Last year, for the first time, we divided the festival’s attendees into two groups at random, one group performed on the first night, one on the second night. That proved so successful we’re doing it again.

TICKETS for Friday, the 20th of March at 8:30 pm at Ratibor, with: “Ohne Wiederholung” (Switzerland), Gavin Peter (Zimbabwe), Kirsten Sprick (Hamburg), Brad Fortier (USA), Henk v.d. Steen (Netherlands), Henriette Konschill (Austria), Jim Libby (Austria), Per Gottfredsson (Sweden), Alenka Mrinic (Slovenia) and the Gorillas: Barbara, Billa, Christoph, Harry, Michael and Robert.

TICKETS for Saturday, the 21st of March at 8:30 pm at Ratibor, with: “unexpected productions” (USA), Humor Losjen (Norway), Lee White (Canada). Markus Schrag (Switzerland), Detlev Schmidt (Dortmund), Renato Preziuso (Italy), Patti Stiles (Australia), Jason Geary (Australia) and the Gorillas Leon, Ramona, Regina, Thomas and Tom.

In German and English

There are only a few countries in Europe that have not yet taken part in the Berlin Improv Festival, one of them being Norway – well, at least until this year now that “Humor Losjen” is coming. They are four women from the north Norwegian Mo I Rana; the three actresses Henriette Faye-Schjøll, Ragnhild Lund and Linda Mathisen, and their pianist Sissel Brean.

Concentrated Norwegian women’s power – not only in the “Weibershow” on Monday at the Mehringhof with international colleagues but also in their own solo show.

TICKETS for Sunday, the 22nd of March at 8:30 pm at Ratibor

In English and Norwegian

The Swiss company „Ohne Wiederholung“ has a show for kids in their kit: It’s title is “Inästäch emäschla”. Children accompany their own imagined hero on his or her adventure journey, become acquainted with new mythical beasts, magicians and other characters, and are invited to play with their fantasy and creativity.

Appropriate for children of primary school age

TICKETS for Tuesday the 24th of March at 10 am at Ratibor

If improv theatre is a challenge for both the viewer’s and the actor’s imagination, that is all the more true for the unheard-of new format, the improv live radio play! Together with Foley artist Peter Sandmann, actors will create characters and stories using only vocal expression. Peter will contribute corresponding sounds.

The viewer becomes the listener; the soundscape evokes the mental imagery. The glance on stage becomes the glance behind the scenery. A delight for the imagination! And a chance to watch a Foley artist at work!

TICKETS for Monday, the 25th and

TICKETS for Thursday, the 26th of March at 8:30 pm at Ratibor

In German

The festival ensemble meets the percussionist Tilo Wachter from Freiburg at „What’s the groove“ where he creates incredible soundscapes with some exotic and some self-made instruments.

Stories emerge from his music, music emerges from the stories. Books the audience brings along serve as additional inspiration.

TICKETS for Friday, the 27th and

TICKETS for Saturday, the 28th of March at 8:30 pm at Ratibor

In German and English

SPECIAL:

It was a mere happenstance that speech therapist Ellinor Schunack’s, idea to establish an improv company for stutterers coincided with Gorilla’s member Barbara Klehr’s completion of her music therapy training. Ellinor knew that her idea needed a therapeutic approach and she very much wanted to join up with an improv professional. The two of them have been offering workshops since 2006 in cooperation with the Berlin stutterers’ self-help organisation.

Ellinor and Barbara are each inspired by this work. This festival offers them the opportunity to present their work to an interested audience and to inform them about this wonderful tool –improv- that can bring stutterers so much joy. Workshop participants will be present to talk about their experience with improv. This presentation includes both will both lecture and group participation.

Sunday, the 29th of March at 3 pm at Ratibor.

Free admission

Traditionally the only performance on the last day of the festival is “open stage”; the stage is open to all who wish to improvise with other participants of the festival.

