Workshops 2013
FESTIVAL-WORKSHOPS 2013
For this year's festival we are offering six Festival-Workshops, all of them will start on Friday afternoon and end on Sunday afternoon. We have great international guests coming with a great variety of workshops. We hope that there will be something for everybody!
New registration process
After the great amount of applications within the last years, we decided to change our registration process. This year you'll have two weeks between the 1st and the 15th of May to fill out the registration form for the workshops. On the 15th we will hold a lottery and draw who gets a workshop spot! So, chances for everyone who has registered by that time!
Festival-Workshops (Levels 1-6)
The division into different levels is meant to help forming homogenous workshop groups to allow particpants to work at a similar level. Please be fair and rate yourself realisticly to prevent frustration during the workshop.
Attention: NEW LEVELS!
Level 1:
I am relatively new to improvisation, have some basic knowledge on impro, but haven't been on stage or only a few times.
Level 2:
I have been improvising for at least two years, have already performed on stage fairly often and I rehearse on a regular base.
Level 3:
I have been improvising for at least four years, I perform regularly on stage and I rehearse on a regular base with a fixed ensemble.
Level 4:
I have been improvising for at least six years, I perform regularly on stage and I rehearse on a regular base with a fixed ensemble.
Level 5:
I have been improvising for at least eight years, I perform regularly on stage and I rehearse on a regular base with a fixed ensemble.
Level 6:
I have been improvising for at least ten years, I perform regularly on stage and I rehearse on a regular base with a fixed ensemble. I have a professional approach to my work and to me as an improviser.
1. The story of things – improvisation based on objects
Participants: Level 1 and higher
Instructor: Nils Petter Morland from Oslo / Norway
The workshop will be conducted in English
As one of the improvisers behind the internationally acclaimed improvised show for kids "The Toys Strike Back!", Nils Petter Morland has been working with objects as a source for improvised storytelling and scenework. In this workshop he will focus on showing the participants how to be inspired by objects, figures, props or other stuff to tell the stories they keep. He will introduce different ways to engage objects as characters, some basic puppet-techniques and verbal improvised storytelling. Through simple excercises and standard fooling around he will show ways to let your improvised work be invaded by other colours and visuals.
This workshop will be useful for improvisers who miss to play around with toys and make up stories about their teddybears.
Nils Petter Morland is 38 years old, has been improvising for 14 years, lives in Oslo and is the artistic director of Det Andre Teatret (The Other Theatre) - the first theatre venue for improvised theatre in Norway.
For more info on Nils and Det Andre Teatret, visit www.detandreteatret.no
2. The B&B of Improv
Participants: Level 2 and higher
Instructor: Angélica Rogel from Mexico City / Mexico
The workshop will be conducted in English
The B&B is the body and the brain of improv. When we are in a scene we usually resort to the spontaneous reactions of the brain and forget about the ones from our bodies. In this workshop things will get turned around. Angelica Rogel will work on constructing improv on another level of consciousness. There is no time for being intellectual. Yet, there is time to just STOP and LOOK. Take a look at where you are. Take a look at the relationships between you and your fellow players. Take a look at the moment and let your body decide where to go from here.
This workshop will focus on the connection between all the performers on stage, on listening to our bodies and creating short stories based on the premise: The body is the boss.
Angélica Rogel got her majors at the National School of Dramatic Arts in Mexico City. She took dramatic writing studies at the Royal Court Company and has been a theatre director since 2006. For 13 years she has explored improv, both short- and longform.
3. Unknot your brain
Participants: Level 3 and higher
Instructor: Naomi Snieckus from Toronto / Canada
The workshop will be conducted in English
Has this happened to you before? You're in a show, you’re doing a scene, it’s going good – and then it just stops! A second ago it seemed like everything was going smoothly but all of a sudden you and your scene partner are stuck. It's like you've hit an invisible wall and have no idea where to go next. In this workshop Naomi Snieckus will show you ways to find the hole in the wall and keep walking on the other side. She will lead you through a couple of excercises that will help you launch a scene dynamically and boldly so you'll know where to go. The more tools you have in your improviser tool belt the more you can bring to the stage and your scene. Naomi will look at character, environment, staging, silence, connecting emotionally - and above all - breathing in the scene.
Naomi Snieckus is an an actress, writer, voice-over artist, director and teacher. She is an alumnus the of The Second City Toronto where she wrote and performed in many hit shows. In 2010 Naomi has won a Canadian Comedy Award in the category of Best Female Improvisor. She is also a founding member and Co-Artistic Director of The National Theatre of the World which has toured England, the Netherlands, Israel and all across North America.
