FLIEGENDE FUNKEN IMPROFESTIVAL 2026 - AGAINST THE DRIFT

Part 1: The Fight for Normalcy It is often the case that impro actors feel immense pressure to be interesting or funny or weird to make scenes watchable. This is rarely a good approach. Too often in improvised work actors get nervous or overexcited and take things way outside and get downright wacky. This, while liberating, exhilarating or otherwise has the ability to confuse or frustrate viewers and other players ultimately trivializing or leaving the scenes meaningless or worse yet senseless. This course explores and exercises our skill set as actors to dare to be normal, balanced and functional in scenes setting them up for far greater risk and reward while giving the viewer real likeable, believable characters to pull for.

Part 2: Taboos, Misbehaviour and Challenging Themes on Stage Do you feel like improvised shows often rehash the same types of scenes over and over again? Do you ever leave them after either playing or as an audience member without the real ability to remember what it is you saw or why you saw it? This is in the cards. It’s part of working unscripted. There is a strong argument to be made for very light entertainment. Still, the stage is a dangerous place. It should not lack consequence. It should be dangerous to the characters. This is theater’s unique, great power. The audience buys a ticket to see others struggle with things that they see and experience too. Theater has a great chance to reflect versions of realities and fantasies that the viewers know, understand and are tickled to see others suffer. This course is about making risky choices. It is a course that wants to turn up the temperature on risk and relationships. There will be numerous exercises examining the skills on how to get piquant or pressing topics out in the open and examined. It will look to define technique that can put controversial or troubling content on stage while handling it sensitively and poignantly.