Improv festival promises to raise a few laughs

SOME of the best comedy improv acts from around Ireland, the UK and USA will be taking part in a new festival that gets underway next week – and they’ll be getting a few famous faces to join in for charity.

The inaugural Improv Fest Ireland takes place from November 10-17, with most of the performances taking place at the Teacher’s Club Theatre at Parnell Square.

The festival features 22 acts performing in a genre of unscripted spontaneous comedy made famous by TV shows like Whose Line is it Anyway? and Mock The Week.

Festival Director, Neil Curran, explained what the new festival has to offer Dubliners.

“The festival aims to highlight the diversity of Comedy Improv as a performing art and introduce new audiences to the excitement and fun of what improv has to offer,

? he said.

Having performed all over the world and used improv for coaching in the likes of Google and Facebook, Curran noticed a growing number of quality Irish improv troupes.

He now believes they need a platform to showcase their talents.

“Ten years ago there weren’t more than two or three decent improv troupes in the whole country; today there must be 15 to 20 doing really good quality innovative work,

? he said.

“I felt this talent needed a platform and Improv Fest grew out of that.

?

Apart from the Irish acts at the festival, some of the best improv troupes from the UK as well as acts from California and Boston, will be performing, including award winning groups The Maydays (UK) and Improv Boston (US).

Most of the shows take place in Theatre@36, The Teacher’s Club Theatre in Dublin.

The festival is affiliated with The Children’s Medical & Research Foundation (CMRF), Crumlin’s Children Hospital and is also an official event of The Gathering 2013

Improv Fest will also feature a celebrity charity show which takes place in The Button Factory where a bunch of well known Irish personalities, will be given a crash course in improv and then put on stage in front of a live audience all in aid of Crumlin Hospital.

Some of the names taking part include Síle Seoige, Daniella Moyles, Rick O’Shea, Jenny Buckley, Ruth Scott, Louise Heraghty, Diana Bunici, Paddy McKenna, and Shane Gillen.