For more info on Naomi and the National Theatre of the World, visit www.thenationaltheatreoftheworld.com
4. The improv gym
Participants: Level 4 and higher
Instructor: Matt Baram from Toronto / Canada
The workshop will be conducted in English
When we first started improvising we had to learn all the basics: how to be with our a partners, how to tell a story, how to create strong characters, how to fail and be happy... Over time the intellectual approach of studying the „rules“ turned into something much more intuitive, a gut feeling that now helps us create good scenes.
If we want to remain in good shape, we have to go to the gym and work out our muscles regularly. To be a good improviser, we have to do the same. Every once in a while we need some reminders of the basics - otherwise we might find ourselves playing safe and unvaried characters, making decisions because they work and not because they're inspiring or holding on to our own ideas because we started trusting them more than our partners'. Matt Baram will take a close look at the tricks that we have come to master over the years, put his finger on our routine decisions and reveal where we have become a bit lazy. With his direct, hands on approach, Matt Baram will give our improv muscles a good workout by taking us back to the basics. After all, only if we remind ourselves of what it's all about, we are able to take our scenes to the next level...
Matt Baram is a veteran of the legendary Second City Comedy Theatre in Toronto. As an actor, director and writer he has been part of many theatre and TV productions. In 2012 he has won a Canadian Comedy Award for best male improviser. Matt is also a founding member and Co-Artistic Director of The National Theatre of the World which has toured Germany, Norway, England, the Netherlands, Israel and all across North America.
For more info on Matt and the National Theatre of the World, visit www.thenationaltheatreoftheworld.com
5. Truth & Beauty
Participants: Level 5 and higher
Instructor: Jill Bernard from Minneapolis / USA
The workshop will be conducted in English
Our experience in improvisation has taught us that it is much easier to get a laugh from the audience than a true emotional reaction of any other kind. But we have also learned that the moments on stage that do trigger an emotional reaction are the ones the audience will take home and remember much longer. Having the ability to create improv that is not only funny, but also honest and vulnerable adds another layer to your work, a little bit of cake underneath your frosting to take your work from light entertainment to something with resonance.
In this workshop, Jill Bernard will take you through a series of exercises that inject your work with a little bit of truth and beauty.
Jill Bernard has been performing with ComedySportz-Twin Cities since 1993, and is a founding member of HUGE Theater in Uptown Minneapolis. She has taught and performed improv in Norway, Australia, Canada, all over the United States and also on an episode of MTV “Made.” An Artistic Associate of the Chicago Improv Festival, she has studied at the Annoyance Theater, Improv Olympic, the Brave New Workshop and other organizations; and is the recipient of the 2005 Chicago Improv Festival Avery Schreiber Ambassador of Improv Award, and the 2007 Miami Improv Festival award for Best Solo Show.
For more info on Jill and HUGE Theater, visit www.hugestage.bsmallbeck.com/
6. Duo – Improvisation
Participants: Level 6 and higher
Instructor: Joe Bill from Chicago / USA
The workshop will be conducted in English
This is a workshop for duos that have already performed together, duos that are preparing to perform together and also for duos that are thinking about working together. You will work exclusively with your duo partner and Joe Bill will put you through a rigorous workout that culls from his 15 years of duo experience as a performer and a coach. He will help the two of you to implement and shape any ideas for structure, format or style that you bring to the workshop with you, while keeping an eye on depth of character & scene. Joe is known for his personal feedback and encouraging growth that he brings to all his workshops.
Joe Bill first encountered Improvisation in 1977. By 1990 Joe had performed professionally with 5 different Sketch Comedy and Improv groups, studied with Del Close at Improv Olympic, with Martin DeMaat and others before graduating from The Second City Training Center. Joe co-founded The Annoyance Theater in Chicago. Joe currently teaches and does corporate training at iO Chicago, is an Artistic Associate for The Chicago Improv Festival, and acts as an Artistic Adviser for a number of Improvisation and Comedy Theaters all over the U.S. and Canada.
For more info on Joe and the iO visit www.ioimprov.com
7. The Aerodynamics of Yes
Teacher: Christian Capozzoli from New York / USA
Level: 5
- The Aerodynamics of Yes -
Explore the key improv philosophies behind the 4TRACK form. Learn how to match energies and use its momentum to make discoveries to super charge your scenes, make bold moves with big stakes and high energy, say “yes” in huge ways with more than just words, and attack the stage with total agreement and zero fear. Get out of your brain and into the scene. All lessons are designed to create an immediate sense of trust, synergy, and agreement. Surprise and shock yourself!
Christian Capozzoli has created and toured with 4TRACK, performing and instructing workshops exploring his “Aerodynamics of Yes” at improv festivals, schools and corporations all over North America and Europe, including Second City, Magnet Theater, CIG Nationals and Woodward Academy. He holds a masters in Literature and Education from Harvard University, and is currently prototyping an improv curriculum for NYC high schools.