Samothrace Improv Retreat 2022

BASICS, GAMES & FUN

Ιntensive course for beginers (one year or less of experience. Course lasts 5 days. Participants perform at Show #2. This course will go through theory and practise of basic improv prinicples, specific short form games structure and will prepare trainies for their performance.

Foundations of Narrative Improv

You might feel comfortable creating an improvised scene that lasts for five minutes. But what if that scene were the opening of a movie? In this workshop, Kevin Miller introduces you to the rich artform of long-form narrative improv. Starting from your short-form experience, you’ll learn how to connect the dots and produce a story longer and richer than you’ve ever made before. The workshop culminates with our graduation performance: an improvised disaster movie

Grounded characters, emotional scenes

What ways can we find to build characters that feel true and relatable? We’ll use some different tools, including psychological theory, to explore characters that feel grounded in reality, and thereby create scenes where the relationships and emotions tell the story. We’ll also have a strong focus on the beauty of positive relationships on stage. Our showcase will show off our skills in the format The Village.

Happy, healthy, sexy scenes 

Sometimes we are tempted to seek out conflict in our scenes. However, the most fun scenes to watch are often the ones in which characters are getting along, drama-free – feeling HHS: happy, healthy, and sexy! On the first day of this two-day workshop we’ll practice HHS scene starts and troubleshoot what to do if accidental drama creeps in. On day two, we’ll explore how to create dramatic tension while sticking to the HHS mantra. We will showcase our skills in [ SPACE ], a format in which we see many characters in one building over the ages..

Introduction to Improvised Plays

This workshop is for experienced players ready to become experts in improvised storytelling. On the first day we’ll cover many of the same topics as “Foundations of Narrative Improv,” as well as more advanced areas like world-building; establishing multiple storylines and protagonists; developing themes for our stories; and incorporating short-form games into long-form shows. On the second day we’ll devise, rehearse, and perform our very own ensemble format!

VIEWPOINTS

During the 8 hour seminar we are going to get to work with the ‘viewpoinst’ philosophy of improvisation. ‘Viewpoints’ is a training technique helping built ensembles using movement, gesture, tempo, duration, kinesthetic response, shape and other tools to create scenes and stories. We are going to work in group improvisation to explore themes, characters, settings and relationships. Our main goal is to expand our observation skills and trust within the ensemble. We begin to learn how to find inspiration in the people and spaces around us instead of trying to generate interesting ideas on our own. And most of all : begin to be present on stage, because once you’re present you can’t do anything wrong.

THE PERFORMER

Performing is an art form that can easily be misunderstood when it becomes a day to day job. It is a very demanding undertaking both in our quest to become proficient in our field of choice and also in maintaining that proficiency as we grow older. Body and mind must work in synergy in order to explore one’s potential of expressive freedom, while the day to day pounding of one’s flesh and mind seeks to minimise that exploration. After all, everyone gets tired. As regular Improv performers we must keep our body and mind in shape using regular exercise as Improv is quite a demanding practice. Through this workshop we will explore the day to day activities that lead to a healthy body, voice and mind and constantly push the limits of what we think we can do. We will create a discipline and learn to follow it. This will allow us to stay healthy and explore the core abilities that we need to perform Improv. It is an intensive workshop that will hopefully teach everyone how to explore their limits and how to attain the creative freedom that comes from respecting the Art of Performing.

TINY HUGE CHARACTERS

An interesting story is based on interesting characters. The more "real" they are and the more we can identify ourselves with them, the better. With this workshop we will explore different ways to create characters that the audience and us will adore and remember. We will leave one sided characters behind and we will focus on the tools for bringing multidimensional characters to life!

A FIRST GLIMPSE OF IMPROV

Three hour introductory lessons for people who want to take a small peak at the world of improv. Registration are not available onine.

