MOMENT! 2021: 9th International Improv Festival Vienna

VIENNA IS BACK ON THE INTERNATIONAL IMPROV MAP!

TAG – Theater an der Gumpendorfer Straße in Vienna produces passionate and entertaining contemporary theatre with a special focus on improv theatre and proudly presents MOMENT! 9th INTERNATIONAL IMPROV FESTIVAL VIENNA 2021: Spontaneous, lively and unique entertainment at world class level!

The festival addresses professional improvisation actors and actresses who are curious about exchanging views concerning theoretical and practical experiences. The audience benefits from vivid performances unique in their matchless constellation of improv pros from all over the world meeting at TAG in Vienna.

ARTISTS LINE-UP

Laura Doorneweerd-Perry (NL)
Gael Doorneweerd-Perry (FR/NL)
Andrew Hefler (US/HU)
Billy Kissa (GR)
Karin Krug (DE)
Tom Fischdick (DE)

THE TAG SPORT-VOR-ORT-ALLSTARS

hosted by Jim Libby

SHOWS

Thursday Oct. 7th, 2021
THE GRAND OPENING SHOW presented by Jim Libby

Life entertains us best.
Let’s face it: life itself tells the most beautiful stories! True life, when given that special frame, is more adventurous, romantic and overwhelming than any fiction or kitsch novel.
In this show the MOMENT! Ensemble presents itself to the audience: Jim Libby interviews the international improv stars to tell a story about their life. The other improvisers associate along this story, reflect, exaggerate and alienate it to create a new and original drama in the truest sense of the word.

Friday Oct. 8th, 2021
THE BENCH presented by Billy Kissa

One of the most emblematic things in Greek culture, is the bench. It’s a meet-up place, a resting place. People sit there for a date, to eat, to drink a beer, to take a break, to study or just read the news, even to party! Strangers talk to each other on benches, a lot!! This is what happens in this improv format. One bench and 2 strangers that meet there by luck.

Saturday Oct. 9th, 2021
THE AFTERPARTY presented by Andrew Hefler

It is all fun and games until you play for keeps. How do you see the other? How do you perceive yourself? Do you drop your guard and allow yourself to be seen?The Afterparty is an improvised ensemble play in one act that reveals three different relationships all separately returning late night from the same party. Unpacking perceptions, stories and desires the wee hours catch up to us and right along with them, some truth.

Created by Nora Palkovits and Andrew Hefler. This show premiered at the VIA conference in March 2019 and has been performed in Budapest, Istanbul and Warsaw.

SCHNITTSTELLE – The International Showcase Ensemble presents TRUST THE MOMENT Created and Directed by Karin Krug

The moment is always there as a great open field of opportunities. So far so good. To make the moment happen, to give it to our audience in form of a story, an image, a song, etc., we need to take care of a lot ingrediences that transport the moment. What keeps this complex chaos together and melt it into form? Trust.

Sunday Oct. 10th, 2021
MYAZAKI’S KINGDOM presented by Gael Doorneweerd-Perry

The human world can be a dark place. Can also be simple and uplifting. In fact, nothing is ever black or white. We go through everyday life looking for moments of magic. What if we switch it, and look for everyday moments in a magical world? This poetic, sensitive and emotional place is Japanese director Miyazaki’s kingdom. A story where magic is real and reality is magic. Gael Doorneweerd-Perry directs this format based on a strong pedagogic and progressive content, going step by step through the improv skills necessary to bring on stage the feeling of watching an actual movie from Hayao Miyazaki (physicality, playing with music, kaleidoscopal narration, cinematographic staging, etc.) and through the structure of the format itself.

Monday Oct. 11th, 2021
EVERYONE IS A STAR presented by Karin Krug

Everyone is a star with certain, special qualities and beauty. In this show each one of the MOMENT! FESTIVAL ENSEMBLE gets its extra time to shine. Different „starlights“, „beams“ and „stardust“ will create an excellent universe of scenes, songs, heart touching moments and hilarious laughter. This is the GALA-SHOW forever!!!!! And the musician will get its „extra shine“, too. Relax, enjoy and witness the universe of stars in the MOMENT! Watch out! And be prepared. Maybe you will be one the stars of the night?!! Bring your star-sign with you. Whatever it is! Invent it, prepare it, put it on as a costume – be free in your creativity of your special gift. And throw yourself on stage when it comes to the grand finale of stars.

Tuesday Oct. 12th, 2021
STOP AND DANCE presented by Laura Doorneweerd-Perry

Dancing as if nobody is watching: that’s what the international cast will do – except with 100+ (hopefully) people watching. Their shimmy, shakes, moves, and grooves will inspire scenes and stories. A true testament to the players’ stamina and a seamless transition to the festival’s final party.

WORKSHOPS

3 hrs WORKSHOP for BEGINNERS
3.30 pm – 6.30 pm
Fees: € 50 / Workshop

TINY, HUGE CHARACTERS
with Billy Kissa
Thursday Oct. 7th, 2021
TAG Rehearsal Room, Gumpendorfer Str. 67/4, 1060 Vienna

An interesting story is based on interesting characters. The more „real“ they are, the better. With this online workshop we will explore different ways to create characters that the audience and us will adore and remember. We will leave one sided characters behind and we will focus on the tools for bringing multidimensional characters to life!

SOUND EFFECTS AND NOISY PEOPLE
with Gael Doorneweerd-Perry
Friday Oct. 8th, 2021
TAG Rehearsal Room, Gumpendorfer Str. 67/4, 1060 Vienna

The stories, the emotions, the relations can be created by words. They can also be created without them. But between speaking and keeping the scene silent, isn’t there a world of opportunities?

