Why there are rules in improv, according to Gabe Mercado

CEBU, Philippines — One of the bravest things Gabe Mercado did in his 40s was to move from his hometown of Quezon City to Baguio. He said, “If I don’t do this now, I will never have the courage to do it later.”

Mercado, now 52, has been based in Baguio for eight years. Explaining his decision to leave the city where he was born and raised for one he had frequently visited since he was a child, he said: “You’re brave until you’re about 40, and then you get too comfortable in your ways. I decided to move to Baguio while I still had that bravery left in me.”

Although he moved to a city where he had no family or friends to rely on, Mercado easily found his peers thanks to Baguio’s arts-centric culture and slower pace of life.

“The people I would never meet in Metro Manila, I would meet them in Baguio instead. It’s a place where you want to catch up,” he said.

While Mercado is still acting, his main focus is his work as the executive director of Vivita Philippines, a nonprofit organization that fosters creative thinking among Filipino youth through makerspaces and project-based learning.

He also serves as vice president of Koppett Asia, a leadership development firm that helps corporate leaders improve communication, teamwork, and leadership through storytelling and improvisation.

Improv is like a conversation

When The FREEMAN interviewed Mercado recently, he was in Cebu for a Department of Trade and Industry event. Making the most of his visit, he tapped Little Boy Productions’ Hendri Go to organize a workshop where he taught Cebuano talents the basics of improv theater at Cebu Making Space in Mango Square Mall.

“Improvisation is an art form where the performance, the conception, and the writing happen simultaneously,” he explained. “In a lot of ways, life is like theater. Even if you have plans, you have to adjust in a moment.”

He added, “You come in and prepare interview questions, but I can guess that the best interviews are when you respond in the moment, like having a conversation. Improv is a lot like that: a conversation with the audience that evolves on the spot.”

Mercado’s experience in improv theater is extensive. He trained with Paul Sills, founder of Chicago’s legendary improv company, The Second City, which is known for producing comedy veterans such as Bill Murray, Mike Myers, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Steve Carell. Mercado later founded SPIT Manila in 2002 and went on to become the president of Third World Improv.

While many assume improvisation is simply about making up jokes on the spot, Mercado said improv theater reveals a wider scope and clear limitations that help participants sharpen their craft and think more quickly on their feet onstage.

“The funny thing about improv is that it has a lot of rules, which is ironic because without the rules, it’s what sets you free,” he said. “But when you have rules of engagement, there’s more freedom actually. If you tell a painter that the world is their canvas, it’s difficult. But give them an actual canvas to work on, they can create great work.”

On what makes Filipino improv humor distinct from the dry wit of the British and the punchy, observational tone of the Americans, Mercado explained: “We Filipinos like seeing our characters being emotionally invested. You show more feelings, heartbreak, internal conflict, and more, and it gives us a wide range of topics. It’s really like a teleserye.”

‘Almost, Maine’ in Baguio

Mercado is also in talks with Little Boy Productions to bring John Cariani’s play “Almost, Maine” to Baguio, following its Cebu run that began in July at the University of the Philippines Cebu Performing Arts Hall, with its next show set for October 4, featuring Manila-based thespian Reb Atadero.

“Almost, Maine” is a 2004 play composed of vignettes about various couples on a single winter night in the titular fictional remote town.

Staging the romantic play in Baguio would be fitting, Mercado said. “For us who grew up in Manila, Baguio has that mythical quality to it, like ‘Almost, Maine.’ There’s a mix of love and heartbreak stories.”

Of the stories in the play, Mercado said he is drawn to participate in “Sad and Glad,” which centers on former lovers reuniting one fateful evening and rediscovering their past flame.

“That’s the whole thing about ‘Almost, Maine.’ The play intrigues me. Can I still make the audience feel the ‘kilig’ of a love story at my age of 52? It would be a nice, fun challenge as an actor,” he said.

“Speaking as a senior actor, we always get the roles of a father, a lawyer, or a bishop. I get that all the time,” he laughed. “There’s something so deliciously challenging about talking about love and being in situations that, at my age, actors don’t usually get anymore. I have played many characters, but romantic roles hardly come my way. So getting the chance to be part of a love story tickles me that way.” — (FREEMAN)