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This is the Atomium. It’s in Brussels |
So it’s time for another trip to Brussels, for shows and workshops. You may recall I lived in Brussels for a time, and I liked that time alright, but I love going to Brussels for improv shows and workshops.
And this time is a bit special, as we’re going in big, improv guns a-blazing!
First of all, the group in Brussels that I’ve been working with has taken huge progressive leaps in the last while. They do shows on their own, rehearse regularly, and generally are doing it for themselves. I’ll be performing wiht them both Saturday and Sunday night, and I’m psyched about that.
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This man is Trent Pancy |
And, still in the ‘going big’ category: I’m bringing out my friend Trent Pancy (awesome dude, and founder of the Finland International Improv Festival), and we’ll be debuting our two-man show Milly Can Rap, which will be the two of us making some improv magic that just happens to include a little freestyle rapping.
And that’s not all. We’re making it a full musical weekend, so I’m also getting my pal Sacha Hoedemaker, Assistant Musical Director at Boom Chicago, and all-around great guy, to come down and work some music at Trent’s musical improv workshop, and play our Sunday night show.
Two shows, two workshops, three dudes, a boatload of awesome Brussels folks – and throw in a field trip to a Christmas panto on the Friday evening – and you’ve got the making of a great weekend.
Brussels Backstory
I’ve been working with improvisers in Brussels for some years now, coming into town a couple times a year and doing shows and workshops, and partly because of that, and partly independently of anything to do with me, the scene there is growing quite rapidly. But one thing that’s not happening there so much is musical improv. There’s a very good reason I haven’t been teaching musical improv: I’m a world-class bad singer. Like pretty damn bad. Although, on a really good day, when I hit a lucky streak, I can nail about 60% of the notes in a couple of bars.
On a bad (read: regular) day, I’ll be nowhere near anything like a melody and my pitch will be off. I’m not even sure I’m using those terms properly.
So that’s a perfect excuse to bring out a couple of the nicest most musically talented improv folks I know, and while we’re at it, debut a new two-man longform show. It also happens to be Sinterklaas weekend, and this weekend of good times is what Sint got me.