Silly People’s Improv Theatre
(SPIT) is the country’s premiere improvisational theatre group known for
their smart and incisive brand of comedy. Considered as one of the best
improv comedy troupes in Asia, SPIT has had almost a thousand
performances in the last decade to both local and international
audiences whose combined numbers easily run up to the thousand.
SPIT has represented the Philippines in the Los Angeles, Beijing and
Hong Kong Comedy Festivals, and the Improv Festivals in New York and
Chicago, and more recently, the Amsterdam Improv Festival in January of
this year.
Improvisational theatre is a form of theatre where scenes are
co-created by the audience and the actors in real time, without the
benefit of a script or prior rehearsals for the performers. Because of
this method, watching an improvised theatre show is more akin to
performance art due to its non-conventional approach.
This year, Manila International Improv Festival 2015 is happening on
July 2-12, 2015. This performance art festival is a partnership with two
prominent Philippine institutions. Silliman University in Dumaguete
will host our Tropical Improv Camp from July 2-5, and the Philippine
Educational Theatre Association (PETA) will be our partner venue where
all theatre performances will be held on July 8-12, 2015.
Our performance art fair is hosting improv comedy groups from around
the world: PIP Show (Warsaw), Impro Mafia (Brisbane), Pirates of Tokyo
Bay (Tokyo), Landry & Summers (Los Angeles), To Be Continued,
People’s Liberation Improv, 3 Dudes Improv and Lamb Ink (Hong Kong), The
Improv Company (Singapore), Taichung Improv (Taichung), The Beijing
Collective (Beijing), People’s Republic of Comedy and Zmack (Shanghai),
Bacolod Improv Group (Bacolod), Dulaang Atenista (Cagayan de Oro), One
and a Half Men, Switch Improv, and SPIT (Manila).
Now on its third run, we are proud to say that the Manila Improv Fest
has earned the distinction of being the “improv comedy festival that
has set the standard for improv comedy festivals” according to one of
our festival regulars, Curt Mabry of Zmack, Shanghai.
This year’s festival theme is “Finding the Game”- a nod to the games
and exercises that improvisers use in performance, and an affirmation of
the playful nature of improvisation.
Silliman University plays host to our conference component, which is a
gathering of improvisers who have taken the principles of improv
theatre and have used it as a method for facilitating learning events
including corporate and organisational settings. In partnership with the
Applied Improvisation Network which counts Gabe Mercado as the very
first Filipino board member, this is the second year we are
incorporating this particular track to the festival, after a
well-received run in Casa San Pablo, Laguna in 2013, having 30 applied
improv practitioners from London, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the United States
and Manila in attendance. Apart from a mutual exchange among
participants on their experiences on the myriad applications of
improvised theatre techniques ranging from the fields of the visual
arts, to education for learners with special needs, delegates
experienced the rich culinary culture and the centuries-old craftworks
of Laguna.
This year, we have chosen Silliman University, Dumaguete as our venue
for the conference to highlight two things from this destination- their
distinguished literary heritage and the pristine beaches lining the
province. Needless to say, our international delegates were drawn to the
promise of sea and sand, as we expected them to be.
The PETA-PHINMA theatre will be home to our festival performers and
have been quite invested in our preparations. Our joint marketing
efforts is poised to attract at least 5,000 guests to the 25
performances we have scheduled, and about 500 delegates to the workshops
we have meticulously curated together with our international
performers. Concurrent with our performances and workshops, we have
exhibitors present at the venue that will showcase their products and
services to our festival guests.
Festival Schedule:
July 2 – 5 Thursday to Sunday
Tropical Improv Camp, Dumaguete
Tropical Improv Camp, Dumaguete
July 8 Wednesday
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Festival Opening and Improv Performances
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Festival Opening and Improv Performances
July 9 Thursday
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Improv Performances
July 10 Friday8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Improv Performances
8:00 am – 12:00 pm Workshops
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Improv Performances
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Improv Performances
10:15 pm – 11:45 pm Improv Performances
July 11Saturday
8:00 am – 5:00 pm Workshops
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Improv Performances
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Improv Performances
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm Improv Performances
10:15 pm – 11:45 pm Improv Performances
July 12 Sunday
8:00 am – 12:00 pm Workshops
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Improv Performances
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm Improv Performances
Contact Details:
For ticket and workshop inquiries, please call Jay Tipayan of PETA Theater Center at (63 2) 726-6244 or (63 927) 391-7379
No comments:
Post a Comment