If you’ve never been to an improv festival before here are some simple tips to help you to have the best time you can have when first going to one. The important thing though that whatever you do just have fun and enjoy seeing some great improv, performing if you get the chance and connect with some great performers.
1: Introduce Yourself To The Organisers
This one is as simple as it sounds, and can lead to lots of benefits to give you the best time possible. So you’ve applied to take part in the festival, and you’ve been accepted. Great! Guess what? The person or people who accepted you or your show are happy to have you joining their festival and are already looking forward to having you there.
Even before you arrive at the festival in person it’s never a bad idea to send a quick email to say how excited you are and that you’re looking forward to taking part in the festival. There’s a good chance the organiser will write back and thank you and may even take the opportunity to say about some of the activities and events that will be taking place. Sure, in one sense this will be their sales pitch, but it’s also an opportunity to ask a follow up question or two. Ask about a workshop you’re interested in, or if you’re from out of town you could ask for a cheeky tip on where to stay or where is good to eat.
Don’t worry if you don’t get replies to everything as organising a festival take a lot of time and the organiser probably is dealing with dozens of emails about the festival every week. But this short introduction will certainly help put you in their thoughts for when you do meet in real life.
When you then do meet the organisers in real life do take the chance to say hello and introduce yourself in person. Again they may not have time for a long chat if you’ve turned up just before your show, but certainly this will be great groundwork to then go and speak to them after the show and strike up a conversation.
Networking isn’t the easiest thing in the world, but you’ll have no better opportunity than when you’ve literally just performed in their festival. You can chit chat about the other acts and also say about your work and ask what the organiser will do next after the festival. Don’t be surprised if their reply is to ‘sleep’ as festival organisation is very busy work.
This brief chat can be great to get you remembered for if you want to apply again the next year, or to perform with the organisers throughout the year, or even get recommended by them if you’re applying to a different festival another time.
But beyond this, the organiser will be the best source for local info of places to go, things to see or which other shows or workshops to look out for. They may even be able to introduce you to others at the festival to help you make more connections.
Main tips are to be polite, light hearted and show an interest in them and not just talk about yourself. If you only show an interest in networking for furthering yourself it can be off putting to others. If you show an interest in others and offer more then you take you’ll get on much better.