This is a workshop about supporting your acting using sounds. Realistic sounds, crazy sounds, annoying sounds, but the most important: your own sounds! Through different techniques and exercises, we will work on layering the imaginary world around you with sound effects to make it deeper. We also will explore different ways to use sounds in setting up scenes, edit, diving into the structure of the show, without saying a word!

Unmute your mouth, and let’s be noisy!

GOTTA HAVE IT  – fully booked – waitlist
with Andrew Hefler
Friday Oct. 8th, 2021
VHS Klubsaal, Königseggasse 10, 1060 Vienna

Attitudes, wants and mantras. What drives character? Truthful behaviour?

Working with objectives, emotions and attitudes in relationships and scenework. Looking at character driven scenework to strengthen the togetherness and presence of relationship in scenes. Getting truthful behaviour out of scenes that wants to achieve it’s objective while emphasizing emotion, silence and focus over verbal cues. Encouraging scenes without overt argumentation or contention to simply allow the audience to project and reveal more layers in the relationships and therefore in the scenes. Can be good as work for filmic acting

TICKLE YOUR SCENE PARTNER – fully booked – waitlist
with Laura Doorneweerd-Perry
Sunday Oct. 10th, 2021
TAG Rehearsal Room, Gumpendorfer Str. 67/4, 1060 Vienna

Look at them: that beautiful human you share the stage with. It is your scene partner. But what are they thinking? Where are they going? What can you do with them?

In this workshop we will work on reading our scene partner (their face, their body, their tone of voice, their choice of words). All this will tell us how to inspire them in the best possible way. I will teach you some strong supporting skills, but also little quirky tricks to tickle their fancy.

Next to this we will also develop you! How can you become that person everybody wants to play with? Are you irresistible yet? Let’s make it happen!

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
with Karin Krug
Tuesday Oct. 12th,2021
TAG Rehearsal Room, Gumpendorfer Str. 67/4, 1060 Vienna

Fun, creativity and being playful with others

Three hours of fun, excitement and openness while we’re experiencing what happens, when we are in flow with others. Games, plays and easy structures will remember us of one of the great core competences we all have: The art of improvisation. Expect the unexpected and experience the joy of play.

In english, denglish, austrian-english, german or austrian or jeglicher Form von deutschsprachigem Dialekt

3 hrs WORKSHOP for INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED IMPROVISERS
3.30 pm – 6.30 pm
Fees: € 50 / Workshop

MAKE THEM CARE 
with Billy Kissa
Saturday Oct. 9th, 2021
TAG Rehearsal Room, Gumpendorfer Str. 67/4, 1060 Vienna

What do you seek in a scene, as an audience? All of us will give different answers, but they sum up to two words, personal identification. By using emotions on stage the audience relates to your scenes and character. Feelings are something all humanity has in common. In this workshop you will use your feelings to connect with each other and with the audience, you will challenge your partners and yourself emotionally and finally, make people care!

LEVEL UP YOUR CHARACTER WORK
with Gael Doorneweerd-Perry
Tuesday Oct. 12th,2021
VHS Festsaal, Königseggasse 10, 1060 Vienna

What is the best method to hold on a character? To play it, as much as possible. To play with it, in order to feel it. In this meta-workshop, you will not work on your characters, but you will take a full-length workshop in one of your characters. The focus will be on holding on the realism of your chosen character, through the entirety of the workshop. Your pirate, old neighbor or little kid will take an improv workshop, and the feedbacks will not only be given during the exercises, but for the complete length of your presence there, from your first step in the room to your last step out. Stop working on the theory of your characters, but work IN character!

Come “with” your character!

5 hrs WORKSHOP for INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED IMPROVISERS
1.30 pm – 6.30 pm
Fees: € 80 / Workshop

LASTING LONGFORM SKILLS – fully booked – waitlist
with Laura Doorneweerd-Perry
Saturday Oct. 9th, 2021
VHS Klubsaal, Königseggasse 10, 1060 Vienna

To play a longform show, improvisers need a wide range of skills. In this workshop we will work on the most challenging ones.

Building a firm platform, inspiring your partner throughout the show, taking the story further and taking the story slower. And many more basic improv skills are put under pressure once you get into a longform. In fun, interactive exercises we will work on taking longform serious by not taking it so serious. Your improv and your longform will benefit from it.

EXTREME BEHAVIOURS – fully booked – waitlist
ith Andrew Hefler
Sunday Oct. 10th, 2021
VHS Klubsaal, Königseggasse 10, 1060 Vienna

Getting out of your head and getting into truer physicality through exaggerated expressions, gestures, and conviction. If people have social issues off stage they tend to take them onstage, too. Looking for the actors default expressions and features and grossly aggrandizing them, working opposite them, or randomly altering them. Using work from trance mask traditions with the actors face as the mask. Also looking at nuanced play and minimalistic expressions in the extreme. Breaking through taboo topics and behaviour to get racy themes and mischievous or even downright bad characters on stage with consequence. To get improvisation out of safe trivia and into dipicting relevant issues with conviction

3-day WORKSHOP for ADVANCED IMPROVISERS
SCHNITTSTELLE – The International Showcase Ensemble
fully booked – waitlist

TAG and Karin Krug will cast a group of advanced players who’ll have the possibility to train with Karin Krug during the MOMENT! Festival 2021 and perform TRUST THE MOMENT on stage on Saturday Oct. 9th, 2021.

Oct. 7th–Oct. 9th, 2021

Fees: € 190

Training Sessions
Thursday Oct. 7th, 2021, 11.00 am–3.00 pm
Friday Oct. 8th, 2021, 10.00 am–3.00 pm
Saturday Oct. 9th, 2021, 10.00 am–3.00 pm