International Improv & Playback Theatre Festival 2026 – #MeetInNigeria

The International Improv & Playback Theatre Festival 2026 (#MeetInNigeria) is a historic first — Africa’s inaugural International Improv and Playback Theatre Festival.

Taking place from 21–27 June 2026 in Abuja, Nigeria, this week-long gathering brings together artists, educators, humanitarian and development practitioners, corporate leaders, and community facilitators from across Africa and the world.

Participants will experience hands-on workshops and masterclasses in improvisation, Playback Theatre, and applied theatre for storytelling, social change, mental health, and leadership. The festival also features live interactive performances where real stories are transformed into spontaneous theatre.

Beyond the stage, the festival creates space for connection, collaboration, and exchange through networking sessions, community engagement, and shared learning with international facilitators and local practitioners.

Scholarships are available to support inclusion and reduce financial barriers to participation.

This is a space where creativity meets community, learning meets action, and stories become tools for change.

Info: Visiting artists and international participants are invited to experience the energy, music, spontaneity, and collective expression of a contemporary Nigerian church service.

In many Nigerian worship spaces, music, singing, dance, storytelling, and audience participation unfold dynamically in the moment, creating a powerful example of improvisation within community life and spiritual practice.

This optional cultural experience offers guests an opportunity to observe and engage with the rhythms, performance traditions, and communal atmosphere that shape an important part of Nigerian social and cultural life.

Participants are welcome to attend as observers or participate at their own comfort level.

Info: Learn the art of hosting and facilitating live improv performances with confidence, presence, and spontaneity. This interactive pre-festival workshop explores what it means to MC an improv show — from engaging audiences and introducing performers to managing energy, transitions, and unexpected moments in real time.

Through guided exercises and live practice, participants will develop practical skills in stage presence, audience connection, communication, timing, and improvising under pressure. You’ll learn how to create a welcoming atmosphere, support performers, and keep a show flowing naturally and confidently.

Beyond performance, the workshop is valuable for facilitators, educators, trainers, event hosts, humanitarian practitioners, and anyone working with groups or public engagement.

Whether you are new to improv or already performing, this workshop offers a fun and supportive space to strengthen your voice, leadership, and ability to connect with people in the moment.

Info: Join us for the official opening of the International Improv & Playback Theatre Festival 2026 as we welcome international guests, facilitators, performers, and participants from around the world to Abuja for seven days of creativity, storytelling, and connection.

The evening will feature live improv and Playback Theatre performances, artist introductions, community celebration, and a cocktail reception designed to create space for exchange, networking, and shared experience.

We are honored to welcome special guests including Barr. Hannatu Musa Musawa, Honourable Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, and Hon. Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Honourable Minister for Women Affairs and Social Development, alongside artists, educators, humanitarian practitioners, and cultural leaders from around the world.

Come celebrate the beginning of an unforgettable international gathering where theatre, storytelling, and human connection meet.

Info: Discover the foundations of Playback Theatre, a unique form of improvisational theatre where personal stories are shared and immediately brought to life on stage through movement, music, and performance.

This introductory workshop invites participants to explore deep listening, empathy, spontaneity, and ensemble collaboration while learning how to respectfully transform real-life experiences into shared theatrical moments.

Through guided exercises and simple Playback forms, participants will experience how storytelling can create connection, reflection, and community.

Open to beginners, performers, educators, facilitators, humanitarian practitioners, and anyone interested in the power of human stories and creative expression.

Info: Be someone everyone wants to play with. Led by Aree Widya Witoelar, this workshop explores how to become a generous, engaging, and supportive scene partner in improv. The focus is on building trust, connection, and the kind of presence that helps everyone on stage feel confident and successful. Participants will work on advanced listening, group awareness, and collaborative mindset, while developing the attitude that makes scenes stronger no matter who you are playing with, beginner or experienced. Beyond performance, this workshop is highly relevant for humanitarian and development practitioners, facilitators, and community workers. It strengthens skills in active listening, collaboration, emotional intelligence, and working effectively in teams where trust and adaptability are essential. A practical and playful session focused on connection, generosity, and creating environments where people can thrive together.

