The Brisbane Improv Festival is excited to be hosting 22 Improvisation Workshops as part of the 2023 Festival with facilitators from all over Australia and New Zealand.

Of Ask Fors and Scene Starters
Facilitated by Matias Avaca (Mendoza, Argentina / Auckland, NZ)

Are you tired of feeling trapped by the audience's suggestions? Do you want to break out of the mold with your scene starters? Do you want to master scene edits to take your show to the next level? This workshop will help you find creative and innovative ways to use the audience's ask fors, elevate your scene starters to new heights and transition from scene to scene.

About Matias 

Matias is an Argentinian improviser residing in New Zealand with a global perspective, having performed and coached in over 15 countries, including Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Russia and Japan. As the co-founder and artistic director of "Mabel Impro", the first Spanish-speaking Improv group in Australasia, and the founder and director of the Auckland Improv Marathon and co-founder and director of the Auckland Improv Festival, Matias is heavily involved in the improv community. He is also a director, performer, instructor, and producer at the Covert Theatre in Auckland, where he continues to hone his craft and inspire others.

Matias is the co-founder and co-director of “Laenye Productions” a performing arts production company based in Auckland (New Zealand); which goals are to create opportunities for Spanish speakers to express their artform and to promote Spanish and Latin American culture, art and languages. He is known for his unique approach to improvisation, utilizing different languages and the absence of them to create a universal language on stage. He is also a creator of innovative improv theatre formats, traveling the world to coach theatre ensembles in them. His popular formats "Livin' La Impro Loca" and "Perfect Strangers" have been performed by improv groups in several countries. One of Matias’ most successful projects is “Comedy World League”, a multilingual Improv show that includes performers from more than 10 countries residing in New Zealand.

In addition to his work in the improv community, Matias also works as a Team Lead for Serato, a world-leading DJ software/hardware company, bringing his unique perspective to the tech industry.