XVI - València
Cherishing Valencian roots, recalling beginnings, and celebrating love.
Greetings, dear readers. I'm in València for a few days, a trip I take every July for two important reasons. The first is to stay connected to my roots. The second, to commemorate my mother by throwing roses into the Mediterranean on the anniversary of her passing.
But, obviously also enjoying the sun, the beach, and drinking Valencian orxata. 😛
So, yeah, this week is all about roots. And I’d like to share mine.
🧠 The Improv bit
My first ever improv workshop ever was, of course, in València. It was in 2006 and was facilitated by Veronic Joly who, then, was the director of the improv league in Paris. The focus of the workshop was Impro Match.
Invented in Canada to compete with hockey, Impro Match is a theatrical competition on a stage resembling an ice rink. Two teams improvise scenes based on a referee's instructions, and the audience votes to award the points. The referee sets the scene types, enforces rules, and calls fouls for infractions like negation, obstruction, or breaking character. Unlike game-based formats such as ComedySportz, Impro Match focuses on creating original scenes from scratch.
Impro Match must be the most popular form of improv in the Valencian area, with several improv leagues ocurring simultaneously. I was part of the Quart de Poblet Impro League for six years and I’m very fond of it. I miss this format. I should try to do it in London (there’s a French spaking one!) Would you be interested in trying it out?
🪑 The Playback Theatre (PT) bit
València also witnessed my initiation on Playback Theatre. I was part of Teatro Playback Inestable, the second ever Spanish Playback Theatre company.
The company was very active from 2014 to 2019. We had a residency in an independent theatre for open performances, but we also visited several communities. We performed in civic centers, universities, high schools, museums and wherever we were invited to listen to their stories.
We didn’t have official training, not even second hand. It was all trial and error, but we manage to be an imperfect but decent Playback Theatre company. The pandemic made it lose its momentum and it rarely got it back. I wish Playback Theatre thrives again in València some day. I’d be more than happy to help whoever is willing to try it.
🎭 The Theatre bit
There’s so much I could tell, but I’m on holidays, so I’m banking this. I’ll only say that València is the craddle of amazing theatre. If you read me since the beginning, you know I always bring recommendations of plays from Valencian authors.
🗣️ Shout-out
This week is perfect to give a shout-out to my favourite Valencian, because it happens to be our 18th anniversary this week. Mai is my root, and the most brilliant person I’ve ever met. I’m so happy to share my life with them, giving me courage and making me feel supported. Here’s for more years!
📆 What is coming up
2nd of August - Turning Points: A Playback Theatre performance (London, UK). As part of True Heart Theatre improvers program, we’re running a performance for the new playbackers. Join us at The Calder Bookshop that day and, if you like, share your stories so they can be played back. Information and tickets here.
3rd of August - “Longform is My Jam” JAM (London, UK). On Sunday the 3rd of August I will be running Acaprov’s long form improv jam in Shoreditch. Come and try it out. Information and (very cheap) tickets here!
8th og August - ACAPROV (London, UK). The monthly a cappella improvised musical is getting close. Get your tickets!
9th of August - Stories That Shaped Us: A Playback Theatre performance (London, UK). True Heart Theatre will be listening the stories of the Hong Kong community in London. It’s going to be bilingual in English and Cantonese and it’s open to whoever wishes to attend. Information and tickets here.
📚 🎮 🎥 📺 The geeky dessert
We finally went to see the new Superman and I loved it. James Gunn understands that superhero movies should be about fun and appealing to the spirit of the comic books. The new take on the superhero is light, wholesome and filled with messages that angered the most conservative spectators, making them call this movie ”woke”. Zionists are particularly angry at it. If they are unhappy, I’m happy.
I’ve mentioned before that I only used to watch DC movies in airplanes because they weren’t worth of a decent watch, but I think this days are over. This new DC cinematic universe got me excited. Now, I want a Batman with bright blue and grey costume.
✨ That’s all folks ✨
Thanks for reading Playing Back an Improvised Life, a newsletter by Ferran Luengo.
If you like it, spread the voice and share with someone who you think might enjoy it.
If you want to keep in touch, feel free to follow me on instagram (@luenkun).
Want to work with me or start a conversation? email me 😀
Want to support me? You can do it through my Ko-fi page
Ferran Luengo