Manila Improv Festival Returns, Promises To Be ‘Hilarious’
Improv is short for improvisational theater where scenes and stories are created spontaneously and on the spot, with the performers coming up with scenarios and lines based on the suggestions given by the audience.
Who knew the Philippines is a hotspot for improv theater?
That seems to be the case as some 300 improvisers from 15 countries will be converging this September for the Manila Improv Festival, which returns after four long years.
MIF will run from Sept. 7 to 10 at the Ayala Malls Circuit Makati and will feature Filipino improv groups along with their counterparts from Australia, Austria, Canada, Singapore, Japan, Israel, India, Japan South Korea, Slovakia, and more.
Improv is short for improvisational theater where scenes and stories are created spontaneously and on the spot, with the performers coming up with scenarios and lines based on the suggestions given by the audience. This results in a one-of-a-kind show dedicated to bringing laughter and joy through the magic of spontaneity.
With the theme “Brave the New,” the festival celebrates creative courage and fearless authenticity especially in the face of change. MIF promises to be a hilarious festival filled with diverse stories, brave comedy, and never-before-seen improv shows and workshops.
For MIF director Dingdong Rosales, it also means taking on new challenges, which includes the spaces provided them where the groups will be performing for the first time.
One is a cinema that will be converted in to a theater, another is an empty store unit inside the mall, and the most challenging perhaps is the Manila Symphony Orchestra rehearsal hall which has a grand piano in the middle that cannot and must not be moved.
Humble beginnings
MIF was started by the Silly People’s Improv Theater (SPIT) and over the years had seen an increase in following from improvisers, enthusiasts and fans alike. Now on its sixth edition, the MIF has come a long way since its first run in 2004 at Quantum Café just a few blocks away from Circuit Makati.
There were only eight groups at the time but it was more than enough to pique the interest of those who found the calling of improv to be too strong to resist.
Thus, SPIT also started Third World Improv in 2015 where anyone who would like to experience the joy that comes from the art and craft of improvisational theater. There are five levels that a student of improv must complete and it usually takes one and a half years to do so. Currently, TWI has over 500 students, with the number continuing to grow as improv can be used in many aspects of daily life.
“There is a lot of demand now for improv in the work place because it’s not just theater,” says MIF producer Aih Mendoza. “There’s applied improv which you can apply in different industries. We’ve had doctors asking us to train them how to think quicker and not stuck in their heads during emergencies. There are also teachers asking us how to deal with students since there’s no script when it comes to teaching. We’ve also trained people in sales, lawyers, drag queens, and even upper management. Improv is all about being in the moment, collaboration, taking care of your team.”
This year, over 20 improv groups from the Philippines are participating in MIF, a definitive sign of the rapidly growing improv scene. MIF is also looking to push the boundaries of improv theatre with some groups integrating pre-recorded videos, ChatGPT and artificial intelligence into their acts.
Tickets for the MIF may be purchased via bit.ly/mif2023-tickets or by sending a message to FB.com/manilaimprovfestival and instagram.com/manilaimprovfestival
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