ABOUT

Host Company: The Improv Guild

The Improv Guild has proudly presented the Boardwalk Calgary Improv Festival since 2008 and the Boardwalk Calgary High School Theatresports™ Championship since 2012. In addition to bringing the world’s best improvisers to Calgary and presenting the best of Calgary's young talent, they do weekly shows and special projects all year round. Fun, fast paced storytelling is what they’re all about. If you’re looking for a hilarious evening throughout the year, look no further than big purple building on Macloed Tr. across from Erlton C-Train station. Funny lives there. Next up for the Improv Guild is An Improv Hamlet: Making Tragedy Fun which runs May 23-25. For info on that and all things Improv Guild, please check out the Guild’s homepage.

Our Partners

The Improv Guild is proud to partner again with Calgary Young People’s Theatre to produce Kidprov. Since the first festival, this family friendly show has been an important part of our programming. Urban Curvz is our partner for Women in Improv, our all-female showcase at the CIF. We are proud to be partnered with Calgary’s leading professional theatre company that recognizes the bravery and excellence of female performers. Last but not least, if you are itching for some comedy before the festival our friends at YYComedy Fest have a great lineup Sept. 9-15.

Title Sponsor

We are incredibly pleased to announce Boardwalk Rental Communities as the title sponsor for the 2013 Boardwalk Calgary Improv Festival. Their work in Building Better Communities goes hand in hand with the guiding principals of the Boardwalk Calgary Improv Festival. With their support, the 2013 festival will be the strongest, most amazing to date.

Additional Sponsors

We are grateful to all our festival sponsors and funders including: The Ecpor Centre, Big Rock Brewery, Farwest Outdoor, Hotel Arts, CADA and the AFA. If your organization would like to join this esteemed list, please contact [email protected].

2013 Calgary High School Theatresports™ Championship
March 7 - 9, 2013

After a whirlwind tournament featuring some of the best young talent in the city, Dr. EP Scarlett took home the Stanleigh Cup (graciously sponsored by Dr. Larry Stanleigh Dental) as the 2013 Champions! This year the Championship expanded from 8 to 12 teams, with the competition also dramatically increasing leading to some difficult decisions for the judges. Runners up West Island College told some incredible stories, while the bronze medal crew from Crescent Heights wowed the crowd with their amazing teamwork. And the battles were CLOSE! The bronze medal match required a tiebreaker, and the Stanleigh Cup was won by a SINGLE POINT! You really can't ask for much more than that!

In addition to Dr. Larry Stanleigh, The Improv Guild would like to extend a huge thank-you to sponsors Chinook Landscaping as well as Frank and Tina Washington for providing $1000 scholarships for the top two teams! Also, Calgary 2012, the Cultural Capital of Canada and InvestYYC have been integral in getting this event off the ground. Thank-you to all those who invested in the CHTC. The support for the Championship has been overwhelming and, quite frankly, one can't help but be floored by all the amazing people who have jumped on board with this event. Through attendance, volunteering, performing, teaching and organizing, Calgary shown they love watching these talented youth entertain, learn and have fun. A whole new crop of students will compete in 2014! Congratulations to all the schools and see you all next year!

2012 Calgary Improv Festival
September 17 - 23, 2012

Thank you Calgary for making the 2012 event such a success. Almost 2500 Calgarians came out and supported improv, breaking all our previous records and making the 5th Annual Festival an unforgettable experience. Many thanks go out to Colin Mochrie, Impro Theatre, M & M Improv, Patti Stiles, Loose Moose Theatre, The Kinkonauts, U of C Improv Club, Bull Skit, St. Francis Improv Team, Calgary Young People's Theatre and Dirty Laundry. Dozens of extremely talented improvisers took to the stage and showcased everything from Improvised Tennessee Williams to some of the funniest games and scenes that this city has ever witnessed.

