Mark Your Calendars: SPIT Manila Is Hosting Asia's Biggest Improv Comedy Festival

(SPOT.ph) There’s not a lot to laugh about these days, what with all the chaos going on—but maybe that’s exactly why now’s the perfect time to seek it out. Good thing Asia’s largest comedy improv festival is just a few sleeps away, and we're not kidding when we say, it's happening right here in the Metro.

It's time to let out a big, unfiltered haha as the Manila Improv Festival is back this March. As the biggest gathering for improvisational theater and comedy in the region, you can count on something funny waiting around every corner. Here’s everything you need to know before you go.

Also read: When SPIT Hit Da Fans: How Manila's 20+ Year Old Improv Group Finally Achieved Hot Ticket Status

Happening on March 26 to 29 at The Proscenium Theater in Rockwell, the Manila Improv Festival is bringing laughs from all over the world right here in Metro Manila. Now in its 7th year, this festival brings together quick-witted performers and unscripted chaos from over 70 improv groups across the Philippines and more than 20 countries.

With its theme “Rise to the Moment,” the Manila Improv Festival's 7th run aims to make improv more accessible to a wider, more diverse audience than ever. And when you think about it, the timing checks out. Since the pandemic, more comedy troupes have been stepping into the spotlight, flexing their quick wit both online and onstage. Whether you’ve stumbled upon their skits on your feed or caught a show IRL, one thing’s clear: improv has broken through—and it’s more popular than ever.

So if you've been meaning to catch a show or two, this event is perfect for you. It's five days of pure comedic bliss, courtesy of not just performances from Manila Improv Fest founding group, SPIT Manila, but also other Filipino comedy groups like Housekeeping Improv, Noted with Thanks, Isprikitik Improv, and Buwan ng Wika Improv.

This year, the festival also brought in improv theater talents from across the globe, such as Japan's Oshow, Landy and Summers from the United States, Formosa Improv Group from Taiwan, China's Beijing Improv, India's Improv Lore, The Joy Riders from Australia, Imfrog from South Korea, and Les Musicables from Singapore.

Aside from catching performances from these comedians, the festival will also let the audience in on the fun. The Manila Improv Festival will also host several workshops facilitated by improvisers themselves. So if you want to improve your comedic timing, or learn about how to think on the fly and other improvisation theater skills, best to sign up ASAP as slots for these classes are limited.

As of writing, you can get tickets to the different improv shows at the Manila Improv Festival online via Ticketmelon.

You can buy tickets on a per-set basis, which gives you access to about two to three shows from different groups happening on that day.

Take note: on March 28 and 29—the festival weekend—there are multiple show slots throughout the day: a 2 p.m. set, a couple of 4 p.m. shows, and an 8 p.m. lineup. Each slot features a different group, so it’s best to check the lineup first before locking in your tickets.

Opening night performers: SPIT Manila and Galaw Co. Dance Theater

• Blue Zone: P3,500

• Green Zone: P3,000

• Yellow Zone: P2,500

• Red Zone: P2,000

Note that these ticketing tiers are only applicable to the opening show. Other shows across the festival have a single ticketing tier whose pricing varies depending on the venue.

Featuring: Landry & Summers, Herring & Chopsticks: Generations, Isprikitik Improv, and The Joy Riders: P1,500

Featuring: Fillow Talk, The Rainbow Connection, Noted with Thanks, and Housekeeping Improv: P 1,500

• March 28, 2 p.m., at The Blackbox at the Proscenium Theater

  • P1,000

  • Featuring: Beijing Improv, IMFROG, CUPID, and 无名之辈 Nobody Improv

• March 28, 4 p.m., at Collab Cove (SoFa)

  • P1,000

  • Featuring: TBC Improv HK, PunDeSal, Heartsmith, and Frites & Chips

• March 28, 4 p.m., at Design Studio (SoFa)

  • P1,000

  • Featuring: KL Improv Play [KLIP], Strangers In-Sync, Short Kweens, and New Kitten Party & Friends

• March 28, 8 p.m. at The Blackbox at the Proscenium Theater

  • P1,500

  • Featuring: Oshow, Formosa Improv Group, Improv Lore, and Les Musicables

• March 29, 2 p.m., at The Blackbox at the Proscenium Theater

  • P1,000

  • Featuring: Big Fork Theater, Platform, SHIKO-HIN, and Hausmates

• March 29, 4 p.m., at Collab Cove (SoFa)

  • P1,000

  • Featuring: Buwan ng Wika Improv, Moment to Movement, Improvper Conduct, Malingap Beksters

• March 29, 4 p.m., at Design Studio (SoFa)

  • P1,000

  • Featuring: The Council of Ordinary People, 3albaraka Improv, The Kitchen Gods, and Lowloungers

• March 29, 8 p.m. at The Blackbox at the Proscenium Theater

  • P1,500

  • Featuring: A II Z, Guts Improv Theatre, ATom, and Memeprov

Alternatively, you can also buy day passes for the weekend shows at P2,975 per head. These passes grant you access to all the shows on that day at a discounted rate, so if you're planning to catch more than one set, this one's the best deal for you. But if you're planning to catch all the shows during the Manila Improv Festival, they all have an Unli Show Pass for P10,625—that's roughly P966 per show if you're going to all 11 shows, quite a steal if you ask us.

If the shows you catch have inspired you to work on your own comedic and improvisational skills, the festival also has a slew of workshops you can join. Workshop costs vary depending on the topic, instructor, and venue. Make sure to double-check all the details of the workshops you join, as they are often held simultaneously in different venues around Makati.

In general, you can expect admission to range from P3,000 to P6,000— because nobody ever said being funny was easy, nor cheap. You can also sign up for the workshops through Ticketmelon.

Get ready to laugh out loud at this five-day comedic fiesta, and who knows? Maybe next time you won't just be laughing with the crowd, you'll be the one delivering the punchlines.

Get your tickets to all the shows and workshops via Ticketmelon. For more information, visit the Manila Improv Festival's Facebook page.

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