Info:

This playful and interactive workshop is open to everyone, regardless of improv experience. Through theatre games, roleplay, and collaborative exercises, participants will explore confidence, flexibility, empathy, and inclusive communication in a supportive environment.

The workshop examines how people with different lived experiences can still build meaningful connection while developing practical tools for recognizing exclusion, understanding privilege, and confidently interrupting harm in personal and professional spaces.

Participants will practice active listening, intentional interruption, collaboration, and allyship through engaging improv-based activities designed to strengthen communication and social awareness.

Ideal for performers, educators, facilitators, humanitarian practitioners, community leaders, and anyone interested in creating more inclusive and supportive spaces through creativity and play.

Info: Step into the playful world of animation-inspired improv in this energetic and imaginative workshop inspired by those lovable yellow characters.

Through movement, physical comedy, facial expression, and bold character choices, participants will explore how to create fun, expressive performances that connect beyond words. The workshop focuses on playfulness, emotional connection, spontaneity, and ensemble collaboration while encouraging performers to fully embrace curiosity and joy on stage.

Participants will learn how to build dynamic characters, create strong physical storytelling, and make fearless choices that spark engaging scenes and meaningful connection with scene partners.

Open to improvisers, performers, educators, facilitators, and anyone looking to reconnect with the playful spirit at the heart of improvisation.

Info: How much do you really care about your scene partner? Led by Nick Byrne, this workshop explores how genuine attention, listening, and support can transform improvisation and make scenes easier, richer, and more enjoyable. Through simple, practical exercises, participants learn to truly see, hear, and respond to one another on stage. The focus is on building habits that naturally lead to stronger offers, deeper support, and more connected performances without forcing technique. The work also encourages healthier group dynamics, trust, empathy, and collaboration skills valuable both on and off stage. Expect a playful, engaging session that makes improvising feel more natural, honest, and fun.

Info: A night of live improvisation designed for anyone curious about theatre, even if you have never seen improv before.

“Desires” by Michalis Panagiotakis and Chara Kanta is a performance that unfolds in the moment through movement, emotion, and spontaneous interaction. There is no script and nothing is repeated. What you see is created live, shaped by instinct, presence, and connection.

The Teacher’s Show brings the festival’s instructors on stage for a playful and unpredictable performance built from audience suggestions. Scenes, characters, and stories appear instantly and disappear just as quickly, revealing how imagination and listening can turn anything into theatre.

Together, these performances offer an open invitation into the world of improvisation, where nothing is planned and everything begins with what is in front of you.

Info: “The Game” is often described as “what’s funny in the scene,” but it is one of the most essential and misunderstood concepts in improv.

In this practical workshop, participants will break down the mechanics of Game into clear, usable components through focused drills and scene work. You will explore how to identify patterns, build strong setups, heighten ideas, and sustain comedic dynamics in performance.

Key areas include framing scenes, playing the voice of reason, amplifying unusual choices, mapping patterns, exploring weird worlds, and strengthening your ability to respond creatively in the moment.

By the end of the session, participants will be able to recognize scene dynamics more clearly and use Game-based thinking to enhance their own improvisation style.

While rooted in comedic improv, these skills also support adaptability, pattern recognition, and real-time decision-making useful in facilitation, education, and humanitarian communication where clarity and responsiveness

Info: Whether you are brand new to the mic or an experienced MC, this workshop invites you to discover your unique voice through freestyle rap, rhythm, and spontaneous expression.

Participants will explore simple methods for building verses, practicing flow, and performing from a place of authenticity. Through guided exercises, you will experiment with rapping in scenes, creating bold characters, and developing expressive performance personas in a supportive and playful environment.

The focus is on creativity, confidence, and letting go of fear of failure while learning to respond in the moment with rhythm and presence.

