The Nordic Improv Network and the Nordic Improvisation Summit 8.-10.9.2023
The Nordic Improv Network consists of professional improvisational theater companies from different Nordic countries. The Network is organizing a series of seminars, culminating into a physical Summit, held in Oulu in September of 2023.
The Nordic Improvisation Summit will consist of a series of workshops for the professionals of the field, a panel discussion of current topics in the world of improvisation and an evening of unscripted theater performed by the improv artists coming together from different Nordic countries. This also opens up a unique possibility to present high quality Nordic co-operative improvised theater to the audiences in Helsinki.
Seminars leading up to the Summit are going to be organized via an online platform, such as Zoom. The participants come together from different Nordic countries in order to learn from each other, share their experiences and ideas with other professionals in the field and to forge partnerships and enable cooperation between different artists and theater companies, celebrating the versatility of theatrical expression throughout the North region.
The aim of the Summit is to create an inspiring and educational meeting place for Nordic performing arts. Included are the theaters that have improvisation as a tool. Another aim is to offer a forum to the public to experience improvised theater art on a professional and international level. The aim is to promote artistic encounters between professional improvisational theaters in the Nordic region, to strengthen cooperation and to create a network on which future multilateral exchanges and international art projects can be built.
The project encourages in-depth collaboration between artists from different cultures. The program is based on current and relevant topics alongside suggestions and requests from the participating artists. The workshops and seminars will encourage further conversations in the future. The goal will be to create mixed groups with participants from different Nordic countries. It will encourage friendships and professional collaboration between the participants that will last long after the Summit is over. The project offers an opportunity to create international contacts. Encounters between artists from different cultures will broaden views and nurture innovative artistic expressions. These encounters take place both in scheduled activities and outside the program. The participants are inspired by each other in seminars, workshops and performances, but also through informal mingles outside the scheduled activities. All partners are active co-creators in the event and contribute with ideas, directing, leading seminars, acting and more.
The participants contribute to the project by bringing their own unique style, knowledge, experience, practices and culture to create an exchange that will enrich all the participants.
The project's partners are the following organizations:
Det Andre Teatret, Norway
Det Andre Teatret is Norway's first and only theater focused on improvisation. The theater has an audience of over 30,000 people each year, and offers performances for both adults and children.
Improv Ísland is a relatively new ensemble that mainly plays Improv Comedy inspired by the Upright Citizens Brigade based in New York. They perform at Iceland's National Theater.
Stockholm's improvisational theater works exclusively with improvised theater. The theater was founded in 1989 and is known for playing both light-hearted entertainment and heavy drama.
Gothenburg’s improvisational theater works exclusively with improvised theater. The theater was founded in 2005 and the ensemble plays narrative improv and Improv Comedy inspired by American longform.
The Finnish Improvisational Theaters’ association consists of professional improvisational theater companies in Finland. The association represents the vast variety of the Finnish field of unscripted theater.