The item beside this text is an advertisement

  • eat
  • shop
  • see
  • go
  • stay
  • daytrip
  • map
  • calendar
  • transport
  • weather
  • currency
  • tofrom
Home > improv

improv

Where Reviews: Vancouver Theatresports League’s Pants on Fire Improv Show

Christopher Gaze, of Bard on the Beach fame, was a guest at Vancouver Theatresports League’s newest show. Photo by Peter Williams

By Louise Phillips

The title of this newest TheatreSports show refers of course to that cheery schoolyard taunt, “Liar, liar, pants on fire.” Pants on Fire, at the Improv Centre to Nov. 17, is a lot smarter than kindergarten thugs, and packs a lot more laughs.

TheatreSports is so-called because it applies competitive rules of play to stage improvisations. Pants on Fire is semi-structured to avoid the kind of embarrassing moments that can result from free-for-all improv; and the players, drawn from a team of trained pros, are major-league.

Read on for more about Theatresports’ new show Pants on Fire »

(more…)

Hot Entertainment: Hot Nuts & Popcorn 2.0 at Loose Moose

Last week, Calgary comics were joined by some of the nation’s top comedians in performing at the first YYComedy Festival. The week-long affair proved a success and will now be an annual event.

Hot Nuts & Poporn 2.0 returns Oct. 6. Photo: Photobat.

The festival coincided with the 35th anniversary of the Loose Moose Theatre Company. The improv comedy company is known across Canada for its innovative theatre sports and well-known alumni (including Kids in the Hall actors Bruce McCulloch and Mark McKinney).

A festival highlight was the reunion show of the company’s popular late night live talk show, Hot Nuts & Popcorn. For those who missed the show, it will be held again on Saturday, October 6 at 11 pm. Hot Nuts & Popcorn 2.0 reunites hosts Derek Flores, Comedy Central’s Eric Amber and Terry Cahill of the cult movie FUBAR. The show ran weekly from 1999 to 2002 and featured hilarious improvised interviews with local celebrities. Tickets for the show are $12 and can be purchased on the Loose Moose website. (more…)

Hot Entertainment: YYComedy Festival

Kids in the Hall stars Bruce McCulloch and Mark McKinney perform Saturday night at the YYComedy Festival Gala. Photo: Courtesy YYComedy.

Comedy in Calgary is more popular than ever, making it a terrific time for the city’s first YYComedy Festival. In the week-long festival, local talent and Canada’s top comedians come together for a hilarious collection of stand-up, improv, theatre sports and live recordings of award-winning comedy podcasts and radio programs. The festival also coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Comedy Cave, 35th anniversary of Loose Moose Theatre Company and the 25th anniversary of Yuk Yuk’s in Calgary.

Several events take place nightly, here are Where’s recommendations for what to see:

Monday, September 24 Head down to the Loose Moose Theatre where alumni Rebecca Northan (of the one-woman play Blind Date) and Albert Howell (This Hour Has 22 Minutes) improvise a play with dialogue provided by the audience. Show starts at 8 pm, tickets are $20.

Tuesday, September 25 Check out great local talent at the live recording of CJSW 90.9FM’s “Am I Right??” comedy program at Lolita’s Lounge. Local comedians perform, show starts at 8 pm, tickets are $10. (more…)

Weekend Roundup: Thursday Sep 20 – Sunday Sep 23

Dean and Britta at performing until Saturday. Photo: Courtesy Theatre Junction GRAND.

Thursday, September 20 Be sure to check out the Calgary Home + Design Show at the BMO Centre, running until Sunday, September 23. The weekend event will feature inspirational design solutions and helpful home advice. The show will host over 350 exhibitors and a variety of industry experts including Sarah Daniels and Philip DuMoulin, hosts of HGTV’s Urban Suburban; Bruce Hopkins (more…)

Hot Entertainment: Blind Date Play at Vancouver’s The Cultch

Blind Date photo by Greg Tjepkema

Gents with stage fright might want to sit in the very back row for this one: when Mimi’s blind date stands her up, the fearless Parisian temptress selects a man from the audience to be her date instead. What ensues is 90 minutes of heart-warming improvisation and spontaneous clowning, all wrapped up in a social experiment. Catch the hilarity at the Cultch (Sep. 18 to Oct. 7).—Sheri Radford

Sunday Service Improv Plays for Laughs at the Kozmik Zoo

From left: Aaron Read, Kevin Lee, Taz VanRassel, Emmett Hall, Ryan Beil and Caitlin Howden.

By Karina Palmitesta

Attending a Sunday service may not top your list of late-night laughs, but take a leap of faith if you find yourself in Mount Pleasant on a Sunday night. Straight faces are nowhere to be found at The Sunday Service, an irreverent improv show that’s been running in Vancouver for eight years. In its current incarnation, a rotating roster of seven improvisers takes the stage at The Kozmik Zoo every week at 9 p.m. (more…)

Top 10 Best Local Comedy Nights

Kaboom…Hooray! at Yuk Yuk’s. Photo: Andy Nichols.

10. Festivals  Two September comedy festivals—the Calgary International Improv Festival and the new YYComedy Festival—spotlight local talent. The Calgary International Improv Festival features improv and stand-up performances at various venues. The YYComedy Festival kicked off its inaugural year in 2012 with performances by both emerging and established comedians, including Kids in the Hall alumni Bruce McCulloch and Mark McKinney.

9. Improv Guild   A performance theatre and training centre for improvised acting which features local shows and acts every Friday at 8 p.m. Drop-in improv classes for all experience levels take place every Sunday at noon, September through June. Tickets available at the door. Call 403-703-4705 for more information.

8. Juliet’s Castle  This northeast sports bar hosts the popular Going to Hell Sundays experimental open comedy show. Featuring professional touring performers and local emerging talent, the show’s main focus is crude and uncensored humour. Show at 8 p.m. No cover charge. (more…)

Hot Entertainment: Summer Improv Show at Vancouver TheatreSports League

Silliness is on this summer at Vancouver TheatreSports League

Forget about the 2012 Summer Olympics in London—Summer TheatreSports right here in Vancouver is where to find the real competition. Watch improv jocks compete to produce the quickest quip, silliest spoof and most cringe-worthy pun, all while tackling the toughest task of all: keeping the audience entertained. If the Vancouver TheatreSports League can’t tickle your funny bone, you don’t have one.—Sheri Radford