Improfestival Karlsruhe: The Silent Play & Acting with Honesty in Easy English

One night, two shows - both performed in Easy English, both directed by internationally acclaimed improv artists.

"The Silent Play" - directed by Gael Doorneweerd-Perry

From Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton to The Artist, silent film has long shown that great stories need no words. In The Silent Play, performers build a fully improvised story without speaking a single word. Starting from an audience suggestion, they create a world of their own - characters, emotions and adventures brought to life through physical play, object work and music. A western, a sci-fi epic, a fantasy adventure or something else entirely: it all happens live, in the moment, and it will never happen quite like this again.

"Acting with Honesty" - directed by Billy Kissa

What happens when improvisers stop trying to be funny or clever - and simply show up as themselves? In Acting with Honesty, performers step on stage without knowing who their characters are, what they want, or where their stories will go. Characters emerge in the moment, relationships develop, and emotions are allowed to be vulnerable and surprising. Drawing on an audience suggestion, the performers play scenes in which they genuinely listen, respond and connect. Comedy can happen. Drama can happen. Silence can happen. Nothing is forced.

No safety net, no prescribed story - just people figuring out together what comes next.