Ensemble.
6 International improvisers from all over the world
Billy Kissa
Belgium / Greece
Billy Kissa is a Greek actress living in Brussels, specializing in Improvised Theater. After graduating from the “Theater of Arts, Karolos Koun”, in Athens, Greece she started working as an actress in scripted theater, teaching and performing improv all over the world. She studied Meisner technique with certified teachers and taught improv and acting to adults and teens. Billy is part of the European Network for improvisers “The SIN”, one half of the duo show ECHO with Raschid Daniel Sigdi and director of the All Female Cast Show “Huntress and Healer” and the unscripted play “The Dark Age of Love”.
Challenging herself is one of her strongest qualities, with the last challenge being her very recent dive into the terrifying world of stand up comedy.
Gael Doorneweerd Perry
Netherlands / France
Gael has practiced improv for more than 15 years in Strasbourg and then Amsterdam. He is the co-founder of Flock Theatre, Anananas & Pampamplemousse (formerly La Carpe Haute), as well as the SIN, an international network of improvisers in Europe, and Safe Play, an community working towards a safer improv field. He just handed the artistic direction of IMPRO Amsterdam over, he is the co-Artistic Director of Improfestival Karlsruhe, and Artistic Director of the Flock Festival in Amsterdam. In short: he creates a bunch of stuff!
He loves to teach abroad and to create new shows to explore and share his passion, including with his partner on and off-stage, Laura Doorneweerd-Perry. After touring the world with their show Object of Affection, he settled in Amsterdam and they created Flock Theatre together: a school and a professional company, to produce unscripted theatre and invite other artists to collaborate.
Some of his latest international collaborations involve Diego Ingold, Inbal Lori and Katy Schutte, with whom he’s created new and very different duo shows.
While traveling, Gael found a thousand ways to improvise. These result in his unique style: both physical and noisy, kind and silly, full of emotions and slightly crazy.
Julia Radschiner
Austria
Julia Radschiner is a versatile singer, keyboardist, and songwriter active in both the international music and improv scenes. She performs with groups like the English Lovers, Die Dritten, and Simply-Impro at Kabarett Simpl. Julia studied jazz theory at the Music & Arts University of the City of Vienna, pop singing and keyboards at iPop (University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna), and spent a year at Eastman School of Music, New York. As musical director of MOMENT! 12th International Improv Festival Vienna 2024, she showcased her leadership and collaborative skills. Her training includes Method Acting, Circle Singing with Bobby McFerrin, and Creative Music Training at Guildhall. Julia has composed for film and theater, coached on the TV-show „Herz von Österreich“, and taught at iPop, the Vienna Conservatory, Pop Academy Vienna and Summer Academy Zakynthos. As a studio musician, she has contributed to numerous productions. More on her solo projects and SingSang workshops: www.juliaradschiner.com.
Lukas Erlinghagen
Germany
Lukas has been Improtheater Karlsruhe's technician since the beginning. After starting out on stage during elementary school, he later found his calling running sound and lights for theatre, live music and other events.
An engineer by trade, Lukas likes to delve into and expand the spaces created on stage by light and sound. And if you want to bring special FX or additional instruments into your show - he's up for that, too.
Ursula Anna Baumgartner
Austria
Born in Austria, Ursula trained professionally as an actress and a musical performer. After landing a series of roles in major musicals all over Germany (including Mamma Mia!, Hair, Aida, West Side Story, Buddy Holly), she moved back to her home country, where she is now an active member of the theatre and improv scene.
Ursula founded the ensemble „Salon Spontan“ to bring fully improvised musicals to the stage, she also explores physical improv alongside her duo partner Anne Rab as „Bemme & Melange“, as well as vying for Vienna’s ugliest Theatresports trophy as one of the TAG theatre’s improv „All Stars“. When Ursula isn’t making things up as she goes along, she can often be found performing theatre shows and musicals at Vienna’s „Theater der Jugend“, in a studio working as a voice actress or on tour with her duo „Baumgärtner“, which explores the parallels between humans and trees via original songs and scenes.
Manuel Speck
Germany
“Try to surprise yourself and trust your partners”
Those are the maxims Manuel Speck follows while playing improv.
His impro-roots are based in Mainz, Germany where he was 2010 one of the founding members of the group “Die Affirmative”. In 2015 he founded the group “FEM Fatale” in Karlsruhe and is now artistic director of “Improtheater Karlsruhe”.
He is also a founding member of the European Impro-initiative The SIN and performs worldwide with known players like Gael Doorneweerd-Perry (France), Billy Kissa (Greece) and Beata Rózalska (Poland).
He loves do explore the range impro has to offer from silly, comedic shows to surreal and controversial longform-formats. To discover the stories onstage and to connect with improvisers offstage around the world are the things that keep him going. Due to his background in film he is always eager to bring Movie- and TV- Genres and -styles to the stage.
