By John Redmond
Seoul City Improv (SCI) will present Seoul’s first International Improv Festival at Spazio Luce Theater from May 13 to 15.
The first-ever international improv festival is held to celebrate SCI’s fourth anniversary in style. Troupes including SCI, Improv Boston from the United States, Bilingual Improv Group (BIG) from China and People’s Liberation Improv from Hong Kong will take part. The three-day festival will also showcase SCI’s newly minted troupe of Korean performers.
The event will include incredible improvised performances at night, followed by after-parties at different bars in the Itaewon area. During the day on Saturday and Sunday, Will Luera, artistic director of Improv Boston, will hold workshops for anyone interested in acting and/or improvisation.
The SCI said that the festival was inspired by the Tokyo Improv Festival, where the troupe participated in November 2010.
Improv Japan, a Japanese troupe based in Tokyo, had planned to attend the Seoul event, but sadly had to withdraw in the wake of the recent earthquake and tsunami. As an act of gratitude and a show of solidarity, SCI will donate a portion of all ticket sales to the Japanese Red Cross, and will collect donations at the door.
Founded in 2007 by American actor/director Margaret Whittum, SCI has performed extensively in Seoul and throughout Korea, as well as international performances in Taiwan, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Beijing.
Improv theater, taken from the word improvisation, is a form of theater in which the actors use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously. They typically use audience suggestions to guide the performance as they create dialogue, setting, and plot with performances tending to be comedic.
The times are Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 4:00 p.m.
Tickets cost 15,000 won and there are no advance reservations. The house opens at 7:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Parts of the shows will be in Korean, and the English parts will have partial Korean translations.
To get to Spazio Luce, leave from exit 2 of Itaewon Station, walk straight for two blocks past Helios and Villa Sortino. Across from Rocky Mountain Tavern is Spazio Luce, with an angular frosted glass facade. The theater is on B1 and on the 1st floor there is an Italian restaurant which offers 10 percent off (on food only) for show attendees.
Check out SCI’s website at www.seoulcityimprov.com.
Information about Improv Boston is available at www.improvboston.com, and Bilingual Improv Group (BIG) through Beijing Improv is on www.beijingimprov.com. Information on the People’s Liberation Improv is available at https://www.peoplesliberationimprov.com.