatically create compelling, deep and surprising scenes that are absolutely fascinating to watch and super- fun to play. In this workshop we will learn the meaning of affective actions, the keys for authentically portraying every emotion (big or small) and what happens when we combine the two. This workshop is a ticket to the wild and fun roller-coaster of re/acting that will get you creating the most vital scenes you have ever played. Level: intermediate - advanced
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    Michael Gellman will lead a three-day workshop to explore the work described in his book – Process: An Improviser’s Journey, and new applications developed at The Process Theatre in NYC, Toronto and Chicago. Participants will focus on the tools necessary for powerful performance used in improvised acting and explore methods used to create unique and truthful improvised theatre. Y OUR CHARACTERS – YOUR STORIES _ YOUR TRUTH This workshop will encourage us to expand our potential for creating inspired improvisation as we explore: • The Freedom to react and make discoveries in performance. • Our potential for creating unique characters with emotional and physical truth • Playing and being truly present in the moment. • Trusting ourselves and our characters in performance. • Ways to be a truly great ensemble member. • Getting out of our own way. • Courage to work outside of our comfort zones. • The Joy in our performances. Michael’s unique approach to improvisation encourages the participants to explore the idea that all improvisation is ultimately about focusing out. Our characters react to what they see, hear taste touch and smell. We will understand: the difference between reacting and responding, the power of improvising in the here and now and staying truly grounded for our fellow players. The ensemble will explore techniques to: enhance emotional honesty, maintain a point of concentration, connecting to your partner and exploring and heightening Point of View to advance story. TOOLS TO KEEP THE PERFORMANCE GOING AND GROWING FIND THE PLAY WITHIN THE PLAY
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    To work with masks is to work with the sensation of pure spontaneity. A mask can only operate in the present moment, it is never in the future or the past. Masks also develop the notion of another "self", a character that is not you even if you are its vehicle. The experience of mask allows the participants to open up their personal awareness of the "moment" and develops their spontaneity and expression on stage. The full masks will work on connection, listening, relational stakes and building a scene one moment at a time. The half masks will provide an experience of truly “letting go” as actors transform into masked characters with their specific personality and vision of the world. This workshop is based on the techniques of Full Mask and Trance Mask developed by Keith Johnstone.
    Workshops

  • 09:30 - 15:30
    This is a workshop about creating safe, consensual romantic and intimate improvised scenes on stage. I have been exploring this work for the past 10 years and am also trained as an Intimacy Co-ordinator for film and tv. The themes of the workshop are - Love and intimacy in romantic relationships and applying these concepts to our performance without wimping out, stressing out, crossing your partners boundaries and also understanding how to express your own boundaries! How do we give our audience the gift of a truly romantic love scene and story? Whether it be hilarious or serious? How do we electrify our audience with our performers sexual energy without being too explicit? How do we break their hearts a little? How can we create intense and electric scenes? Why don’t we ever hear honest conversations around sex in our scenes? We see it all the time in film, theatre and in music, why not improvisation? The workshop is designed to help improvisers explore their fears around intimacy on stage, practice their acting skills when it comes to love scene’s, build trust and break down barriers with an ensemble and impro partners. I ask improvisers to share their fears around performing intimate scenes. I challenge them to separate themselves from their character to be able to fulfil their characters journey. We discuss boundaries as performers - I always assure students that; I will never push anyone into anything they are not ready for, for example kissing or touching. Though this is an area we will be venturing into, I teach how to build sexual tension without touching at all. After some discussion around the ideas of love, intimacy and understanding consent. We explore how to stage kiss, holding and embracing, eye contact, slowing down and reading body language. We explore a series of heart-warming exercises designed to build trust, playfulness and intensify energy. Then we run through a series of scenes based around relationships.
    Workshops

