New Zealand Improv Festival

Overview

The New Zealand Improv Festival is returning for another year, and it'll cause you to question the efficacy of your bladder control.

Run by improv guru Jen Sullivan, the festival is a five-day celebration of the mayhem and madness that come with improvised theatre. There are no real rehearsals and not much of a plan — every iteration of each show is unique. It's not all side-splittingly hilarious though — some of these shows use the art form to tell big, important stories about the tough stuff.

This year's lineup includes: Improdome, a king-of-the-hill style battle between four teams of improvisors; The Village, a play exploring the pitfalls and charms of small town life; #hashtag, where trending hashtags dictate the content of the performance; Mothers, which explores the 'magic and misery of motherhood'; and Don't See This Show Alone, playing on classic horror tropes and the audience's greatest fears.

If you fancy yourself a bit of an improvisor, there are also 27 workshops for performers of all experience levels. Improvise your way down to BATS Theatre for tickets.