DETAILS

1st Annual Improv Festival
Engineered Air Theatre
Thursday, October 2 - Saturday, October 4

More in: Comedy

Calgary’s comedy scene is getting back to its roots, as the funny folks at The Improv Guild host the first annual Calgary Improv Festival. From October 2 to 4, five teams from Western Canada will scoff at the idea of scripts and play it by ear, all in an effort to bust your gut.

“We wanted to put Calgary back on the map,” says Rick Hilton, founder of The Improv Guild. “Improv fests happen all around the world and it’s about time Calgary has one of its own.”

Taking place in the Engineered Air Theatre at the Epcor Centre, comedy groups from Vancouver, Winnipeg and Calgary will act, sing and dance their way through 90 minutes of pure off-the-cuff comedy.

One of the most important aspects of a good improv act is its relationship with the audience. The more they laugh and get excited, the better ideas they’ll churn out for the troupe to work with, and as a result, create bigger laughs in what forms a consistent rhythm of comedy. “That’s the beauty of improv, it’s a moment that can never be seen again, and you can expect the unexpected,” says Hilton. “The audience is intimately linked in all of the festivities, and to get them engaged with the show makes it that much more exciting.”

There’s no actual prize or competition among the 20 entertainers, but when you’re in such a tight-knit community of professionals striving to be the funniest, bragging rights and a little ego boost doesn’t hurt.

To highlight the connection between the audience and actors, organizers are hosting a symposium on October 4 at 2 p.m. Each team will present and discuss acting techniques they’re working on. The workshop is free and festival-goers are invited to learn more about improvised comedy. “Improv is an oral tradition that constantly needs to grow, and an event like this provides a chance to share ideas,” says Hilton.

Although the first festival has barely begun, Hilton is already planning next year’s events with hopes to broaden the scope of performers. “Through the guild, we have contacts with a number of comedy groups in the United States and Australia,” he says. “We want to try to make this more international and bring in different talents.”

In many ways, the festival is a throwback to a show that started out in this city. It’s a little known fact that live, improvised comedy as a form of live comedy began in Calgary. Until 1977 it had only been used in acting workshops. Keith Johnstone, an internationally recognized expert on improv, enlisted the help of a few local talents, including Hilton, and started the Loose Moose Theatre Company. At the time, it was one of two comedy groups in the world to showcase this style of comedy to an audience — the other being a French-Canadian troupe.

“It’s a uniquely Canadian art form that was really brought to the spotlight because of the efforts of Johnstone in the ’70s,” says Hilton.

To continually hone their craft, the guild hosts a full performance every Friday night at the Depot Studios, a former recycling centre on Macleod Trail. The ensemble also holds workshops every Monday, encouraging novices and pros to gather and improve their improv.