Festival de Improvisação
Lisbon, Portugal
June 23–25, 2026
An international gathering exploring improvisation across music, theatre, movement and interdisciplinary art.
Part of the Performing Bridges Erasmus+ project.
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
About the Festival
Total Improv Festival is an international gathering exploring improvisation across music, theatre, movement and interdisciplinary art.
For three days artists, performers, educators and curious participants come together to experiment, learn, collaborate and share creative practices.
The festival is part of the Performing Bridges Erasmus+ project, which explores how improvisation can support creativity, learning and collaboration across artistic and educational contexts.
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
About the Festival
Total Improv Festival brings together artists and participants from different disciplines who are interested in improvisation as a creative practice.
The festival creates a space where musicians, dancers, theatre practitioners, educators, and interdisciplinary artists can meet, exchange ideas, and develop new forms of artistic collaboration.
Improvisation becomes the common language that allows participants to work across disciplines, respond to the present moment, and explore new creative possibilities.
Rather than presenting a fixed program, the festival encourages experimentation, dialogue, and shared creative discovery.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Festival as a Living Laboratory
Within the Performing Bridges project, the festival functions as a living laboratory where ideas about improvisation can be explored in practice.
The project investigates how improvisation can support communication, creativity, and collaboration in artistic and educational environments.
During the festival, artists and participants engage in workshops, collaborative sessions, and performances that allow these ideas to unfold in real time.
The experiences and insights emerging from the festival contribute to the development of the Performing Bridges methodological toolkit and online platform, helping to document and share practices that can support educators, artists, and cultural professionals across Europe.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Festival Structure
The festival unfolds through several interconnected activities that combine artistic exploration and collaborative practice:
Festival Activities
Certificate of Participation
Participants who attend the sessions will receive a certificate of participation confirming their involvement in the Performing Bridges Training Program.
The certificate acknowledges participation in a series of international sessions exploring improvisation as a tool for creative learning and artistic collaboration.
Join the Training Program
We welcome educators, artists, cultural professionals, and anyone interested in exploring improvisation as a tool for creativity, learning, and collaboration.
Participants may join a single session or participate in the full series.
Choose your preferred session and register using the links above.
Educational Workshops
The festival includes a three-day workshop program where participants explore improvisation through practical sessions and creative laboratories.
Artists and facilitators working in music, theatre, movement and interdisciplinary art guide participants through exercises, collaborative experiments and shared creative processes. The workshops focus on listening, presence, collective creation and the ability to respond to the unexpected.
These sessions create a space where participants can deepen their artistic practice while also exchanging experiences with artists and educators from different backgrounds.
Open Improvisation Jam Sessions
Open improvisation sessions take place throughout the festival as informal gatherings where musicians, dancers, performers and artists can improvise together.
These sessions are designed as a space for spontaneous collaboration and creative exploration. Participants can join, observe, experiment with sound or movement, and interact with artists from different disciplines.
The sessions encourage curiosity and shared presence, allowing artistic encounters to emerge naturally without predefined structures.
The schedule is coming soon.
Evening Performances
Each evening the festival presents a series of performances by invited artists working with improvisation across disciplines.
Music, theatre, dance and interdisciplinary performance come together in a program that invites audiences to experience improvisation as a live artistic form. These performances highlight the diversity of improvisational practices and offer a public moment where artistic experimentation meets audience engagement.
The evening program opens the festival to a wider community and creates opportunities for dialogue between artists, participants and visitors.
The schedule is coming soon.
Participation
Participants can engage with the festival in different ways.
Some join the workshop program and take part in the educational sessions and creative laboratories.
Others participate in open improvisation sessions or attend evening performances.
Each format offers a different way to experience improvisation — as a practice of listening, responding, and creating together.
TAKE THE SURVEY
Help Us Shape the Program
As part of the Performing Bridges project, we are collecting insights from participants and visitors interested in improvisation, creative learning, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Your responses will help us better understand the expectations, experiences, and professional backgrounds of people joining the Training Program.
The collected insights will contribute to the development of the Performing Bridges Methodological Toolkit — a resource that will share practices, exercises, and reflections emerging from the project.
The survey takes only a few minutes to complete.
Estimated time: 3–4 minutes
We truly appreciate your time and contribution.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Masters for EDU program
