towards a national improvisational festival

Ryk Goddar

Hobart’s nascent improvisation scene received a boost recently with funding support from Arts Tasmania to blink, a monthly impro lab. blink brought performers Penny Baron (Born In A Taxi) and Michael Hurwood (Five Square Metres) down for a four day intensive training at is@backspace, Hobart’s new venue dedicated to contemporary performance.
Micheal and Penny commented on the unique style that is developing in Tasmania that tends more towards the theatrical than dance.

This may in part be the influence of new group Red Message Service a five person ensemble including sound and lighting operators (Sarah Duffus and Jody Kingston) and three performers (Martyn Coutts, Laura Purcell and Ryk Goddard). Highly theatrical with integrated sound, lighting and costume their recent performance season ‘defied belief’ (Get Out Magazine). is theatre ltd. artistic director Ryk Goddard (ex Five Square Metres) is researching the viability of running a national performance improvisation festival/symposium pilot in Hobart in September 2003. This event would support the new direction of the comany which aims to become a national centre for the advancement of improvisation as a performance form and increase the level of employment for artists dedicating thier practice to performance improvisation. Beginning with a very narrow focus, the event has the potential to develop into areas such as comedy, healing, training and devising. However the principle focus of the event will be to increase the profile and value of improvisation as a performance form in its own right and to promote and support artists who dedicate thier practice to advancing the form. The festival would include public performance and workshops, plus industry development forums and masterclasses. Most importantly the festival will provide spaces for you to grab interesting looking artists and have a jam, plus a range of interactive technologies to explore.

The event is focused on intra-Australia exchange though we could try and secure an international artist if they were really exciting. Any ideas?

A recent consultation session in Melbourne raised issues of timing, cost (of course) and childcare as being important considerations.

A longer national process of consultation revealed pockets of concentrated and dedicated activity all over the country, including some interesting tensions about defining the form. Is the Melbourne scene the true edge of the form? Who gets to define this work anyway? (If we don’t someone else will!)

As improvisation is growing in popularity and awareness across the performing arts, can a festival accelerate the profile and value of groups who have been at this for a long time? Is it important to claim that work before it is swept into a mainstream?

What else should be there? We’ll keep it small in the long term, but we need to know what will make it worth getting here.

We need your input. Apply for a questionnaire via ad@istheatre.com.au and get it back fast!

If you’re coming to town contact blink for improvisation action: blink_improlab@hotmail.com