Member Article

Manchester based ImproQuo links with ‘Big Apple’ just months after launch

Following the success of their free weekly ‘improv jams’, ImproQuo was launched by Director, Eji Osigwe, in October last year, with the aim to fill a gap in the market for comprehensive improvisation and character building workshops in the Manchester creative community.

The young company have compiled an impressive programme of regular and guest teachers from around the world to bring a variety of skills and experiences to Manchester. The most recent addition to the ImproQuo ‘roster’ is a weekend long ‘character to performance’ workshop with internationally-renowned improvisation teacher, Michael J Gellman.

Gellman is Artistic Director of New York based Process Theatre, as well as a teacher at Loyalist College, and holding Master Workshops for Second City International and Artistic New Directions NYC. With a number of prestigious accolades under his belt, Michael is recognised globally, from being nominated for Best Director for Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Award, and winning a Chalmers Award for Best Director, to teaching, directing and acting with some of the greatest performers such as Steve Carrell, Tina Fey, Bill Murray and John Candy to name but a few.

Talking of his enthralling career to date, his thoughts on improv and what it’s like coming to teach in the UK, Gellman said:

“After being introduced to ImproQuo by Simone Tani in Chicago, we are thrilled to now have the opportunity to meet the team and explore and share new approaches to improvisation. This is my second time in the UK and we are very excited to be teaching workshops hosted by ImproQuo in Manchester and Liverpool coming up this April. I believe strongly that improvisational theatre is not only a style of performance but one of the best methods we have to train actors and stimulate the creative process, something I am excited to bring to the creative community in the North West of England.”

With this in mind, the presence of Michael Gellman to run a class over a whole weekend in conjunction with ImproQuo is an incredible partnership to have formed so soon after the business’ launch. Being able to offer a workshop led by such a prominent figure to current and potential students in and around Manchester is a truly unique offering, and a once in a life time opportunity for many. Speaking of the partnership, Director, Eji Osigwe comments:

“We are delighted to host Michael Gellman’s weekend workshop. Having been director of Second City in the US and Canada for 25 years, Michael has a wealth of improv knowledge to share and we are so lucky to host him in both Manchester and Liverpool. This is an amazing feat for us after only launching 5 months ago, and we hope this encourages many of the creative community in the North West to come and learn from our workshops and classes.”

With a range of workshops on the horizon focussing on a variety of aspects of improv from spoken performance to mask work, and ties in the Big Apple already, the future looks bright and definitely busy for the ImproQuo team.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Olivia Parkes .