Harold and Maude and Armando and You
A late night missive sharing the improv in Pōneke from Monday 19 September
Fun fact: this week 9 years ago was the first improv festival I produced! NZIF 2013 happened at BATS Out of Site on Dixon St on 17-21 September, and let me tell you, I am glad I learned about expanding the team over the years because that week was a LOT. After producing (and eventually directing) nine festivals I am both endlessly proud of what we achieved in that time, and also very grateful to not be producing one this year. Watch this space for upcoming calls for project pitches by the NZ Improv Trust board (of which I am again a member). Speaking off, check out today’s imProfile...
imProfile: NZ IMPROVISATION TRUST
Who they are: The NZ Improvisation Trust is a charitable trust set up in 2015 to facilitate management of the NZ Improv Festival. Current board members are Jennifer O’Sullivan (Pōneke) and Tai Samaeli (Pōneke) with new members Lisa Garrity (Waiheke) and Claire Alderton (Pōneke).
What they do: The board oversees delivery of the NZ Improv Festival, and supports and advocates for the NZ improv industry.
The vibe: It’s a board, so like… meetings and emails and documentation?
Get involved: We hope to invite pitches for 2023’s festival soon - if you have another project you think the trust should be involved in, get in touch!
Stay updated: Follow the festival Facebook or the website’s news section.
Help me profile all the improv companies and ensembles in Pōneke!
Send me your group’s info and you’ll feature in a future post.
coming up this week…
shows
Joy of Improv Showtime (Wellington Improv Troupe). Thursday 22 September, 8pm at The Gallery, Wellington High School, free. Support a band of brand new improvisors in their first show!
PopRox (PopRox Improv). Friday 23 September, 8pm at Te Auaha, tix $18-20. Had a damn good time playing last show, hoping to catch this one!
workshops
Susan’s workshop for disabled artists happened today! I hope it went brilliantly, would love to hear from anyone who can report back :)
Musical Improv: Spring Intensive (Locomotive). Starts next week: 26 Sept - 10 Oct, 7-9pm at Thistle Hall, from $70. Feeling real good about this one, come join us!
Regular spots: WIT Tuesdays, Java Dance improv jam. Check out earlier issues for more details.
other links and stuff
How do we cultivate a joy over rejection model of improvisation?
Google's AI is maybe a little too good at dissing improv.
Help me collate all the upcoming improv and improv-adjacent events and useful news - tell me about yours! Deadline is Saturday, I put this together on Sunday.
let’s talk…
One of the reasons I started this newsletter was because I’m feeling spread way too thin across social media. It used to be that I could make a FB event or post and I knew everyone who liked that page would see it, that almost everyone who needed to know would now know. Thankfully we’re not so terminally online any more, but it means clearly communicating who you are and what you’re doing is much more involved. How do you reach people for your workshops or performances? What’s your favourite way to connect?