Spontaneous fun is on menu as one of Asia's largest improvised theater festivals gets cooking in the capital.

The third annual Beijing Interactive Arts Improv Festival starts on Wednesday, with groups from all over Asia flocking to Penghao Theater in Nanluoguxiang to offer their onstage antics.

Organized by Beijing Improv, the city's largest improvisation acting troupe, the four-day festival will offer workshops and performances highlighting the humor of life's unplanned moments.

Improvisation, or improv, is unscripted theater that combines storytelling and acting, giving the audience the chance to set the scene with random suggestions, which are then played out on stage by actors.

"In traditional forms of comedy, the humor comes out of witty jokes and a series of set build-ups," said Jonathan Palley, co-founder of Beijing Improv. "Improv has a bit of that, but much of the comedy comes out of the spontaneity of it. It's the joy of seeing something entirely new every time."

In addition to local groups, Palley has invited acting groups from Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai to share different cultural takes on the unrehearsed art.

"We love to tour other cities and see improv elsewhere and the chance to go to Beijing is an amazing opportunity," said Margaret Whittum, founder of Seoul City Improv, which is paying its own travel expenses to participate.

Palley said part of the reason groups from outside the city are attracted to the festival was the massive growth in popularity improv has enjoyed in the capital. With Beijing Improv's regular workshops and performances selling out consistently, he said the art form has been a resounding success and not just with expats.

"We get people from all over the world, all different backgrounds. While there is a language barrier sometimes, improv is also about physical comedy so it usually translates. We've even had deaf people come to our shows and they crack up laughing," he said.

But improv is not just for those who consider themselves funny.

"Improv isn't about getting on stage and being funny, that is usually the end result, it's more about a safe way to be creative, to explore yourself, and to get to know people in a creative context," he said.

"In fact, people who think they're funny are usually quite bad at improv."

Workshops for both adults and children will teach attendees the art of storytelling, developing different characters and learning how to read cues when acting on the spot, all skills essential to improv.

While most of the performances will be impromptu acting, this year the festival has set its sights beyond the stage with various other projects that require ad-libbing.

One such event at The Hutong community center offers the chance for spur-of-the-moment chefs to test their culinary creativity in the kitchen with an improv cook-off, where participants are given ingredients and must come up with a dish on the spot with no recipe, before letting other attendees test their creation.

"We wanted to expand the idea of improvisation beyond just acting, we wanted to include any spontaneous act, whether it be making a painting, taking a picture or cooking a meal," said Guanny Liu, marketing manager for Beijing Improv.

Although all events are free, donations will go to charity. Suggested donations are 50 yuan per show, 80 yuan for a day pass or 150 yuan for the entire four days. All proceeds will go to Hua Dan, a Beijing-based NGO that uses theater and improv to help disadvantaged women and children build confidence and communicate better.

China Daily

(China Daily 04/21/2011 page)