No prior rap experience is needed. Open to performers, facilitators, educators, humanitarian practitioners, and anyone interested in using voice, rhythm, and storytelling as tools for expression and connection.

Info: Discover the art of silent physical theatre in this playful, hands-on workshop. Explore character, movement, shape, and shadow to tell stories without words. Using music as inspiration, you’ll practice gesture, tempo, and kinesthetic response to create expressive scenes.

The session culminates in improvised silent duos, drawing on the charm of classic silent film performers like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. No dialogue, just movement, presence, and visual storytelling.

Open to performers, improvisers, educators, and anyone curious about physical theatre and non-verbal expression.

Info: This playful, hands-on workshop invites participants to explore improvisation through movement, connection, and the theme of love. Through warm-up exercises, statues, and fluid sculptures, you’ll learn to perform on the spot, step outside your comfort zone, and collaborate with others.

Participants will experience the structure of Playback Theatre — including teller, conductor, musician, and audience — while bringing stories to life and performing as players in group-created scenes.

Open to performers, improvisers, and anyone curious about movement-based storytelling and playful exploration.

Info: Great improv isn’t just about being funny. It’s about feeling something real. This workshop explores emotion as a tool for connection, character, and storytelling.

Through exercises and scene work, participants learn to trust emotional impulses, respond honestly in the moment, and build more alive, human scenes.

We’ll explore both subtle and big emotions without forcing or overacting.

Beyond performance, this is valuable for humanitarian and development workers, educators, facilitators, and community workers. It builds skills in empathy, active listening, emotional awareness, and human connection that are useful in real community work and engagement.

Open to all levels. Expect play, honesty, and connection.

Info: Stories That Move Us is a workshop about returning to the heart of storytelling in improv. Instead of only creating scenes from imagination, we work with real stories, lived experience, and what is already true in us.

Led by Oluwadamilola Abdulai-Apotieri, the session draws from Playback Theatre and improv practice to explore listening, empathy, and spontaneous performance. Participants learn how to hold space for stories and transform them into shared, meaningful scenes.

The workshop is not just about performance but about presence, trust, and human connection.

It is especially relevant for humanitarian and development workers, facilitators, educators, and community practitioners who work with people and real-life experiences. It strengthens skills in listening, empathy, and participatory engagement.

A powerful and widely attended workshop featured in festivals across the US, Norway, and Sweden.

Info: Evening Performance – Tuesday

A double bill of live improvisation bringing together international artists for an evening of bold, unpredictable theatre.

“Herring & Chopsticks: Generations” by Aree Widya Witoelar (Norway/Indonesia), Yuehan Liu (Sweden), Sabrina Manansala (Philippine), and Stephen Lee (UK) explores memory, culture, and connection across generations. Through spontaneous storytelling and movement, the performers weave moments that shift between humor, reflection, and surprise, creating a living conversation on stage.

“Unconditional” by Nick Byrne and Damilola Apotieri is an improvised journey into relationships, trust, and human connection. Every scene emerges in real time, shaped by presence and response, revealing what happens when stories are built without a script and guided only by honesty in the moment.

Two distinct performances, one evening of improvisation where nothing is planned and everything unfolds live.

Info: This workshop/conference explores how theatre-based practices can support social justice and humanitarian work.

Facilitated by Warren Nebe and Oluwadamilola Abdulai-Apotieri, it uses improvisation, storytelling, and drama therapy techniques to explore lived experience, dialogue, and community engagement.

Participants will take part in practical, hands-on exercises focused on listening, presence, empathy, and working with emotion in group settings.

Designed for humanitarian workers, facilitators, educators, artists, and community practitioners.

A participatory space where creativity meets real-world social change.

Info: A powerful and playful evening bringing together theatre, storytelling, and celebration.

The Mask (GBV-focused performance) – Chara Kanta
A moving improvised performance exploring gender-based violence through physical theatre and emotional storytelling. “The Mask” gives space to difficult truths while inviting reflection, empathy, and awareness through live performance.

