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Sunday 30th March | 6.30pm – 10pm
(Doors open 6pm)
After the success of our fantastic Panel & Jam as part of last summer’s Improv Appreciation Weekend, we’ve brought this format back to get more expert thoughts on improv, this time kicking off with a talk from David Escobedo of the Improv Boost, followed by a Q & A with a panel.
Talk: The Inclusive Origins of Improv – David Escobedo
If you have ever performed on a team where the collective has the power to contribute to the show equilaterally, you may have a lesbain couple from Chicago to thank for that. We just don’t hear about it among the swell of white, heterosexual, male teachers who tend to dominate festival circuits.
Panel: the panel will follow up on themes from David’s talk, including perspectives from UK improv and impro in theatre settings.
Jam: join the panellists for an improv jam to close out the Little Improv Festival!
More about the jam: an improv jam is an event where anyone can put their name down to take part in an improv scene or game onstage, supported by our hosts. This leads to new combinations of improvisers who may not have worked together, or even met, before, and is also open to completely new improvisers! You are also welcome to just sit back and enjoy the show.
More about our speaker:
David Escobedo has been coaching and practicing improv for over 30 years. He has trained at iO West, Second City, Westside Comedy and taken classes from teachers like Jay Sukow, Paul Vaillancourt, Tai Campbell, Katy Schutte, and Steve Green. His passion for improv includes achieving a Master’s Degree in the performing arts where he studied improv, as well as in the process of completing his doctoral thesis titled, “Improv Trains Us to See and Be Humans: how improv training carries benefits off the stage through Ensemble Collaboration.”
More about The Inclusive Origins of Improv (talk):
The ensemble practice of improv differs from the style of impro created by UK practitioners like Ken Campbell or Keith Johnstone. The more collaborative style of improv which includes tag outs, the Harold and short form games originates in social work from a practitioner sometimes referred to as “the mother of improv.” This “mother of improv” studied with Neva Boyd at the Hull House, a space designed to serve the impoverished neighborhoods of Chicago. This lecture will talk about the LGBTQi+, female and BIPOC/BAME origins of improv as it developed into the Armandos, Living Rooms and Zip Zap Zops we practice today. If you have ever performed on or watched an improv team where the collective has the power to contribute to the show equilaterally, you may have a lesbian couple from Chicago to thank for that. This lecture draws back the curtain to explain how improv began in the hands of immigrants but became dominated by the privileged.
The Panellists
Joining David Escobedo on the panel will be:
Maria Peters
When not improvising in London, Maria performs and teaches at improv festivals internationally, most recently in Estonia, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal & The United States. A lot of her expertise has also been gathered from world-class instructors over the years as Maria studied with: Charna Halpern, the founder of iO Chicago and author of Truth in Comedy, who originally developed The Harold with Del Close; Keith Johnstone; New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade; and The Second City in Chicago.
On top of over a decade of professional improvising, Maria is also a professional educator. Her varied career encompasses Museum Learning and Personal Professional Development Training which means she’s an expert in passing on knowledge in interactive & engaging ways.
Maria creates friendly and relaxed environments to learn in and believes in giving her students all the tools possible to find the JOY of improv for players and the audience alike.
And
Emile Clarke
Emile is a multi-hyphenated performer, LIPA trained actor, and acting coach with a passion for storytelling in all of its forms. He has worked in a number of art films, commercials and shows performing nationally at long established theatres as well as touring the UK and Europe working in children’s theatre with Disney and other companies, even winning a UK theatre award in 2018.
Emile has worked with a wide range of theatres and theatre companies as an acting teacher and coach, teaching acting for film, TV and theatre. Alongside acting he also creates as a writer, photographer, poet and movement director. He is currently Associate Artistic Director for Bet’n Lev Theatre company.
Proudly neurodivergent, Emile has a smorgasbord of heritages from Bajan, Nigerian, Irish, English to Norwegian, with a Black British upbringing.
Emile plays Alex Ledecky on Closer Each Day, an improvised soap opera and Bristol mainstay which is the world’s longest improvised story!
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