  • 15:45 - 18:45
    "A well-performed song can really spice up an improv performance. However, even seasoned improvisers sometimes shy away from singing. In this workshop we focus on creating and performing improvised songs, and the good news is that anyone can do it! We will prove in this workshop that each of us has been so immersed in (western) pop music, that we all unconsciously know ‘the rules’ of pop music. This workshop will help you unlock this unconscious knowledge. No prior musical improv experience is needed. You don’t need a good singing voice, you can be tone-deaf and rhythmically challenged. We’ll still make you sing. And shine. Expect to learn: *What to sing about *How to make a song stick *How to create song structures *How to create a variety of melody and rhythm *When (not to) rhyme *How and when to sing together in duets and group songs"
    Workshops

  • 15:45 - 18:45
    "As improvisers we tend to panic or freeze when we are alone on stage. This feeling subsides to an extent through years of performing as we learn tricks along the way how to hide the uncomfortableness on stage. But! The essence of that fear being left alone on stage or the fear of doing a solo scene remains in the depths of our improviser identity. And it makes total sense! We train for years, should I say a lifetime, how to listen to others, to seek contact with co players, how to tell storiey collectively and all of a sudden... All eyes are on you and you only! What now? We are given the opportunity to listen to ourselves for a change. To expose the process of our own imagination to the audience and search for the performative quality in that process and to make the audience your director, co player or spectator. The workshop is appropriate for/ can adapt to all stages: beginner, intermediate and advanced. (I have a version of the workshop for each of those learning levels)"
    Workshops

  • 15:45 - 18:45
    This class will teach you how to discover your hot and sexy self on stage. With a focus on fun, consent, and building confidence, students will practice flirting, creating intimate scenes, and finding your unique brand of hotness. Syllabus includes: boundaries and consent, and how to communicate these with teammates posture and breath work to help you get into your body, and improve your confidence scenic exercises to help you explore sexuality and sexual content in improv scenework, with coaching This class is for anyone who would like to bring flirting and sexuality into their scenes.
    Workshops

  • 18:00 - 18:30
    Celebrate female friendships with us because even if their bosses suck, their nipples crack, their girlfriends run off or their coworkers catch them in a pyramid scheme these 3 women will stick by each other through it all.
    Shows

  • 18:30 - 19:15
    This show brings your two favourite genres together: musical and romcom! We'll bring two strangers together and make them fall in love. We''ll also bring regular romcom expectations together with improv surprises. This is the best place to bring your date, no matter if it's your first or hundredths date! We play a typical romcom with a lot of songs, where we introduce two main characters, have them fall in love, see it not work out, and see them get back together after a chase. We bring a great variation of songs.
    Shows

  • 19:15 - 19:45
    A longform interactive narrative . Three characters come together in one location. It is a setting where the audience has decided to place 5 items. By voting they will choose the most popular item. During the show they will get to vote who will be killed and who the killer is. The audience gets to decide the outcome of the story. The faith of the characters will be in their hands . The story will go where the story has to go until the audience decides . One thing is certain: someone will die and someone will be the killer!
    Shows

  • 19:45 - 20:15
    “Don’t touch that dial, it’s time to tune into Talk Radio!” Inspired by a vast library of tunes that have never existed before (& will never be heard again), DJs Bird &Tax Collector will find the perfect songs for their live studio audience. Talk Radio is a highly interactive improvised musical theater show, a night of speakeasy-style live musical comedy. It features two hosts, an improv singer and a pianist. Audience members inspire entirely improvised songs in the brand-new musical show that's based on everyone’s favorite road trip and insomnia companion; the late-night Talk Radio Show.
    Shows

  • 20:30 - 22:30
    Life is due to chance, and so is improvisation! Random is a pure form of improvisation show. Random is a playground for these grown-up children, the actors, and an open window into their imagination. Starting from scratch, actors and musicians embark on universes they discover and explore in front of you, based on spontaneously created scenarios. Our instant tightrope walkers walk on the threads of chance, allowing themselves to be carried away by the atmosphere of the moment, the music, the light, and the randomly placed stage elements. As the headliner of the Barcelona International Festival (BIG IF 2015), Random has had great success at international improv festivals in Leuven, Brussels, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Tampere, Dublin, and Amsterdam. Today, this format is performed by other companies and taught in different countries
    Shows

 

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