Playback Theatre Performance – Art for Life Theatre Company (Botswana / South Africa) with Ensemble Improv
A unique form of theatre where real audience stories are shared and immediately brought to life on stage. Each story is performed spontaneously, transforming personal experiences into shared moments of connection, understanding, and theatre in real time.

Karaoke Night
End the evening on a lighter note with a fun, open karaoke session where everyone is welcome to take the stage, sing, and celebrate together.

Info: This workshop explores the unique approach of Big Bang free-form improvisation.

Led by Will Luera, participants work with the idea of “follow the funny” and learn how every moment on stage can open a pathway into the next scene.

Through guided exercises, participants deconstruct scenes, movement, and dialogue to discover how patterns emerge naturally and how structure can be created from apparent chaos.

Beyond performance, this workshop is also relevant for humanitarian and development practitioners, facilitators, and community workers. It builds skills in adaptability, active listening, rapid response, and working with uncertainty, all essential in real-world field environments, community engagement, and group facilitation.

A hands-on, high-energy session focused on play, responsiveness, and finding clarity and structure in unpredictable situations.

Info: Improv is storytelling, but whose stories are we telling?

In this playful and imaginative workshop, participants will explore folklore, fairy tales, and cultural stories from different parts of the world through improvisation. From Western classics like Cinderella to Eastern stories such as Malin Kundang, The Ox, and The Kancil, the workshop invites participants to step into unfamiliar narratives and discover new ways of creating together.

Participants will learn how to perform confidently even when cultural references are unfamiliar, while building openness, curiosity, adaptability, and deeper cultural awareness through collaborative play.

Info: This workshop puts movement at the center of scene creation.

Participants explore how physical choices like gesture, posture, space, and movement can spark scenes, define characters, and drive storytelling without words. Through playful exercises and guided exploration, the body becomes the main tool for making offers, building relationships, and communicating clearly on stage.

The workshop also supports awareness of physical limits while safely expanding expressive range.

Beyond performance, this is relevant for humanitarian and development practitioners, facilitators, and community workers. It strengthens non-verbal communication, observation, adaptability, and the ability to connect across language and cultural differences.

Open to non-improvisers, dancers, beginners, and experienced performers, and will culminate in a performance.

Info: This is the follow-up workshop for Derby Duo, focused on refining the silent physical theatre format leading into performance.

Participants deepen work in movement, character, and visual storytelling using light, shadow, shape, and physical presence. The emphasis is on communicating without words and building clear, expressive silent scenes.

Music, tempo, and rhythm are used to inspire character and guide interaction, with a focus on ensemble awareness and visual composition.

Beyond performance, this work builds practical skills for humanitarian and development practitioners, including non-verbal communication, observation, adaptability, and working across language barriers.

This session directly supports preparation for the final silent improvised performance.

Info: Many improvisers aim to be smart or impressive on stage. This workshop explores something different, the freedom of not needing to win.

Led by Nicholas Ford, participants learn how to play characters who fail, struggle, or fall short, not as jokes but as real, human moments that create stronger scenes and deeper connection.

Through exercises and scene work, we explore vulnerability, responsiveness, and letting go of control.

Beyond performance, this is relevant for humanitarian and development workers, facilitators, and community practitioners. It builds comfort with uncertainty, humility, adaptability, and staying present when things don’t go as planned.

A playful session about imperfection, honesty, and creative freedom.

Info: Eat The Eyeball is a sold-out workshop from the Robin Hood Festival (Nottingham, Sep 2025) that explores how to build long-form scenes from small, grounded beginnings.

Led by Stephan Lee, the workshop uses the idea of fully “using the fish” to encourage improvisers to slow down and explore the first moments of a scene instead of rushing to change or escalate it.

Participants work with the principle of “If this is true, what else is true?” learning how to mine simple offers deeply and discover rich, organic storytelling from minimal starting points.