2012 Calgary High School Theatresports™ Championship
February 24 - 25, 2012

2012 saw the inaugural Calgary High School Theatresports™ Championship come to our city, and it was a huge success. Eight schools participated from every quadrant of the city and beyond. Forest Lawn, Bishop Carroll, St. Francis, E.P. Scarlett, James Fowler, West Island College, Bert Church (Airdrie) and Notre Dame all sent a team of students to compete in the two-day championship. There were some well fought battles and some amazing moments onstage. Joyful, creative youth from all over the city performed games, scenes and everything in between. When the dust settled, St. Francis narrowly edged Bishop Carroll by one point in the final to take home the trophy.

2011 Calgary Improv Festival
September 26 - Oct 2, 2011

The 2011 Calgary Improv Festival was another wildly successful foray into the art of improvisation. Artists from the US, Australia, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Calgary came together to procreate one of the best festivals this city has ever seen. The week of comedy and creativity featured a Roman soap opera, some je ne sais quoi en français, the wonderful women of improv, musicality from Winnipeg, ingenuity from Bellingham and some expert storytelling from our neighbours to the north. To top it all off, returning stars Colin Mochrie and Roman Danylo played alongside other Improv All-Stars in a sold out gala show at the Jack Singer Conert Hall.

2010 Calgary International Improv Festival
September 21 - October 3, 2010

The 2010 CIIF was like a double or nothing bet that Calgary won. This ambitious festival stretched the single weekend show into two full weeks of improv comedy, culminating with Calgary's largest ever locally produced improv show at the Jack Singer Concert Hall with guest star Colin Mochrie from Who's Line Is It Anyway! The first week of the festival was hosted by the hilarious Roman Danylo of CTV's Comedy Inc. featuring members and guests of The Improv Guild. For the second week of the festival we welcomed Impro Melbourne's Patti Stiles, Winnipeg's The Crumbs, Edmonton's Rapid Fire Theatre, VTSL's Science: The Musical, Norway's Teater Liksom, French improv troupe Theatre a Pic, Improv Brier winners Boy Meets Girl, Calgary Young People's Theatre and the host group, The Improv Guild.

2010 Calgary Improv Brier
March 26 - March 27, 2010

The clock was running again as the second annual Calgary Improv Brier rolled back into the Engineered Air Theatre. Teams from Vancouver (BC Buds), Edmonton (Rapid Fire) and Calgary (Boy Meets Girl, Sizeable Men) converged on stage in a no-holds-barred competition to win the Improv Brier trophy, complete with rubber chicken and moustache glasses.

2009 Calgary International Improv Festival
September 30 - October 3, 2009

The 2009 festival took everything that was amazing from 2008 and upped the ante by inviting international artists and adding a wildly entertaining "Women in Improv" show on Wedneday night to open the festival. Australian Patti Stiles brought all her talent and experience from 'down under' to the Engineered Air Theatre, while L.A. Impro came all the way from Hollywood to present the unparalled and extraordinary "Jane Austin Unscripted". These artists were joined by Vancouver Theatresports League, Edmonton's Rapid Fire and the host group, The Improv Guild for a hilariously fun festival.

2009 Calgary Improv Brier
March 12 - March 14, 2009

One festival a year just wasn't enough for Calgary so The Improv Guild introduced a spring festival that showcased Western Canadian improv talent in a brand new improv format. The "Bonspiel" format originates from a curling term for tournament and has become the backbone of the Improv Brier. Invented by the Improv Guild, this competitive format squares two teams off against each other in a no-rules improv match where the only constraint is the clock. Our first Improv Brier happened, ironically enough, at the exact same time that the 2009 Tim Horton's (curling) Brier was in town. Needless to say, we had a few confused patrons on opening night! Guests of this festival included Roman Danylo from CTV's Comedy Inc, Regina's General Fools, Edmonton's Rapid Fire Theatre, and Calgary's Dirty Laundry, Loose Moose, and hosts The Improv Guild.

2008 Calgary Improv Festival
October 2 - October 4, 2008

The inaugural Calgary Improv Festival took the city by storm in 2008. This three-day improv festival took over the Epcor Centre's Engineered Air Theatre and showcased some of the best in Canadian improv talent. Vancouver Theatre Sports, Winnipeg's musical improv troupe Outside Joke, and a host of extraordinary local groups including Loose Moose, Dirty Laundry, The Kinkonauts and The Improv Guild rocked the stage in the first of many improv festivals.