
Mário Abel holds a degree in Actor-Theater from the Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema (2012). At IMPROVISO, he trained with Gustavo Miranda (OS BARBIXAS), Daniel Nascimento (OS BARBIXAS), Omar Argentino (IMPROTOUR), Laura Doornerweerd (IMPRO AMSTERDAM) and Stephanie Jacob (The PIT-NYC), among others. He participated as a guest improviser at the IRREVERENTE festivals (LISBON INTERNATIONAL IMPROVISO FESTIVAL) in 2022 and 2024. He co-created and founded the improv comedy group IMPROVISTO, in 2014, and co-created and co-produced NIM - FESTIVAL NOITES IMPREVISTAS, in 2016, dedicated to the best of improv comedy in Portugal. He was a guest teacher/improviser at the ImproTresk festival (Impro BRNO, Czech Republic) in 2012. He regularly works with corporate improvisation, conducting trainings and facilitating educational activities with GRUPO PESTANA, PWC and HOSPITAIS LUSÍADAS. He recently gave an improvisation workshop at CEA (May-July 2024) and classes at the ArteViva school in Barreiro.
WORKSHOP
Can you keep a secret?
(Theater)
(EN)
Irreverent Audience
(Theater)
(PT/EN)
-
It's for EVERYONE (with or without experience)
IRREVERENT PUBLIC challenges the construction of active listening. I intend to explore the chorus/dischorus relationship, the place of the audience vs. the place of the improviser, explore the commentary and the conflict generated by an invisible object that is the show that everyone is simultaneously watching and not watching. The imaginary world is the world of the audience, which thus gains a side of greater relevance, and a voice that speaks out.
This workshop challenges the foundations of improvisation by removing the visible stage and transforming listening, reaction, and collective creation into the main drivers of storytelling. It experiments with improvisation by forcing players to build an invisible show with only interpersonal dynamics, exploring subtext, relationships, and emergent storytelling. It also develops extreme adaptation, as improvisers must react organically to what others “see” and maintain the illusion of a cohesive show without any concrete visual reference.
SHOW DIRECTION
What if, with every choice made, a new reality unfolded? In this improvisational show, the actors jump between dimensions where small changes generate entirely new worlds. A gesture not made, a word said differently, an encounter that never happened – each detour opens doors to unpredictable parallel realities. Between the absurd and the emotional, the audience witnesses multiple versions of the same story, where characters transform, rules are rewritten and the unexpected becomes the only certainty. What will happen? It depends on the universe we are in. Or the one we could be in.
This format aims to transform the stage into an infinite space of possibilities, where multiple realities coexist and reinvent themselves before the eyes of the public.
The show doesn’t just create new worlds, it expands them in real time, exploring universes where the rules of physics, logic and human relationships can be completely different. Each scene opens doors to alternative realities, showing how small variations in perception and choices generate unexpected scenarios and surprising stories.
Furthermore, the format challenges the audience’s imagination, which needs to connect the dots between universes and reconstruct constantly changing narratives. This approach is not only entertaining, but also invites reflection: what if the world were different? What if we were living another version of our story?
MULTINVERSE
(PT)
TALK
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"Improvisation - An art for everyone, will it be for everyone?" (PT)
Improvisation is, by nature, a democratic art. It arises from immediate connection, spontaneous response and generosity between artists and audience. Its beauty lies in its flexibility and in creating stories with what is at hand, without great resources. However, is this art really for everyone?
Despite its simplicity, access to culture often depends on financial resources. Those who live in environments with public or private funding have enriching cultural experiences. But culture should not be a privilege. Improvisation, with its spontaneity, can be a tool for democratization, as it does not require large budgets.
However, without real support for emerging artists and accessible initiatives, we run the risk of keeping art as something exclusive. Culture should be an experience for everyone. And improvisation can be the way to achieve this.