NZIF 2023: Applications Open!

We are very excited to announce that applications to present at the 2023 New Zealand Improv Festival open today.

The festival will take place from 7–14 October 2023, at the beautiful BATS Theatre in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington), and we want you to be a part of it.

Ready already? You can find our application form here. Or, keep reading for more information about the festival programme.

WHAT WE’RE AFTER

We are seeking pitches for shows, workshops and talks from anywhere in the world (but especially Aotearoa) to be included in this year’s festival.

PERFORMANCES

We’re after 45-60 minute shows that feature improvisation (or improvised elements), especially ones that celebrate or push the boundaries of improvisation as an art form. These will be performed in either the Stage or Dome spaces at BATS.

Shows can be tried and tested or world premieres. They can look like traditional improv shows, but they don’t have to. They can have an existing ensemble that travels to the festival, or pick up new performers just for the festival, or directors can teach the format in a 3-hour workshop and cast the show from the participants. 

WORKSHOPS

Every morning of the festival features three 3-hour workshops on improvisation, with afternoon workshops on weekends.

We’re seeking pitches for workshops to be included in our programme. These could be masterclasses or deep dives into core skills, they could be introductions to genres, advanced techniques, production skills or other relevant performance styles, they could teach a show format, or they could be something else entirely.

You can teach by yourself or as a pair (but probably not in bigger groups than that). You don’t have to have taught at NZIF before, but you should have experience teaching the thing you’re pitching.

TALKS AND PANELS

As part of our conference series each weekday afternoon, we would love to hear proposals for 30-minute sessions on topics relating to improvisation.

This could be a talk, presentation or lecture delivered by one person (if you want to teach people something or share ideas but there wouldn’t be enough hands-on doing for a workshop, this is a good place for that). It could be a panel discussion, roundtable, or open forum on a particular theme. Or it could be something else entirely that enriches the lives of improvisers. Hit us with your harebrained schemes!

For talks and panels, we’re also open to ideas for talks or panels that you’d like to be  in the audience for, rather than delivering yourself.

APPLY NOW!

You can find the application form here. Applications close at midnight, Friday 30 June, New Zealand Time.

Bursting with ideas? Great! You’re welcome to submit more than once, however we'd prefer to receive a smaller number of ideas that you're very excited about, rather than lots of things that are maybes. Three is a good limit to aim for, more than four is probably too many.

We will be programming and sending offers on a rolling basis throughout July. You will hear back from us by the end of July at the latest.

Right now we’re looking for applications for directors, teachers and presenters. If you just want to attend the festival and participate in workshops and shows, keep an eye on our social media channels!

I HAVE A QUESTION!

We’re here to help! Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

If you can’t find what you’re after, please feel free to email us at hello@improvfest.nz or book in a chat during our Office Hours.