The theme for this year is “Follow Your Feet”, an improvisational theater concept which also ties in with the art form’s return to PETA – the group which first introduced improvisational theater to the country in the early 1970s. As SPIT takes on a new decade of laughter and innovation, the group decided to take a bolder step in sharing the art of improv to bigger audiences through the festival and its partnership with PETA Theater Center.
Gabe Mercado, artistic director of the festival and founder of SPIT describes the vision of the festival: “SPIT was founded back in June 2002, because I saw the need for a new kind of comedy—one that differed from the usual stand-up comedy routines that we are used to seeing on TV and comedy bars. Improv appealed to me because of its grounding on truth, the magic of spontaneity, and the fun that on-the-spot creation brings about. We hope events like these help build the improv community of the country and the region.”
Being the country’s premiere improvisational theater group known for their smart and incisive brand of comedy, SPIT has represented the Philippines in numerous international events such as the prestigious Los Angeles Comedy Festival in 2004, and more recently, in the Hong Kong and Beijing Improv Festivals.
Last year SPIT celebrated their ten-year anniversary as a group, and staged the 1st Manila International Improv Festival. The festival was an overwhelming success with sold-out performances at Quantum Café in Makati City. Furthermore, the exciting improv workshops held at the College of St. Benilde facilitated by renowned improv veterans Shaun Landry and Tom Farnan from Los Angeles, created a clamor for another festival. And since SPIT wanted to continue propagating improvisational theater in the ASEAN region, the group decided to do it again this year. The 2nd Manila International Improv Festival promises to create a new, fun, and exciting theater experience for improv enthusiasts and generally anyone who wants to have a good time and learn something new.
The 2nd Manila International Improv Festival promises to create a new, fun, and exciting theater experience for improv enthusiasts and generally anyone who wants to have a good time and learn something new.
The participating improv groups: People’s Liberation Improv and 3 Dudes Improv (Hongkong), Beijing Improv (Beijing), Taichung Improv (Taiwan), Xiamen Improv (Xiamen), Zmack (Shanghai), Pirates of Tokyo Bay (Tokyo) and Silly People’s Improv Theater (Manila). For each set, three improv groups will perform a variety of long form and short form improvisational shows.
Schedule: June 26 (8 pm) PERFORMANCE 1 (SPIT, Taichung Improv, Switch); June 27 (8 pm) PERFORMANCE 2 (Beijing Improv, Xiamen Improv, SPIT); June 28 (8 pm) PERFORMANCE 3 (Pirates of Tokyo Bay, 3 Dudes, Plus 1) ; June 29 (6 pm) PERFORMANCE 4 (Zmack, Plus 1, Pirates of Tokyo Bay) and (9 pm) PERFORMANCE 5 (Taichung, Beijing, People’s Liberation Improv); June 30 (1 pm) PERFORMANCE 6 (PLI, Xiamen, 3 Dudes) and (4 pm) PERFORMANCE 7: INTERNATIONAL IMPROV JAM.
Ticket price per show: P 400.00. Venue: PETA-PHINMA Theater. For more details and updates, you may check out SPIT via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spitmanila Twitter: @spitmanila; Website: http://spitmanila.com. Tickets are available at Ticketworld or the PETA Theater Center.
