A support and inspiration hub and festival for improv performers in Ireland and abroad, boosting pro
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It's hard to believe it's been a full week since we Gathered! I will be doing a proper thank you post soon to everyone that made Gather Fest 2023 a success, but for now I wanted to share these snaps from who documented the whole weekend. I could have lived in that weekend forever!
And that's a wrap on GATHER Improv Fest 2023! There is so much more to come, but for now we rest. Our hearts are so full, what a weekend! Love you all!
Some amazing shots of workshops today by
What a place to be, what a community to gather
Three sleeps until we GATHER!
Our new stencil arrived! A very good boy for reference
A ticket is available! DM for details.
Three weeks to go!! This absolute gent of a human is running our late night Improv Jam on Friday night and maaaaaaybe on Saturday too?!
Quinton O'Reilly is a performer based in Dublin and is an active member of the improv scene here. When performing, he’s either at MOB Theatre with his harold group Kiss Your Dinner, or with Ghost Stories, a one-act improvised tale of the paranormal which has performed in Dublin, Belfast, and Kilkenny.
He is a co-founder of The Playground, which offers drop-in workshops for all levels and more, and runs the Improv Clubhouse, a monthly show for new and experienced groups and individual performers to play in front of an audience. He is also an active member of Improv Fest Ireland and regularly runs jams for all levels across the city. In short, he does a lot of improv.
Outside of improv, he has participated in other mediums such as theatre, sketch and more. At time of writing, he is finishing up a run at the Edinburgh Fringe 2023 with Coffee Kid, which has received 4 star reviews and was described as ‘absurd comedy at its finest’ (ThreeWeeks Edinburgh).
Once they're gone, they're gone!
Paul's Monoscenes workshop will now include a 15-minute performance on Saturday evening at GATHER Improv Fest!
We've also sold 62% of tickets in 4 hours. Holy moly.
GATHER Improv Fest Tickets are live!! Ahhh!!!
GATHER is a small festival retreat in the Irish countryside for practitioners of improvisational comedy and theatre, with an e...
And don't even get us started on This guy is a pillar in our community
He'll be teaching "Funny Forms"
Want to get away from scenes where two people are standing and talking to each other? This class will explore the other ways that stories can be told. Taking inspiration from different forms of theatre and beyond, we'll be playing with scenes that aren't scenes and characters that aren't characters. In 2018 Auto-Correbt performed Sight Unseen in the Dublin Fringe and developed several new performance styles that have become staples of their shows to this day. We'll try out lots of different forms: some from Sight Unseen, some that have been invented just for Gather and some that we'll come up with in the moment. Most importantly we'll look at how you can generate original forms of your own, because when you're the only one doing something then you're automatically the best at it!"
Mark started writing as well as acting while studying Maths (the perfect qualification for a writer) at Trinity College Dublin. Since graduating he has worked in any medium that will take him; writing for theatre, TV, radio, magazines, and the medium that just can’t say no: the internet.
He is the former artistic director of the improv theatre Tightrope as well as a performer in several groups including: Auto-Correbt, The Job Interview and Tiny. He uses improvisation in the creation of podcasts Look What’s After Happening and Ireland’s Ear and the webseries Someone for Everyone. He directed Auto-Correbt’s show Sight Unseen which had a sell-out run in Dublin Fringe 2018 and was staged in the Edinburgh Fringe, Improv Fest Ireland and Hoopla Improv Festival. Another show, Histrionix, has been staged in the Frayed and Scene+Heard festivals as well as having two sell-out runs in Smock Alley and is now a series on RTE Jnr Radio.
As well as writing he also acts, edits, creates music, puppeteers, sings, claps and dances around. He really enjoys earning money so if you would like to pay him some don’t hesitate to get in touch. He wrote this biog but weirdly likes talking about himself in the third person.
Come take a workshop with the legend that is !
Up first is "ACTING FOR IMPROVISERS"
Improv is theatre! In this performance-focused workshop, you’ll be immerse yourself in pure acting-school gravitas (sans berets). This stage-acting crash course is for non-actors AND seasoned actors alike who want to brush up on their stage-craft (stage presence, character expression and movement). It will be silly! It will be lil pretentious! It will be HUGELY useful for your improv! “All the world is stage and all of us merely improvisers.”
