The beginning of August is a very exciting time on the calendar because it means that it is not too long until the Birmingham Improv Festival starts! The festival this year takes place between the 9th and the 13th of October at the Midlands Art Centre. I caught up with Jon Trevor to find out all about it.
Hello! It’s that time of year again for the Birmingham improv festival – are you excited?
Breathless!
What acts are performing this year?
Peng! Impro with Kaleidoscope – a solo improv show from Laura Berkemeyer
Brian James O’Connell with The 3 Insane Rituals – one man performs 3 of the most difficult long form improv formats (Deconstruction, F.O.I.L., Rolling Harold) back-to-back-to-back without stopping.
Murder Inc.- a raucous, improvised, made-to-order murder mystery
ImprompTwo with Stories: Scenes from a Building – a unique mix of humour and passion, silences and quick banter that will pull you into their stories…of a building
Messing and Lehr with Messing with John Lehr – the amazing duo of Susan Messing and John Lehr!
Saint Dr’s Hostpital – Painfully funny improvised medical drama
The Ministry of Unplanned Occurrences with Thrupenny Tales – a mysterious story filled with mystical creatures, highwaywomen, and curious otherworldly artefacts
Andel Sudik and Rebecca Macmillan with The Library of Forgotten Books – The Librarians examine forgotten books, channel their contents, and determine their place… be it on a shelf in the library of our minds, or oblivion
¡Horario Estelar! – ¡Passion! ¡Drama! ¡Deception! Más pasión¡ reimagines Latin America’s soapiest and most pleasurable Prime Time creation, the Telenovela.
Tell us about about the workshops that are happening as well
Heather Urqhart – Beyond Cowboys and Detectives: Genre improv for the modern improviser
Jules Munns – Improv for Tricksters
Susan Messing – Fix it Or Make it Worse
John Lehr – Story Structures
Messing and Lehr – You are What You Say
You are What You Say:(20)
Carla Keen – (M)othering Women? Truckdrivers, CEOs and Bank Robbers
Anděl Sudik – So It Goes: Our Stories, Our selves, Our Improv
Pierpaolo Buzza – impro for losers
Brian James O’Connell – deconstruction
Billy Soco – Spokane
Jon Trevor – STFU (Silence That Frees Us)
A lot of work must go on behind the scenes, how far in advance do you have to start planning for it?
About a year!
What is the most challenging thing about hosting a festival?
Juggling everything to make it all fit. Money. People who don’t answer emails!
What’s the best thing about it?
I get to see all the shows, and work with all the teachers, that are on my wish list!
What makes Birmingham Improv Festival so special?
We have a strong improv community here in Brum, and the festival pulls everyone together. We are also very open and welcoming to visitors from everywhere. This year we have teachers from all over Europe and USA, as well as home grown.
Tell us more about the festival pass!
One ticket gets you into all 12 shows, at a discount price. Why wouldn’t you? Go on, indulge yourself!
Finally three words why people should come to the festival?
Bigger, better, Brummier!
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