Our festival,

still one of the largest and most important improvised theatre festivals in Europe, returns from 16 to 24 March 2019. Artists from 14 countries will present the full spectrum of improv. In 2016, the motto was »Improv Without Borders«, and in 2018, the Our Lives Festival had its focus on Europe. This year, it is time to celebrate the rich diversity of improvised theatre. There’s »Theatersports«, an early source of today’s modern improv theatre with its vitality and dynamics; the »Improvision Song Contest«, which spawns the most incredible songs every year; there will be evenings of improvisation in the laconic style of Kaurismäki, dramas and comedies inspired by the unique works of Shakespeare, an audio drama accompanied by the live sound effects of Peter Sandmann and DJ Hunnicut (whom the festival audience knows as the Crumbs’ accompanist); and in the »Playground« series the festival cast brings Berlin’s varied improv scene to the stage.

Back on stage: Community

Ballhaus Berlin, BühnenRausch, English theater Berlin | IPAC, Mehringhoftheater and, last but not least, our home ground the Ratibor, are the locations for a total of 24 shows. We’ve given special preference to the »Community« format which will be performed in three shows: a production under the direction of Maja Dekleva Lapajne, who gained an enthusiastic audience reception at IMPRO 2018 and who is exemplary of the innovative path this festival aims to take apart from the presentation of tried-and-tested improv diversity. It goes without saying that our BIF workshop program is on offer again. At the time of going to press, the BIF-weeks are fully booked, but there are still spaces for the BIF-days. We’re particularly happy to be able to further the discourse about improv in therapeutic settings with our »Improv in Therapy« Symposium.