And then there's "WITCH-PROV"
Calling all WITCHES. Connect with your vital feminine energy and learn how to improvise like a damn-WITCH in this pagan inspired improv workshop. We’ll connect with our shadow-selves, summon earth energy and learn a new improv format inspired by some of Del Close’s (a life-long Wiccan) more witchy performance approaches. *NOTE: This workshop is in the spirit of FUN and based on an armchair understanding and appreciation of the feminine-occult and NOT intended to be disrespectful informative re: true religious practices (i.e. Erin owns crystals and is from California)
Erin McGathy is a Dublin based comedian and TV Writer who has been teaching Improv since 2008. After moving to Los Angeles in 2006 to study at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and iO West, she became a mainstage performer at both, performing with
Harold Teams, Hey Uncle Gary! (UCB), Local 132 (iO West), COG (iO West) as well as the Armando Show and the iO Rep which developed new Improv Forms for the iO West. She is currently the Artistic Director of MOB Theatre Dublin, Ireland’s first Alternative Comedy Theatre where she teaches Improv, Sketch Comedy and Screenwriting.
Luuuuke! is back to coach your mixer team!
If you're not performing with a team at Gather Fest, you can take Luke's mixer team workshop where he will lead the group into a 15-minute set. With the warmest of hearts, Luke will make sure you have so much fun.
Luke's an Irish improvisor, who has studied in iO West, UCB and The Pack Theatre, LA and the Nursery in the UK. His work has been described as 'infectiously gleeful', he combines playful, physical work with an emphasis on relationships. Will Hines has called him 'an incredible improviser', a statement Will said he 'will deny if ever asked.' Luke is a regular performer in the Dublin scene with 'Histrionix', 'Mark and Luke' and TINY. He co-hosts the "Look What's After Happening" improvised podcast with Mark Cantan.
AND IN THIS CORNER! !!!
Stephen will be teaching Improv-a-Mania!
Pro-wrestling is all about the big, the ridiculous, the pageantry! We use this in our improv too! In this workshop we’ll channel our inner heartbreak kids, our inner excellence of executions, our inner big red machines and create big, bold and distinct characters. We’ll talk about making choices, simple points of view and how to use this in our improv. Most of all, we’ll create characters YOU enjoy playing. Become the most electrifying person in improv entertainment and we’ll see you in the ring!
Stephen Bradley has been performing and teaching improv for nearly decade. He is a graduate of the Drama Education Program at Griffith College and an alumnus of iO West in Los Angeles where he studied Long-form Improv with students of Del Close. In Dublin, he has improvised with several groups including, Not the Eyes, Boston's Improv Asylum, Mr. MeCoCos and is the Managing Director of MOB Theatre Dublin which he co-founded in 2018. Stephen has also appeared at the Vodafone Comedy Festival, Dublin Improv Festival, Slapdash Improv Festival, at the Fallout Theatre (US), The Hideout Theatre (US) and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In addition to live comedy, Stephen also teaches Screenwriting and Sketch Comedy Writing through MOB Theatre Dublin.
, the improv wizard of the North, joins us again!
Paul will be teaching a workshop called "Monoscenes (or how I learned to stop worrying and love multi-character real-time scenes)"
Monoscenes are scenes which take place in one location in real-time – that is, there are no sweeps or tag-outs, players either walk into the scene or walk out until the show is over.
Long scenes can be intimidating, for the players and in them and the players waiting in the wings to enter. With the approach in this workshop we’ll demystify them and make them fun to be a part of.
Paul Mone is the founder of Belfast Improv, where he has taught classes and produced improv shows since 2017. His workshops are influenced by his long-form training with Annoyance Theatre, Chicago, and based off his regular class curriculum.
In 2016 Paul performed in a 2-act musical monoscene show which ran for three consecutive nights, and it was the most joy he’s ever experienced as an improviser. Paul loves monoscenes.
GATHER wouldn't exist without .kellyshatter
Kelly will be teaching "Commedia ", a deeply physical improvisational theatre technique that finds story by going deep into the heart of characters. Commedia is a blend of comedy, theatre and of course, improv. This workshop will help cultivate expertise in character work, physical embodiment, storytelling and acting.