ΤΒΑ
Intermediate Students / hosted by Kevin
TBA
Advanced Students / hosted by Kiki
TEACHER'S SHOW
An amazing show with all our teachers

GOOD TIMES!
Beginners rock the stage
TBA
Intermediate Students / hosted by Kiki
TBA
Advanced Students / hosted by Kevin
TEACHERS  SHOW
An amazing show with all our teachers

GET IN THE GAME

A Jam night open for all practiotioners, of all levels. You will get the oppurtunity to play short form games with everyone else, try stuff, have fun and end your retreat experience with a night full laugs.

Advanced / Intermediate Intensives

Kevin Miller performed, coached, and taught improv in Austin, Texas for over 18 years, including as the dean of the Merlin Works Institute of Improvisation. He has teaching experience around the US and the world, from Alaska to Finland to South Africa. Kevin moved to Amsterdam in 2020 to be with his girlfriend Kiki and learn how Nederlanders improvise.

Advanced / Intermediate Intensives

Kiki has taught improv for over a decade. A trained psychologist, she enjoys using psychological theory to build three-dimentional characters, and gets a kick out of watching students bring these characters to life on stage. Kiki performs with her partner in their duo show Helmet Thieves, and with various groups in Amsterdam. She was born in Australia, grew up there, in Sri Lanka and Belgium, and has lived for most of her life in Amsterdam. Her window washer describes her as “a nice lady who always pays her bills on time.”

Extra Course / Promises & Conflicts

Stelios is an improviser, stand up comedian, and a writer. He's been performing for more than a decade as an actor, improviser, comedian and musician. He has been teaching improv since 2014 and his main focus is characters and storytelling. He's been a part of a vast array of shows, some of them sold out, all over Greece and a founding member of House of Improv. You can find his ramblings, solo shows, music, techniques and books all over the internet, mainly on Youtube and Bandcamp.

Extra Course / Viewpoints

Eirini Xigaki is a professional actress and improviser. Has studied drama at “Voutsinas drama school”. Has also studied cinema at the department of Fine Arts, of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Started performing improv in 2015 when was accepted in “Felizol improve group”. Since then has performed and teach improv in Thessaloniki and Athens. Since 2020 is teaching improv at “House Of Improv”. She is also a voice actress, a singer and had worked as an animatrice. With the theatrical group “prosehos subway’’ had studied and performed physical theater based on Anne Bogart’s methond “view points”. She is also performing ‘’Stand up comedy’’ since 2016.

Beginners / Introduction

Vasiliki Kissa is an actress, won over by Improv Theater. After graduating “Theater of Arts, Karolos Koun”, she crossed paths with Improv Theater. It was love at first sight. She dove into the world of improv head first and, having completed ImproVIBE’s training, she took her first steps towards teaching improv. Within 8 years she was taught workshops and performed in Greece, Belgium, Finland, Sweden, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, France, Spain, Italy, Τurkey,USA and Australia. She is a main instructor at House of Improv and actively part of the European Improv Network “The SIN”. She is part of the international troupe “3 Deadly Sinners” and member of the "Project EVE", a platform for women in improv.

Organizer / Runnning Errands

Starting training in improv in 2011. Attended workshops and intensive seminars with Greek and Foreign teachers and is still does. Created his first troupe in 2011. In 2013 starting teaching in two different cities. With some of his first students created a troupe called DeMaNaiKaiNai that played continuesly in local scenes for years, toured Greece and performed abroad from 2015 until 2018. In 2015 co-created the troupe Felizol that performed in Theaters in thessaloniki for two years and regrouped in Athens in 2019. He regurarly taught classes in 4 cities in North Greece from 2015 to 2019, and also as a guest in various other cities. He is currently living in Athens where he runs School of Improv with Eirini Xigaki and Stelios Anatolitis. He has performed in numerous improv shoes varying from theater games, to long form, duos, experimental formats. He is now one of the few improvisers in Greece with nearly ten years of experience who is still active in teaching and performing.