2 years of Improvyglot !
- Atlas, impros du monde Bruxelles
- Jun 30
- 3 min read
HISTORY
In 2023, Laurie Andrieu and Dan Gelbard, actors and improvisation theatre trainers, came up with the idea of offering multilingual improvisation workshops to break down language barriers and allow people to meet, play, and connect. Winners of the BeTalky project call from the Brussels-Capital Region, they created “Improvyglot,” a project consisting of 12 multilingual improvisation workshops and a participant-led performance. The project brought together people from 7 different nationalities and 6 different languages!

IN A NUTSHELL
The ambition of the Improvyglot project is to foster connections between people from different linguistic backgrounds living in Brussels. To achieve this, the project uses the tools of theatrical improvisation to go beyond language barriers. Participants learn to understand each other and to perform together regardless of the language they speak. The project also highlights linguistic diversity to celebrate Brussels’ unique multiculturalism. Since its launch in September 2023, weekly improvisation workshops have been held on Monday evenings at Pianofabriek (Saint-Gilles), along with four participant shows titled “Improvyglot on Stage” and “Scenes of Improvyglot.”

THE PARTICIPANTS: A MULTILINGUAL AND MULTICULTURAL GROUP
Improvyglot aims to bring together participants from various linguistic backgrounds. To support this, the workshops can be conducted in four languages spoken by the facilitators: French, English, Spanish, and Dutch. Speaking just one of these four languages is enough to participate in the project.
Since its creation, Improvyglot has welcomed 30 participants:
7 French speakers (Belgium and France)
7 Spanish speakers (Spain, Mexico, Colombia)
1 Dutch speaker (Belgium)
2 English speakers (Ireland and New Zealand)
4 Italian nationals and speakers
4 Portuguese nationals and speakers
3 German nationals and speakers
1 Czech national and speaker
1 Hungarian national and speaker

WORKSHOPS OBJECTIVES
Building trust and understanding without speaking
Theatrical improvisation helps participants let go and fosters group cohesion. Over the course of the workshops, participants begin to feel comfortable playing with each other. Once self-confidence sets in, we introduce silent exercises and scenes to help them fully experience improvisation without relying on speech as a crutch or source of stress.
Creating meaning in an unfamiliar language
By using gibberish—an invented language—participants learn to detach from verbal language and convey meaning through other tools: emotion, body language, and character connection. This helps them become more comfortable with making mistakes and frees them to play without worrying about language accuracy.
Improvising in multiple languages
Toward the end of the workshop series, we encourage participants to improvise using multiple languages. Whether they speak in their native language or one they are less familiar with, participants transcend language barriers to create stories together.


PERFORMANCES
In its first year (2023–2024), the project presented two performances:On December 18, 2023, and June 8, 2024, “IMPROVYGLOT ON STAGE” took place at the Maison des Cultures in Saint-Gilles and the Artincelle venue (Saint-Gilles). Participants performed a multilingual theatrical improvisation show for audiences of around 50 people each time. In addition to the languages spoken on stage, others—such as Italian, Serbian, and Greek—were used in audience contributions.
In its second year (2024–2025), the project introduced a new show, “SCENES OF IMPROVYGLOT,” performed on January 24, 2025, at the Maison des Cultures de Saint-Gilles. This beautiful, poetic, and whimsical performance was inspired by words written on small slips of paper by the audience upon entering the venue. Thanks to their suggestions, we embarked on adventures in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian!In June 2025, the project brought “IMPROVYGLOT ON STAGE” to La Plume Persée (Ixelles). This wild show blended silence, invented language, non-verbal communication, and the spoken languages of the participants within the improvised stories themselves.



AND NOW?
Improvyglot continues! Registration is open for the third year of this fantastic project. You don’t need to be a perfect polyglot or an experienced actor to join—just the desire to explore language and our ability to connect beyond words.
More information about the Improvyglot workshops: https://www.atlasimprobxl.com/improvyglot
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