Last 8th of November the JAM a’MANGE’ event was held in the Italian capital at the Theatre Teatro Cantiere organized by the group of Actors called Match d’Improvvisazione Teatrale Roma, this show could easily describe itself with the most disparate definitions: melting pot of the word, white canvas of the actor or even Jam Acting Session, all of these would all be more than fitting expressions.
The JAM a’MANGE’ evening is an event devoted to actorial experimentation, the audience after being welcomed by a rich buffet is welcomed by talented and very pleasant interpreters: Alessio De Carli, Andrea Proietti, Barbara Villa and Simona Pettinari who come up on stage with anything they can think of for more than an hour, making the audience participating with suggestions necessary for the realization of the show.
The JAM a’MANGE ‘event is truly a tribute to the imaginative power, a show co-created by cast and audience that comes to life as it progresses. There are no choreographies nor stage costumes and the involvement of the audience is constant: sometimes suggesting a random word, sometimes deciding the town where the action will develop, sometimes suggesting the fable that the actors will re-shape and talk about.
The show is divided in 5 parts : at the beginning people from the audience suggest random words to complete stories narrated by the actors, in the second phase depending on whether the spectators say the words “more” or “less” the action becomes more or less agitata, to follow a fable is suggested by children in the audience from which the actors will develop their version, after it is the turn for one of the actors to guess a character decided by the audience, then a story is invented asking the spectators for a place and an action and as a conclusion there is room for style exercises where the public with its indications constantly changes the look of performance.
The event is varied, unpredictable and extremely rich. During the initial phase when the audience is suggesting random words it can easily happen to the actors on stage to interpret a scene while they wait for the table of 4:15 p.m. that never passes, or the sofa of 4 p.m. when next year they will get on the table without the supplì , ending up arranging a shoe with Italian dessert tiramisù… (the words in bold were actually suggested by the audience during the previous representation of the show.)
Anything can happen but we must pay attention to the fact that as Barbara Villa reminds us “ Improvisation cannot be improvised “, each of the performers on stage has solid foundations of classical theater in support so what to a hasty judgment may appear to be a simple improvisation, just like a jazz musician who has to studied his instrument for years in order to join a Jam Session even actors must have studied theatre and their bodies for a long time before trying with Theatrical Improvisation.
On 22 November the next JAM a’MANGE’ show at the Theatre Teatro Cantiere and then again on 6 December another replica joined this time with Storytelling, to follow on 10 and 24 January, 7 and 28 February will be hold Theatrical improvisation matches at the Theatre San Giustino: there will be a frame of Hockey players as Theatrical improvisation was originally born in Quebec, Canada, home of Hockey. Finally, for those eager to learn the art of theater improvisation courses for beginners are held every Thursday and for advanced students every Wednesday at Via dei Monti in Pietralata 16, Rome, from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
JAM a’MANGE’ as well as all the shows organized by Match d’Improvvisazione Teatrale Roma, is recommended for an audience ready to participate in the creation of an unpredictable show in the company of improvisation masters.
All pictures present in this article were taken by Gerardo Iannacci, all rights reserved