[Come Together] Seoul City Improv

- Name of Club: Seoul City Improv

- Location(s): SCI rehearses at the White Box Theatre in Hyochang Park, and performs regularly in the Itaewon area. We have also started touring shows in different cities in Korea (Daegu, Daejeon, and Cheonan), as well as internationally (Taiwan, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Beijing).

- Number of members: SCI has rehearsal once a week and usually 10-20 people attend. Our performances usually have six to 10 performers, selected based on rehearsal attendance, dedication to the group, and talent.

- Started: July 2007

Who is it for? Seoul City Improv is for everyone. Our rehearsals are open to anyone who wants to learn about and try improvised performance. Our shows are for anyone who loves to have a good time and laugh.

What goes on? We practice and perform unscripted improvisational theatre. A lot of what we do is “short-form improv,” which consists of small games that usually have some sort of restriction the actors work around, like those you might see in the television show “Whose Line is it Anyway?” We also perform what is called “long-form improv,” which is like improvising an entire small play through open, spontaneous scene creation.

Plans for the future: SCI hopes to continue to grow and explore new ways to incorporate improv in a multicultural setting. This past year has been big for SCI: We have traveled throughout Korea and other Asian countries, and we have even established a troupe of Korean-speaking improvisers who have started performing in our shows.

We want to continue holding performances with increasing levels of quality. We would love to do more traveling shows, both inside Korea and abroad. We also want to continue to bridge the gap between English- and Korean-speaking audiences, so that more people can enjoy our show and attend our rehearsals. It is ambitious, but I think Seoul City Improv is up to it!

How to join? Email seoulimprov@gmail.com if you want more information about future SCI shows, or if you would like to attend one of our weekly open rehearsals. You can also get information from our website, www.seoulcityimprov.com

Are there any membership fees? There are no membership fees, but we ask rehearsal attendees to pay 1,000 won to cover the cost of our practice space.

What is the highlight of the year for your club? This year’s highlight is coming up next weekend. SCI is hosting Seoul’s first International Improv Festival from May 13-15, and we are looking forward to that immensely.

For this event, we will have visiting troupes from Hong Kong, Beijing and the United States travel to Seoul and perform with us for three days of quality, cross-cultural, multilingual improv. It will be at the Spazio Luce Theater in Itaewon, just a short walk straight out of Exit 2 of Itaewon Station.