Beyond performance, this approach is relevant for humanitarian and development practitioners, facilitators, and community workers. It strengthens patience, deep listening, observation, and the ability to work effectively with limited information in real-world situations.

A practical session focused on calm focus, clarity, and trusting what is already present in the moment.

Info: An evening of imagination, movement, and open improvisation, bringing together storytelling and playful performance.

Fairy Tales from the East – Aree
A live improvised journey inspired by Eastern fairy tales and folklore. Stories unfold in the moment, blending myth, imagination, and spontaneous storytelling to create familiar yet unexpected worlds.

Dynamic Bodies, Dynamic Stories – Sabrina
An exploration of movement and physical expression in improvisation. Through the body, emotions and stories emerge without words, revealing how movement itself can become narrative.

Improv Jamz
A relaxed and open improv jam where performers and participants come together to create scenes on the spot. Anything can happen as ideas are shared, built, and transformed live on stage.

Info: This embodied workshop explores the philosophy of listening and its central role in improvisation and relational storytelling.

Led by Warren Nebe, participants will work with Playback Theatre approaches to deepen presence, attention, and responsiveness to others’ stories as they emerge in the moment.

Through guided exercises and embodied practice, the session explores how listening shapes connection, supports truthful improvisation, and helps bring the “soul of story” to life on stage.

These practices also translate into humanitarian and development work, facilitation, and community engagement, especially in contexts that require deep listening, presence, and working with lived experience.

A reflective and experiential session focused on listening as action, connection, and creative practice.

Info: You've played “This is a red ball.” But is it a glittering, diamond-encrusted disco ball, or a worn-down, quarter-sized rubber ball?

Led by Stephanie Rae, this workshop explores how detail and specificity can transform scenes, heighten comedy, and make improvisation more vivid and believable. Through mental exercises and playful scene work, participants build the skill of making clear, specific choices that strengthen storytelling.

We’ll then apply these tools through improv inspired by true stories, learning how specificity can unlock richer characters, stronger relationships, and more engaging scenes.

The work also supports skills useful beyond performance, including communication, observation, and clarity of expression for facilitators, educators, and practitioners working with people and real-world narratives.

Expect a high-energy, playful session where small details create big impact.

Info: Put the “I” in improv is about bringing your whole self into your work on stage.

Led by Stephan Lee, this workshop explores how personal experience, memory, values, and identity shape improvisation. Participants will reflect on key moments from their lives and explore how these can inspire authentic characters, grounded scenes, and meaningful story development.

The focus is on playing truthfully, trusting your instincts, and allowing your individuality to guide your choices while still working collaboratively in ensemble improv.

The skills in this workshop also translate into facilitation, education, and community-based work, where self-awareness, authenticity, and emotional intelligence support stronger communication and human connection.

A reflective and practical session on using your own lived experience as a creative resource.

Info: This playful workshop introduces children to improvisation through games, storytelling, movement, and imagination.

Participants will learn how to create scenes on the spot, build characters, and work together as a team without a script. The focus is on creativity, listening, confidence, and expressing ideas freely in a supportive environment.

Through guided play, children develop communication skills, emotional awareness, collaboration, and quick thinking in the moment.

Beyond theatre, these skills support confidence, learning, and positive social interaction in school and community life.

The workshop will culminate in an open performance for an audience, where participants share short improvised scenes and celebrate their creativity.

Info: Led by Nick Byrne, Dimensions has become Nick’s most popular international workshop of the past year.

The workshop explores how we are affected by the ghosts of the past and the premonitions of the future — characters who can inhabit the same stage space simultaneously, even when they cannot truly see or hear one another.

Partly a study in building impactful long-form narratives, and partly a physical exploration of stagecraft, Dimensions introduces new ways of using shared space, overlap, and movement to create layered storytelling. Participants learn how separate scenes and timelines can coexist, influence each other, and gradually weave together into a larger emotional and theatrical experience.

