XX - Flavours of Joy
Playful improv rehearsals, embracing the thrills of Playback Theatre, and the joy of play-reading!
Greetings, dear readers. As I prepare myself to another visit to the USA in the next days (another camp 😅), I welcome the new subscribers who joined after my last lengthy, dense and serious newsletter.
I was pleasantly surprised by the reaction of the readers, especially the ones from the improv community who, despite being a discussion regarding the Playback Theatre community, reached out to express their concern about the silence on the topic by the international improv community as well. It was comforting to know that a few of us are eager to speak up.
Let’s have a deep breath…
in…
and out…
And now… 🎉 A little personal celebration. Well done, me, for reaching twenty consecutive weekly newsletters!
🧠 The Improv bit
Attending rehearsal is not always easy. Not only our mental load tends to get in the way, but also the expectations we set from themselves. I plead guilty for that, specially on improv, where I always set myself the impossible task of nailing it on every interaction. So, when the whole vibe of the rehearsal is silly and the stakes are at the lowest, I can really connect with myself.
I love silly rehearsals. And last week’s Acaprov one reminded me of that. We must be one of the few improv troupes that doesn’t shut down rehearsals during summer. Only six of us made it, though, but we had a blast.
The thing is, we were in a weirdly funny mood, as if we were drunk. We kept breaking character and bursting into laugh constantly. Yet it was one of the most productive rehearsals I had lately. Despite joyful wandering, we always kept the focus and we were open to each other. It was delightful.
It was a good reminder of the importance of giving less fucks and just surfing the joy. Improv is about having fun, so… why not practicing having fun as well?
🪑 The Playback Theatre bit
After last week’s dense topic, I want to share some of the lights of my experience at the International Playback Theatre Camp.
Being part of a teachers performance is always a double edge blade. In one hand, you have the anxiety that comes from the responsability of meeting the expectations of those who were learning from you. On the other hand, it’s an absolute joy playing with professional performers.
Preparing such performance, with experienced Playback Theatre practitioners should be easy, right? Well, let’s say the only rehearsal that we had didn’t go smoothly. On performance day, we met during the morning. A couple of Russians, a Brazilian, a South Korean, and a Spanish. (No, we didn’t walk into a bar). We were tired after several days of camp, where quality sleep is notoriously poor. On top of that, we needed to compare how we usually do the different forms in our respective companies, which led to some discussions and too many cooks, but we managed to agree. We practiced the short forms and all good, practicing the long forms, though… it was quite rough. Too slow and literal. We weren’t happy. But, of course, thats's what rehearsals are for, to lure the shit out. We decided to clear our minds, enjoy a free day and meet before the performance.
Later that night, we met not too long before the performance to talk through the opening of it. And that was it. Olga, Nastya, Eduardo, Mina and me. We waited just huging and taking care of each other before the performance began and… the whole experience was smooth as butter.
Story after story, we were playing our own strenghts, and we listened to and complemented each other. We had deep stories about childhood and death. Dreams and expectations. Joy and illness. During reenactments I caught myself, several times, thinking “Wow, I love playing with this guys”. Not only we were speaking the same language of Playback Theatre, but we were using our individual professional craft, our own means of expression, at the fullest. Singing, dancing, acting, improvising… and of course backed by great musicians that got our backs constantly, adapting to our offers in miliseconds (Thank you Marat and Misha).
That night I was in a cloud, lifted by my scene partners and the kind words of the audience. That night I felt like a rock star.
🎭 The Theatre bit
Being back home, meant that I could resume my habit of reading a play each week, and I did it with an excellent one: El Verí del Teatre (The Poison of the Theatre). Written almost 50 years ago by the Valencian playwright Rodolf Sirera, the play itself is a rich reflection about the true meaning of acting and theatre.
Set in the 18th Century, the renowned actor Gabriel de Beaumont is summoned by a wealthy marquis with a particular commission: to give life to a text he wrote about the death of Socrates. The play is a mono-scene set in the same room with only two actors. From the start, the many twists and turns of the situation are extremely well written and I, as the spectator, was hooked by the dialogues and the change of dynamics and status between the two characters. It is that good.
I really wish you could experience it. An English translation allegedly exists, but as I was unable to find a source. Those who understand Catalan may be interested in this good, and well played, recording available in the following link.
📆 What is coming up
3rd to 7th of September - Robin Hood International Improv Festival (Nottingham, UK). I’m looking foward to go back to Robin Hood’s city to enjoy five days of improv. I’ll enjoying some workshops, the shows and I’ll be in a couple of acts. Information and tickets here.
12th of September - Acaprov (London, UK). Get your tickets for the upcoming Acaprov show, where we will do improv and maybe sing. 😛 Secure your seats.
21st of September - Acaprov (London, UK). We have a gig in a hotel! Join us at Hart Hotel in Shoreditch for an extra musical next month. Get your tickets.
📚 🎮 🎥 📺 The geeky dessert
When I heard there was a TV show in the works, set in the universe started by Ridley Scott in 1979, with his film Alien, I was a little bit sceptic. I loved the franchise growing up but the quality of the films has gone downhill throughout the years. The 2014 game Alien: Isolation, sparkled again the amazing atmosphere of the original and I truly enjoyed the latest movie, Alien: Romulus.
Alien Earth is already here and, so far, it didn’t disappoint me. Of course, it’s too early to judge properly, but the first episodes hooked me. It manages to keep the retro-futuristic ambience of the 70s while respecting the horror origins of the franchise, and the choice of characters is bold and intriguing in a good way. Can’t wait to see how it develops. Have you watched it?
✨ That’s all folks ✨
Thanks for reading Playing Back an Improvised Life, a newsletter by Ferran Luengo.
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Ferran Luengo