She'll also be teaching "In a minute." This workshop is all about breaking down the first 60 seconds of an improv scene. It contains all the information we need for the rest of the show! We will slow down, sharpen our listening skills, become "awareness ninjas" and dissect scenes to see what they're trying to tell us and where we could have listened even more.
Kelly Shatter is a writer//director//educator who loves playing with the balance of comedy and drama in her work. She has an MA in advanced theatre practice from The Central School of Speech and Drama. After years of performing, she trained in Long Form Comedy Improv at iO West to hone her comedy writing skills. Kelly co-wrote the online comedy series “Long Dark Twenties” and co-wrote and directed the play “Big Bobby. Little Bobby” which was nominated for four Fringe awards and won First Fortnight Award. Kelly also produces, directs and performs in live comedy improv shows. In 2017, she directed “As The Heart Speeds Along”, an improvised Commedia Dell'Arte show as part of Scene + Heard. She also co-directed “Fur City”, "An Improvised Soap Opera with Puppets" which has played to packed houses at Bewley's Cafe Theatre, Smock Alley Black Box and The Puppet Festival. Kelly shadow directed Lenny Abrahamson on Sally Rooney's “Normal People” for the BBC. Most recently she performed the improvised show “Histrionix” to a sold out run in Smock Alley Theatre. She is due to premiere her one woman show The Scratcher at Dublin Fringe Festival 2023.
We're so delighted to welcome back !
Shane's going to be teaching "Heavy hearted. Light lifting."
In this workshop we'll explore with creative care, the process of embracing parts of a scene that might normally block us or stop us from going deeper. We will immerse ourselves in exercises that connect the body, voice and imagination - through this work we remain receptive, attuned to our senses, emotions, and insights - a world of possibilities unfolds before you.
Don't have team to perform with? No problem! You can also join his Mixer Team Lab, a workshop-to-stage option. Shane will help lead the way by coaching a new team of participants which will culminate in a 15-minute set at GATHER Fest.
Shane Robinson is an actor and director with over a decade of experience. He’s a graduate from the full-time programme at Bow St Academy and the Gaiety School of Acting. He’s been in TV shows such as Vikings/Valhalla, Jack Taylor and recently finished up the feature film Pulcinella acting alongside Jamie Winstone and Julian Glover. His career started out with a passion for improv and has gone on to accumulate over 30+ credits acting and directing. His debut short (Go Home 2018 Pale Rebel Productions) was screened at such festivals like Galway film fleadh, Richard Harris, Fastnet and Kerry film festival. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5696868/
Folks, I don't know how to tell you this, but is coming to GATHER Fest this year!
Like, whoa.
She's teaching two workshops! The first is Sometimes they Improvise Back: Scenes inspired by Stephen King. Come play smalltown cops, frustrated writers, clowns, vampires and er... killer trucks in this super fun, low-pressure class. You don't need to know the genre to come and play.
The second is Improvising with Folklore, which is less of a class and more of a celebration; using improvisation as a ritual to link us to nature and to one another. We'll be digging into local (and personal) stories and using them to inspire improvised games and scenes. We'll celebrate the time of year, the moon and the land with comedy, creative fun-times and collaboration.
Katy makes her own work including award-winning storytelling/stand-up show Schutte the Unromantic and acclaimed semi-immersive folk horror play Let's Summon Demons. She is a contributing writer for Cards Against Humanity, was resident singer/songwriter on Sean and Robot’s Comedy Circuit podcast and co-creator/improviser for Dead British on Union Jack Radio. She is a writer, improv director and performer with XR creative studio FANDCO.
Katy Schutte has performed and taught improvisation in twenty-something countries across five continents. She is a Head Teacher at Hoopla, the UK’s biggest improv school. Katy authored The Improviser's Way: A Longform Workbook, published by Nick Hern Books. She was an artist in residence for The Arctic Circle Project in 2022 and is writing a cosmic horror play for a three-week run at Omnibus Theatre in 2024.
Katy won eight awards in 2022 for her screenplay Coming of (Middle) Age and web series pilot Sideliners.
