Direct from Tel Aviv. Dodot Ensemble members Matan Goren, Carmel Neltzer, Tal Zolti, and Elad Yishay together with Ambassador Harpaz after their act at the 2019 Manila Improv Fest. (PNA Photo by Joyce Ann L. Rocamora)
MANILA -- Israel has joined the best acts in Asia's improvisational theater bringing the Dodot Ensemble to the 2019 Manila Improv Festival on Sunday.
The Dodot Ensemble, consisting of Matan Goren, Tal Zolti, Carmel Neltzer, and Elad Yishay, was formed four years ago after its members won the ‘Improvisation Championship’ of Israel and graduated from the ‘Kibbutzim College’ Acting School.
The Manila Improv Festival act was their first unrehearsed and unscripted play in the Philippines.
Easily one of the crowd's favorites, the members shared their "secret" in doing an impressive improv act that could draw connection and laughter from the audience.
"We concentrate on what's happening and on each other. We always strive to make each other look better and not think too much of what will be funny or what will be interesting, just be in the moment, react and it'll come," Tal said in an interview after their performance.
"Every rehearsal we have different shows, different characters, it really depends on what the crowd gives us. If they say the setting is in hospital, then our whole story would be in the hospital."
For Carmel, improv theater is akin to entering zen. "You really don't think of anything, you just go with whatever comes to you. If you're really in the improv it's a bit like zen kind of mood. It's saying yes to everything that is happening on the stage," she said.
Although it is a no-script play, Carmel said they make sure basic elements of improv are followed such as maintaining a reasonable story until the conclusion comes.
"Sometimes it could go into crazy directions and things don't make sense and you need to close it up into a reasonable story, so you need to maintain it," she stressed.
"There are certain techniques. You train for a week. There are some basic rules but in the show we don't know what is going to be, we don't have script," Goren added.
The group described their Manila performance as exhilarating as they acknowledged the welcoming Filipinos.
Israel Ambassador Rafael Harpaz, who came to watch their performance, said such visit proves that the Israel-Philippines cultural and people-to-people ties continue to improve.
"It's the first time that we are having this improvisational theater featuring Israelis in Manila. I'm so happy that young Filipinos who came where exposed to our culture and we plan to do much more," he said.
At the same time, the envoy is hoping to have more Filipino artists perform in Israel. (PNA)
The Dodot Ensemble, consisting of Matan Goren, Tal Zolti, Carmel Neltzer, and Elad Yishay, was formed four years ago after its members won the ‘Improvisation Championship’ of Israel and graduated from the ‘Kibbutzim College’ Acting School.
The Manila Improv Festival act was their first unrehearsed and unscripted play in the Philippines.
Easily one of the crowd's favorites, the members shared their "secret" in doing an impressive improv act that could draw connection and laughter from the audience.
"We concentrate on what's happening and on each other. We always strive to make each other look better and not think too much of what will be funny or what will be interesting, just be in the moment, react and it'll come," Tal said in an interview after their performance.
"Every rehearsal we have different shows, different characters, it really depends on what the crowd gives us. If they say the setting is in hospital, then our whole story would be in the hospital."
For Carmel, improv theater is akin to entering zen. "You really don't think of anything, you just go with whatever comes to you. If you're really in the improv it's a bit like zen kind of mood. It's saying yes to everything that is happening on the stage," she said.
Although it is a no-script play, Carmel said they make sure basic elements of improv are followed such as maintaining a reasonable story until the conclusion comes.
"Sometimes it could go into crazy directions and things don't make sense and you need to close it up into a reasonable story, so you need to maintain it," she stressed.
"There are certain techniques. You train for a week. There are some basic rules but in the show we don't know what is going to be, we don't have script," Goren added.
The group described their Manila performance as exhilarating as they acknowledged the welcoming Filipinos.
Israel Ambassador Rafael Harpaz, who came to watch their performance, said such visit proves that the Israel-Philippines cultural and people-to-people ties continue to improve.
"It's the first time that we are having this improvisational theater featuring Israelis in Manila. I'm so happy that young Filipinos who came where exposed to our culture and we plan to do much more," he said.
At the same time, the envoy is hoping to have more Filipino artists perform in Israel. (PNA)
