Performing & teaching in Germany - A big(ger) country
“So if you want, I can hop over” is what I send to an improv group in Karlsruhe. They had asked me: “Let us know when you’re around’. And I was around. Sort of… Around. I thought. After 5 hours with a fast train from one German city to another I realized once again, Germany is big!
A great country with great people. For instance: my friends of the improv group Schmidt’s Katzen. These lovely ladies invited Sven (my duo partner) and me for a visit to Hildesheim. The invitation included performing, teaching a workshop and having ‘an awesome hangout’. Indeed, that was very hard to say no to.
The show we played was ‘ausverkauft’ (sold out) and the 6 of us performed a freeform in our 3 languages. Believe me: having Hannah play in a Dutch accent and guessing all the right words, is just hysterically funny. The night got even better after we all had our Amsterdam brownies.
No wait, that doesn’t sound right. Special brownies. No, wait, WAIT! Brownies special to us. Just chocolate. Really! Anyone who played at IMPRO Amsterdam 2016 knows these brownies have special meaning. They are chocolate heaven. Anyway...
On Saturday I taught Dancing for Dummies to the smallest dance squad I ever had in my workshop. Just the 4 Katzen. But these women are as talented as they are cool. Four hours of almost non-stop dance styles and we still ran out of time.
That night there was a perfect home cooked meal with wine, schnapps and stories of first kisses, before we said Tschüss to our sweet friends.
The next morning I was off to Karlsruhe. This city wasn’t as ‘around the corner’ as I previously thought, but luckily I enjoy the ICE trains as a workspace. Hurray for power points!
After 5 hours of travelling, my marvelous host Manuel picked me up from the train station and brought me to the workshop. Keine Zeit zu verlieren!
A whole bunch of German improvisers came from different cities to work with me on their longform skills. After the first warm-up, we already had shirts being taken off and an audience of next-door kids watching. If that doesn’t give an energy boost, I don’t know what will!
The participants were so brave and played such cool stories. I felt very connected to them after only 4 hours. And like good Germans do, they take you out for large beers and deliciously fat food afterwards. And like good improvisers do, they top it with mind provoking conversations about improv.
Perhaps it was a good thing that Germany is such a big country. The train from Karlsruhe provided me with plenty of time to reflect, write and feel the afterglow. The whole 5,5 hours long.
Wir sehen uns bald wieder!
Danke schön to Nele, Kiki, Hannah, Steffi and Jannis from the Schmidt’s Katzen, and all your wonderful helpers Gijs, Melanie and Jan. Dankjewel Sven, yet again. Danke sehr to Manuel, Fabian, Ekrem of FEM Fatale, and to Ulrich, Marius, Michael, Jan, Ellen, Larissa, Zohra and Udo.