The workshop culminates in a performance format called All At Once, demonstrating how a single place can carry the presence and influence of everyone who has inhabited it over time.

Alongside its artistic and narrative depth, Dimensions is also simply enormous fun — allowing

Info: Make assumptions and move the scene forward. There is no right or wrong, only making a choice or avoiding one.

Led by Michalis Panagiotakis, this workshop focuses on bold decision-making in improvisation. Participants learn how to trust impulses, commit to choices, and keep scenes moving without hesitation or overthinking.

Through fast-paced exercises and scene work, improvisers practice responding directly to partners, building momentum, and discovering how strong choices naturally create story and connection.

Beyond performance, this workshop is relevant for humanitarian and development practitioners, facilitators, and community workers. It strengthens decisiveness, clarity under pressure, adaptability, and the ability to act in uncertain or fast-changing situations.

Info: A high-energy evening of improvisation featuring bold performances and festival highlights.

Derby Duo – directed by Miki Manting
A fast-paced improvised performance driven by strong characters, sharp choices, and unexpected twists. Two performers navigate shifting scenes and relationships in real time, creating a dynamic and unpredictable theatrical journey.

Dimensions – directed by Nick Byrne
An exploration of perspective and possibility through improvisation. Scenes evolve across shifting realities and viewpoints, revealing how a single moment can unfold in multiple directions when created live on stage.

Headliners’ Show
A showcase of featured festival performers coming together for a final, unrepeatable improvised performance. Expect bold choices, playful risk-taking, and a celebration of everything discovered throughout the festival.

Info: Is there a facilitator you’ve been hoping to learn from but haven’t had the chance yet? The Open Space Improv Learning Experience gives you that opportunity.

Each facilitator leads a 3-hour workshop, offering a focused, in-depth session of improvisation training, exploration, and scene work within their unique approach.

This format is first come, first served, with all sessions limited to 15 participants to ensure an intimate, hands-on learning experience.

Participants are encouraged to choose the sessions they are most drawn to, creating a flexible day of learning shaped by personal interest, curiosity, and discovery across different teaching styles.

Info: This continuation workshop, led by Stephanie Rae, builds on the creativity, confidence, and teamwork explored in Friday’s session, guiding participants toward a final improvised performance on Day 7. Through games, storytelling, movement, and scene work, children will deepen their skills in character creation, listening, collaboration, and performing without a script. The workshop focuses on helping participants feel more confident sharing ideas, supporting one another on stage, and creating stories together in the moment. Participants will begin shaping playful improvised scenes that will later be shared with an audience during the final showcase, celebrating their imagination, growth, and collective creativity.

Info: A final night of celebration, featuring competition, performance, and the crowning moment of the festival.

Closing Jamz – Teachers Theatre Sports
The festival teachers take the stage for a lively Theatre Sports showdown. Fast-paced games, quick thinking, and spontaneous scenes collide in a playful battle of creativity, humour, and skill where anything can happen.

Improv Saturday – Performed by The Ensemble Improv Theatre Company
A dynamic improvised performance by The Ensemble Improv Theatre Company, featuring bold characters, unexpected stories, and scenes created entirely in the moment. A final showcase of imagination and collaboration on stage.

Micestro – Festival Competition & Crowning
Participants go head-to-head in a series of improv challenges to discover the Micestro of the festival. Through games, scenes, and audience engagement, one performer will stand out and be crowned Micestro, holding the title for one year as a celebration of improvisation, creativity, and presence.

Info: A festival showcase featuring multiple live improvised performances, ensemble presentations, experimental formats, Playback Theatre pieces, and collaborative stage work developed throughout the festival week.

The showcase celebrates spontaneity, storytelling, movement, humour, emotional connection, and the creative exchange shared by participants and facilitators from across the world.

Audiences can expect a vibrant mix of short-form improv, long-form structures, physical theatre, audience-inspired scenes, and original collaborative performance experiences.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Abuja, Nigeria

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