Taking a workshop with is a dream. Darren is teaching a workshop-to-stage option called Busy Bodies: a lively alternative to Talking Heads.
This fun-fuelled physical workshop and showcase performance challenges 12 players to let their bodies do the talking. From transitional sequences of abstract movement, characters will emerge and “Busy Bodies” will remain active as a high-spirited ensemble – infusing dynamic scenes with animated environments, personified elements, changeable atmospheres, and rich sound-scapes. Then they’ll disappear as they appeared - in a swirl of full-bodied play.
Darren enjoys a rich interdisciplinary arts practice with a strong focus on improvisational theatre,
or “Impro”, and theatre for young audiences. He plays multiple instruments and makes music.
Hailing from Longford, he holds a BA in Drama & Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin and
is currently an Arts Council funded YPCE Artist in Residence at Marino Institute of Education.
While based in Canada as Education & Outreach Coordinator for The Improv Centre (2014-2016), Darren trained extensively and performed with Vancouver TheatreSports™ in the company style. Inspired by Keith Johnstone’s pioneering methodology and show formats, Darren established Grand Stretch® as Ireland’s leading member of the International TheatreSports™ Institute.
Since 2017, he set out to level the playing field, make things happen and raise the game for
diverse talents through his practice —actively engaging team players of all ages, abilities and
backgrounds in the arts, with the sporting spirit of “it's all to play for!”
Making a return to GATHER is , the brain child of Debbie and Denny.
They'll be teaching Real Weird Places, a workshop that helps you discover that there are plenty of ways to build a visual improv world, where you can see it, touch it, and sadly, smell it.
Or you can take their workshop Glitter and Glue! It’s easy to believe that improv is about the glittery skills of Big Characters & Funny Ideas, but all the gluey skills of Listening, Reacting & Remembering allow you to build memorable, enjoyable shows and practices.
Underthings are Denny MacDermott and Debbie Cheevers. We are improvisers, sketch writers and comedians and we specialise in the danker aspects of life and slightly fancy filth. We improvise dark plays, dealing with love, loss, endless food metaphors, and animal cameos. We approach our sketch work in a similar way, but with more costumes and dubious wigs. We’re long-time contributors to Dublin comedy, for both sketch and improv, and have collaborated with the National Gallery of Ireland for comedically educational art tours.
We are stoked to have teaching workshops at GATHER Fest this year! You can catch him teaching The Format Factory, where participants will discover how to develop recognisable and innovative formats that blend the best of pop culture and improv. Or maybe you'll take his workshop Pod People to delve into the world of podcasting, learn key techniques for improvisation in an audio format and explore methods of podcast storytelling.
Dave Coffey is a writer, director and improv performer best known for his hit RTÉ comedy show Dan & Becs and his improvised comedy shows Phoning It In and Talking It Out. Dave also co-created Sarah + Steve, and produced comedy show The Commute for RTÉ. Dave regularly produces and performs in live improv comedy shows and specialises in creating unusual formats like Fur City (with Kelly Shatter), Improv Pro Rasslin' (with Stephen Bradley) and The MegaMax Method (with Mark Cantan).
He has produced and performed in improv shows at Dublin Fringe, Electric Picnic, Body & Soul and Beatyard. Dave is currently a member of the writing team for the satirical comedy series Callan’s Kicks on RTÉ Radio 1.
We offer three types of Support Tickets for those who may need one. You can read about and register for a Support Ticket at the link in our bio.
GATHER Improv Fest always has a handful of Support Tickets to help those who may otherwise be hindered financially or familialy.
We offer three different support tickets:
1.) Half Scholarship - for those who may be able to afford half the price of general admission
2.) Full Scholarship - for those who are unwaged and eager to attend
3.) Partner/Family Pass - for those with a young child or two, who would need to bring them and a partner in order to participate
You can click the link to read more about it!
GATHER Improv Fest has a small number of Support Tickets for people who need them. After applying below, you will receive confirmation if a ticket is available. If there is one available, you will receive an access code to put into the ticketing site to avail of a GATHER Fest ticket. Types of Suppor...
GATHER Fest tickets are almost ready for you! Here's some info!
