Improvisation, International Mindedness, and the Joy of Play: Mr. Pearce Travels to Spain for Narrativa

One of the true joys outside of the classroom that Clayton Pearce finds as a performing arts teacher is attending International Improv Festivals as professional development opportunities. Over Spring Break this year, Mr. Pearce attended his first Narrativa, an improv festival hosted in Valencia, Spain, focused specifically on narrative longform improv.

Unlike the stand-alone scenes audiences may recognize from the popular television show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, longform improv centers on improvising full-length plays and interconnected stories in real time.

As Mr. Pearce shares, “There is nothing quite like an International Improv Festival. Adults from all over the world come to play. They pay money and take time off of work to go play make-believe with other adults. We’re a unique breed, and the bond we share transcends oceans and language barriers.”

While traveling internationally to attend festivals without knowing anyone initially brought some anxiety, it has become one of the most rewarding parts of the experience. Each festival has quickly turned strangers into collaborators and friends, often revealing surprising global connections stretching from Oceania to Scandinavia and even back home to Bend.

This year’s trip brought an especially unexpected reunion. Mr. Pearce discovered that someone he once regularly performed alongside at Portland’s improv theaters now lives in Valencia and was also part of the festival. “While he goes by Lorenzo now, I knew him as Larry,” he joked. “He is a retired lawyer from Yonkers, so I have come to the conclusion that everyone from New York of or near retirement must be named Larry.”

Beyond the performances themselves, these experiences have deepened Mr. Pearce’s international mindedness and appreciation for local culture. Previous travels connected to improv festivals have included attending the famous Boxing Day cricket test match between Australia and Pakistan in Melbourne and listening to music in crowded Dublin pubs while exploring Ireland’s drizzly coastline.

In Valencia, mornings began with fresh orange juice squeezed from oranges purchased at the city’s central market. “I feel very fortunate to have increased my international mindedness through these experiences,” he reflects.

Mr. Pearce was also selected to perform in three “mixer shows” at Narrativa. Mixer shows bring together improvisers who may have never met before to spend the day workshopping a format and then performing it for an audience that very same evening.

One workshop was directed by Gael Doornewood-Perry, co-founder of Flock Theater and the Flock Festival in Amsterdam. Participants explored a format called Tornus, where performers rotated through roles as principal actors, supporting actors, and technical support. Mr. Pearce particularly enjoyed playing a bear in an improvised fable about a greedy giraffe and later running music for an Old West romance.

Another standout experience featured renowned musical improviser Katie Schute and her show Man Band, centered around a fictional reunion of former boy band members. Mr. Pearce embraced the comedic challenge by portraying “John Juan Johan,” or “Triple J,” a self-important character who communicated entirely through vague metaphors.

A third workshop, led by Vienna-based improviser Anne Rab, explored time and space through collaborative storytelling. Performers built a detailed imaginary setting together before audiences determined whether the story would unfold 50 years in the future or 50 years in the past. The resulting performance transformed an old church devoted to an obscure maternal goddess into a dilapidated pigeon squat, ultimately ending in a wedding in classic comedic tradition.

For Mr. Pearce, the festival offered not only artistic inspiration, but also the chance to reconnect with the joy of creative play alongside fellow educators and performers from around the world.

“Working as a classroom teacher and workshop facilitator, I haven’t had the opportunity to play with peers and stretch my abilities for some time,” he shared. “I had an absolute blast and am excited to share some of what I learned with my students in the near future.”

At Seven Peaks School, experiences like these reflect the value of lifelong learning, creativity, collaboration, and global citizenship. We are grateful for educators like Mr. Pearce who continue to bring fresh inspiration, international perspectives, and joyful curiosity back into the classroom.