Greetings from JP!
Things are heating up … literally. As temperatures rise, don’t forget to take good care of yourselves. Try to stay indoors and well-hydrated at all times.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t stay active and keep learning. May 2nd was Indonesia’s National Education Day, so why not celebrate the whole month of May by learning something new, reading up on things, or polishing an old skill?
MONTHLY FEATURE
We gave a short introduction to improv last month, but many of our members are experienced improv actors! We talked with one of them, Jessy, to learn more about her improv journey and how she got into this wonderful form of acting.
Things are heating up … literally. As temperatures rise, don’t forget to take good care of yourselves. Try to stay indoors and well-hydrated at all times.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t stay active and keep learning. May 2nd was Indonesia’s National Education Day, so why not celebrate the whole month of May by learning something new, reading up on things, or polishing an old skill?
MONTHLY FEATURE
We gave a short introduction to improv last month, but many of our members are experienced improv actors! We talked with one of them, Jessy, to learn more about her improv journey and how she got into this wonderful form of acting.
1. Would you please introduce yourself?
Hello, I am Jessy (Jessica Happe) from Germany. I moved to Tangerang in August 2023 to teach German, English, Philosophy, and Drama at the German International School Jakarta. I love exploring – new countries, communities, cultures, nature, and arts – of any kind. So here I am – full of curiosity and openness to the unknown.
2. How did you get into improv?
I have always improvised. As a child when the family culture at my friends’ homes was very different from my own, as a teenager when I had to make sense from the Latin texts I had to translate into German, as a teacher when I had – and still have – to handle funny demeanour, weird questions or confusion of my students, as a traveller and adventurer in any way you may or may not be able to imagine. I think we all do in a way. I always loved it and wanted more. So, when a friend of mine asked me to join her troupe’s rehearsal one day, I was all in.
3. What's your experience with improv so far?
After I had joined my friend’s troupe in my hometown for about two years, learning all the basics and happily striving in the improv vibe, the pandemic hit. Unlike most people might think right now, this was not the end but my gateway to international improv.
Thanks to some gorgeous improvisors from Germany who – out of passion, panic, and progressiveness – started online improv festivals, featuring the most gorgeous improv and acting coaches from all over the world, I dived deeper into improv than I had ever dared to imagine before. I participated in uncountable workshops, played and made friends with hundreds of wonderful improvisors sitting in front of their screens in every corner of the planet, tackling the odd situation of the global lockdowns with creativity and joy. With some I even formed international online troupes who kept on rehearsing and performing for another two years. After the pandemic, I took every chance I could get to join festivals, whenever travelling I joined local troupes for jams, rehearsals and shows.
By now, I have learned from fabulous improv coaches from Europe, the Middle East, Canada, the US, South America, and Oceania. I have performed in Germany, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand. And there are surely more places to come.
~
Stay tuned for next month’s newsletter where Jessy will share about her experience at the Auckland Improv Festival 2024!
Hello, I am Jessy (Jessica Happe) from Germany. I moved to Tangerang in August 2023 to teach German, English, Philosophy, and Drama at the German International School Jakarta. I love exploring – new countries, communities, cultures, nature, and arts – of any kind. So here I am – full of curiosity and openness to the unknown.
2. How did you get into improv?
I have always improvised. As a child when the family culture at my friends’ homes was very different from my own, as a teenager when I had to make sense from the Latin texts I had to translate into German, as a teacher when I had – and still have – to handle funny demeanour, weird questions or confusion of my students, as a traveller and adventurer in any way you may or may not be able to imagine. I think we all do in a way. I always loved it and wanted more. So, when a friend of mine asked me to join her troupe’s rehearsal one day, I was all in.
3. What's your experience with improv so far?
After I had joined my friend’s troupe in my hometown for about two years, learning all the basics and happily striving in the improv vibe, the pandemic hit. Unlike most people might think right now, this was not the end but my gateway to international improv.
Thanks to some gorgeous improvisors from Germany who – out of passion, panic, and progressiveness – started online improv festivals, featuring the most gorgeous improv and acting coaches from all over the world, I dived deeper into improv than I had ever dared to imagine before. I participated in uncountable workshops, played and made friends with hundreds of wonderful improvisors sitting in front of their screens in every corner of the planet, tackling the odd situation of the global lockdowns with creativity and joy. With some I even formed international online troupes who kept on rehearsing and performing for another two years. After the pandemic, I took every chance I could get to join festivals, whenever travelling I joined local troupes for jams, rehearsals and shows.
By now, I have learned from fabulous improv coaches from Europe, the Middle East, Canada, the US, South America, and Oceania. I have performed in Germany, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand. And there are surely more places to come.
~
Stay tuned for next month’s newsletter where Jessy will share about her experience at the Auckland Improv Festival 2024!