Things are happening! We're getting there! Snaps from last year for excitement!
Galway peeps!!! Two of the best will be teaching improv!
IMPROV WORKSHOP! Many of you expressed an interest in doing some Improv with Órla, and we are delighted to share that she’s bringing the Galway Improv Lab back! Herself, along with the wonderful Jessamyn Fairfield will be hosting a ‘Big Play Lab’ on the 12th of August.
This is a full day workshop in theatrical improvisation. If you’ve wanted to try before, this is for you, if you’ve tried it lots and miss it, this is also for you! Órla and Jessamyn will be guiding us through the basics, through some games, and we will fill the room with magic. The workshop is a full session (probably 11-5ish) and the cost is 60/50 concession.
Places are STRICTLY limited, and we will do a first come first served via email confirmation. If places fill we will keep a waiting list for further sessions.
To apply, please pop us an email to: [email protected] with BIG LAB in the subject line. Please also include if you have no experience, some, loads etc (so they can tailor the workshop). We will then send you a payment link and details. Galway City Centre location.
We are two months from GATHER Fest, and I'm *hoping* tickets go live this week. I have given myself deadlines, and I've missed them all. The truth is, I'm finding it difficult to be back working, being a parent, and planning GATHER Fest, and yet I don't know how to delegate any of the work to someone else. I don't feel like I can. So please sit tight! Tickets are coming soon! And I can't wait to share with you the workshops and performers ❤️
We received more than double the amount of team applications as there are performance slots. You've made our job super difficult! Please know that we love you all no matter what. We'll finalise teams by the end of the week ❤️
Team registration closes tomorrow evening at 5pm. Click the link in our bio for details!
One more week for performer registration for GATHER Improv Fest 2023! Link in bio!
GATHER Improv Fest is back for 2023, babes! We're kicking off with Performer Registration for both teams and solo performers. You can read more on the attached document. Hope to see you there! 6th-8th October, Martinstown House, Kildare, Ireland
GATHER Improv Festival 2023 6th-8th October Martinstown House Kildare, Ireland GATHER Improv Festival is a small festival retreat in Kildare, Ireland for practitioners of improvisational comedy and theatre. Though we have an emphasis on highlighting the improv communities in Ireland and Norther...
Want to perform at GATHER Improv Fest this year?! Submissions will open in June!
Improv is coming to in two workshops! You can catch teaching Character Connection through Improvisation and teaching What's The Story? Both workshops take place on May 3rd!
You don't want to miss it!
Presenting The Moth & Butterfly International Festival of Storytelling and Improvisation: February 3-5th 2023. Full Festival Programme Live Now! CLICK HERE 'Into the Dark Night' in Rouge (photo: Anita Murphy) Kindly funded by The Arts Council of Ireland and Galway City Council Please stay tuned a...
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Get over here! There's still time to register yourself or your team to perform at GATHER 2022. You'll be the first to get access to tickets, workshops and glamping accommodation. Link in bio #irishimprov #gatherimprov #gatherimprov2022 #improvisedtheatre #improvcomedy #improvretreat
Shows! TINY and Friends perform at @chaplinsbar on Tuesday the 12th of April! Tickets at the link in our bio #irishimprov
Improv Fest Ireland is back and tickets for shows and workshops are now on sale!! #Repost @improvfestirl • • • • • • Teachers Club TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE! We are SO EXCITED with the line up for this year's festival, with performers and instructors from the U.K., France, Spain, USA, Denmark and Ireland represented this year! We have all kinds of acts, from improvised plays, to horror, to hip-hop! To book your tickets or workshop places, head over to our website! . . . #improv #improvcomedy #makeitup21 #improvfestival #thingstodoindublin
A new podcast by @siomhamcquinn !!!! #Repost @siomhamcquinn • • • • • • I've started a podcast called President of the Universe. I interview some of my comedy friends about what the world would look like if they were in charge and you get to vote for your favourite one. The first episode, with @maryrosekirwan, is on Spotify now and it's all about poo. Keep up to date with the election at @presidentoftheuniversepod Thanks to @markcantan for my theme music. #improv #podcast #comedy #stupid #funnywomen #dublin
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