About The Dramatic Improv Festival 2020

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and out of an abundance of caution, The Dramatic Improv Festival 2020 will be moving entirely online.

We regret not being able to see all your faces this September, but with many Chicago festivals closing down for the summer, and with travel being risky, we know it’s for the best.

We at DIF are choosing to look at this as an opportunity, however. Since travel is no longer a consideration, this means that many groups, students, instructors, and panelists will be able to participate. We hope that this will whet everyone’s appetite for DIF 2021, which we are looking forward to with great anticipation.

The details are not yet set in stone, but here’s a few things we are planning:
Online classes from some excellent instructors. We may even extend the number of days we have classes, so we can offer a wide variety of options for our students. Currently, they are scheduled for September 12 and 13. Sign up to teach!

Previously-recorded performances, curated for your entertainment. This will include some videos of previous DIF performances, as well as some of the video submissions of performances we would have invited to DIF, if we had held it in person. Sign up to perform!

Streaming performances. We’re still working out the fine details of these, but these may include Zoom performances or performances streamed live from individual theatres around the world. You can make note of that in your regular performance sign-up.

Panel discussions/TED Talk-style presentations. We are reaching out to several directors and teachers to share their wisdom in this format.

That’s what we know so far. We are still accepting applications for both instructors and performances through the end of June, so please feel free to submit!

Thanks to all of you. Stay safe and healthy!

--------------------------------------------
The Dramatic Improv Festival (DIF) is dedicated to bringing the best of dramatic and narrative improvisation together for a long weekend of connection, education, and performance.

DIF 2020 will be held entirely online, the weekend of September 11-13, 2020, with classes running on Saturday and Sunday and performances Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights.

This is a unique event, an entire festival dedicated to bringing together the best dramatic improvisors in the world to cross-pollinate, perform, learn, and network. There will be numerous performances, several workshops, and online panels with experts in the field of improv.

There are also internship/scholarship slots available for students in need.