Spotlight On: Malcolm Morrison
Malcolm Morrison is an improvisor, actor, teacher, and writer but in his heart he is a storyteller. As a founding member of Improsaurus he has developed dozens of long-form formats since its inception in 2010 and has brought their unique brand of improv as far as the International Amateur Theatre Festival in Florida. In his spare time away from improvising he is trying to complete a PhD in physics.
Malcolm loves to bring his analytical mind to formatting long-form improv and could talk for hours about improv theory and storytelling in general. He believes that the best stories can only come from an environment of mutual respect and does his best to foster this in those he teaches.
Why are you excited about coming back to NZIF?
Last year at NZIF I met some amazing people who taught great workshops and who were always up for a laugh. The thing that excites me the most about NZIF is not just the workshops and the shows, which are fantastic, but the time between them where I get to have casual conversations, share stories, and joke around with all of these friendly people!
What do you get out of festivals like NZIF (or NZIF specifically)?
Improv is an exciting, fast developing art with new ideas and styles appearing every year. NZIF is a place where people from many different improv schools of thought come together to meet and exchange ideas. What I find most valuable in festivals like this is the flood of new perspectives and activities that will inspire growth in my own style of improvising.
Best thing about improv is:
Improv is the rawest form of storytelling! A writer can spend anywhere from days to years on each pass of a story. Games, movies, even stand-up comedy are very slow to trial different ideas and techniques in storytelling. Whereas Improvising allows you to run through stories a mile a minute, trialling new conventions and styles, experiencing the results instantly. For anyone who considers themselves a student of stories, nothing in this world beats improv for developing your art!