Magical Realism

THE WORKSHOP

STEP INTO THE EXTRAORDINARY. IN THIS WORKSHOP, WE’LL EXPLORE HOW TO BRING THE ESSENCE OF MAGICAL REALISM TO THE IMPROV STAGE, INSPIRED BY LATIN AMERICAN AUTHORS SUCH AS GABRIEL GARCÍA MÁRQUEZ, ISABEL ALLENDE, JULIO CORTAZAR AND JORGE LUIS BORGES. YOU’LL LEARN HOW TO GROUND YOUR CHARACTERS AND RELATIONSHIPS IN TRUTHFUL EMOTIONAL WORLDS WHILE WEAVING IN THE FANTASTIC, THE MYSTERIOUS, AND THE IMPOSSIBLE.

WE’LL WORK ON TECHNIQUES TO SEAMLESSLY INTEGRATE MAGICAL ELEMENTS INTO EVERYDAY STORIES, HEIGHTEN THE POETIC ATMOSPHERE OF YOUR SCENES, AND CREATE A SENSE OF WONDER FOR THE AUDIENCE. THIS CLASS IS IDEAL FOR IMPROVISERS LOOKING TO EXPAND THEIR STORYTELLING BEYOND COMEDY AND INTO SOMETHING MORE LYRICAL AND PROFOUND. BY THE END, YOU’LL LEAVE WITH TOOLS TO ENRICH YOUR IMPROV WITH METAPHOR, SYMBOLISM, AND SURREAL IMAGERY, BUILDING STORIES THAT FEEL BOTH DEEPLY HUMAN AND MAGICALLY IMPOSSIBLE.

MINIMUM RECOMMENDED EXPERIENCE:

INTERMEDIATE – ITS LEVEL 3 OR EQUIVALENT. A FOUNDATION IN LISTENING, EMOTIONAL CONNECTION, AND COLLABORATIVE SCENE WORK IS RECOMMENDED.

THE TEACHER

MATÍAS AVACA, AN ARGENTINIAN IMPROVISER BASED IN NEW ZEALAND SINCE 2016, IS THE CO-FOUNDER OF MABEL IMPRO AND THE AUCKLAND IMPROV FESTIVAL. HIS STYLE EMPHASISES THE UNIVERSALITY OF IMPROV, TRANSCENDING LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL BOUNDARIES.

MATÍAS IS ALSO A DRIVING FORCE BEHIND LAENYE PRODUCTIONS, A PERFORMING ARTS PRODUCTION COMPANY BASED IN AUCKLAND, DEDICATED TO PROMOTING SPANISH-SPEAKING ARTISTS AND FOSTERING APPRECIATION FOR SPANISH AND LATIN AMERICAN CULTURE, ART, AND LANGUAGES.

MATÍAS’S INFLUENCE EXTENDS GLOBALLY, COACHING THEATRE ENSEMBLES AND SHAPING IMPROV THEATRE FORMATS ACROSS OVER 15 COUNTRIES, FURTHER SOLIDIFYING HIS IMPACT ON THE INTERNATIONAL IMPROV COMMUNITY.

Find them on Instagram, @avaca.matias

SATURDAY 15th November, 2:00Pm – 5:00pm At Improv TheAtre Sydney.

This workshop is part of the ITS Comedy Festival 2025. Check out the full program here!