TICKETS Sunday, the 29th of March at 6 pm at Ratibor

Admission €4

 

The living jukebox Christopher Noodt challenges the actors to vocal and poetic masterpieces. In these times of the global financial crisis, Noodt is the “Mother of Invention”. Improv actors from various cultural backgrounds satirize current circumstances and celebrate what still remains: the richness of ideas, the power of humour and the world-embracing language of music.

TICKETS Sunday the 22nd of March at 8 pm at the Mehringhof Theatre

In all languages of the festival

It is and remains an inherent, adored and special part of our festival: the show with and by women for men and women. And as an extra bonus this year: Sissel Brean from Norway on keyboards!

TICKETS Monday the 23rd of March at 8 pm at the Mehringhof Theatre

In all languages of the festival

It begins with various scenes improvised in several stages. You, dear audience, vote for your favourites, round after round, until only one survives: the Super Scene: 

TICKETS Thursday the 26th of March at 8 pm at the Mehringhof Theatre

In English

On these two nights, seven singers from seven countries compete for your vote, with songs ranging from Hip Hop to Pop, from Blues to Heavy Metal. And of course the audience decides who is going to be the winner of this incredible, fantastic and – does it need mentioning?- improvised Grand Prix de l’Improvisation.

TICKETS Friday, the 27th of March and

TICKETS Saturday, the 28th of March at 8 pm at the Mehringhof Theatre.

In all languages of the festival

They perform every night – from Thursday to Saturday - at the Mehringhof Theatre. The Pocket-Band from Winterthur/Switzerland, who were guests at the festival in 2007, are three outstanding improv musicians on guitar, bass and drums. They were a wonderful backing group for the Theatersport EM 2008 in Switzerland; the Gorillas love to perform as their guests at the Casino Theatre in Winterthur.

 

We can not not invite them; we will try not to again next year! For a long time two of them would travel together; now Stephen Sim and Lee White arrive here for the second time with their sound accompanist DJ Hunnicutt who will congenially accompany them. He reaches an unearthly speed on the computer-operated turntables which enable him to scratch all the pieces saved on his laptop - real music of the future, so to speak.

TICKETS Monday, the 23rd of March and

TICKETS Tuesday, the 24th of March at 8 pm at the English Theatre Berlin

In English

It will be a special pleasure for us, the hosts, to be on stage with the Crumbs. We will toss the dice to decide who of the Gorillas will be the lucky ones. Pocket-Band from Winterthur will also be present.

TICKETS Wednesday, the 25th of March at 8 pm at the English Theatre Berlin

In German and English

In our ongoing performances we attempt again and again to stage musicals as one component of our presentations. This year’s festival provides an opportunity for feature-length musicals. Musical performer Nini Stadelmann will coach the festival ensemble, Uwe Matschke, who accompanied the Gorillas several times over these last years, will act as musical director.

TICKETS Thursday, the 26th of March,

TICKETS Friday, the 27th,

TICKETS Saturday, the 28th of March at 8 pm at the English Theatre Berlin

In all languages of the festival

 

Would be nice if you could be there as nobody else will be. Well, some of the participants of the festival will be there anyway. They will make noise, improvise radio plays and play instruments they have never held in their hands before. If you bring your MP3 music along with you they might even create suitable videos, or your music might turn out to be the soundtrack of one of the performances. Songs’n’Sound: there is nothing to lose except good taste.

TICKETS Sunday, the 22nd and

TICKETS Tuesday, the 24th of March at 8:30 pm at Schlot

In English and German

Each of us has certain associations with certain songs: whether it was our first love or maybe the last, the countryside we drove through as the song was playing on the radio or what it smelled like in our family kitchen… What pictures, atmospheres, stories will be created when the audience collaborates with our Gorilla musician and popular Berlin jazz pianist Rudy Redl, composing new songs and lyrics? The audience can follow the development of the music notation via overhead projection. And what will the international improv actors make of this? Special guests from the Berlin jazz scene, prepared to be as surprised by the outcome as everybody else, will participate and support the process.

TICKETS Wednesday, the 25th of March at 8:30 pm at Schlot

In English and German