The Brisbane Improv Festival is excited to be hosting 22 Improvisation Workshops as part of the 2022 Festival with facilitators from all over Australia and New Zealand.

The Dive: Say Your Thoughts, Sing Your Feelings
Facilitated by Jennifer O'Sullivan

"It’s closing time at the shadiest bar in town, but the bartender ain’t kicking anyone out, the piano player still has music to play, and the last few patrons still have money to spend. Will they find what they're looking for at the bottom of a glass before the bartender calls last drinks?"

Understanding subtext and enjoying conversation without the pressure of plot are brilliant ways to gain insight into characters and their narrative journey. Similarly, breaking into song is a wonderful way to explore your character's emotions and desires. In this workshop, you'll explore both of these in concert - conversation with strangers and without obligation, and then digging into the subtext to sing your feelings

These skills are useful for any number of improv scenes, including grounded open scenework and, of course, musicals. For Brisbane Improv Festival, this workshop will also be a casting opportunity for The Dive, a conversational show with songs in it. The 3 people asked to perform will hopefully be available for a short meeting/rehearsal between the workshop and the show, as our focus at the workshop will be more on the skills than on the format. 

Please note that any Festival shows cast from workshops is at the discretion of the show's director and is not guaranteed. Please go into workshops with a view to learning new improv skills and having fun. Any performance opportunity is a bonus.

About Jennifer

Jennifer O'Sullivan is an improvisor, director and creative producer in Te-Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington, NZ). With an MFA in Creative Practice from Victoria University, she is the co-founder and director of Locomotive, the former director of the New Zealand Improv Festival and the creative lead for Kickin’ Rad Productions. She has directed multiple musical performances (Suddnely! A Musical, Spitz & Crumple, Brothers and Sons, The Marriage of Figaro) and myriad other regular improv and theatre performances. When she's not working on cool improv and theatre projects, she's hanging out with her pets and her kid and making sure no one eats too much grass.

The Brisbane Improv Festival will be following all current COVID-19 safety guidelines and will also require all workshop participants to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 for the wellbeing of all participants and facilitators - please note this is a extra requirement mandated by the Festival.