Festival Info / History
The Toronto International Improv Festival was founded in 2002 by executive producer and artistic director Kevin Patrick Robbins. It is produced annually by his Toronto-based Impatient Theatre Co.
2002: The Origin
The first festival was conceived on a trip to Chicago where founder and executive producer Kevin Patrick Robbins was exposed to the talent and artistry of groups from across North America. It was named Jamboree in anticipation that one day the festival would eventually include sketch and possibly stand-up comedy acts. It since never has.
Over four days at the TRANZAC club in Toronto, 22 acts took the Jamboree stage, including the Canadian debuts of The Josh and Tamra Show, Dual Exhaust, goga, Andy Eninger and BASSPROV. NOW Magazine listed both BASSPROV and Andy Eninger among its 10 best comedy shows of 2002.
In Toronto, longform improv was just starting to catch on. Local improvisers’ exposure to the gathering of talent on the festival stage led to an improv Renaissance in the city. Watching acts like Dual Exhaust, Plain Cake Donuts, Bare, and local faves Slap Happy and Alumni Café, spurred on the spirit of improv as local artists began chasing a new dragon.
Venue: TRANZAC club.
Andy Eninger
August 18, 2002
Andy Eninger's performance at our first festival was named one of the 10 Best Comedy Shows of 2002 by NOW Magazine. Andy's multi-charactered solo show Sybil is the perfect outlet for his (not clinically diagnosed, or real) MPD.
2003: In the Dark
In 2003, the festival experienced a dramatic increase of submissions and the shows were to be held at the historic Poor Alex Theatre. A second stage was added upstairs in the Poor Alex Cabaret and more than 40 groups were scheduled to perform at the festival, that is, until an international power failure wiped out the power to half the eastern seaboard of the U.S. and much of Southern Ontario. The festival was in the dark.
The power outage struck four hours prior to the first show on Thursday, Aug. 14. All shows for that day, and for Friday, Aug. 15, were cancelled. The lights came up on Saturday and the festival continued thanks to the support of many of the local groups who sacrified their performance slots so that visiting groups could perform.
Once the power was up and running, the festival got back on track as inspiring (and, at the time, experimental) groups like The Beatbox and the Neutrino Video Project brought audiences to stiches. Improv hero Jill Bernard made her festival debut, as did All Jane No Dick, and Johnny Lunchpail.
Instructors such as Jill Bernard, Asaf Ronen and Jerry Scheafer taught the festival's first-ever workshops, held in the studios at the Bad Dog Theatre, while Joe Bill and Bruce Hunter held master classes on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
Venue: Poor Alex Theatre.
Johnny Lunchpail
August 17, 2003
Johhny Lunchpail's highly organic and physical performance in their first festival appearance brings light to an otherwise blacked-out festival.
2004: In the Spotlight
The festival resurrected itself in 2004 with two fully functional stages and more than 175 improvisers performing, the third annual festival was a success. Many of the cabaret stage shows sold out. The new home of the festival main stage, the Alumnae Theatre, welcomed improvisers from across the continent and provided them with a large, beautiful theatre in which to perform.
Wonderful new shows to the festival line-up made audiences laugh (imp.), cry (Sutton & Hallal) and think (Frost & Ronen). Chicago's Storybox mixed Japanese Noh theatre with improvisation; old friends reunited for TheatreSports Toronto's all-star show; and the Pat Shay Dancers finally made their festival debut after missing their opportunity to perform to the blackout in 2003.
Venues: Alumnae Theatre (main stage), Bad Dog Theatre (showcase stage).
BASSPROV
August 18, 2002
Thier third consecutive appearance lands BASSPROV squarely on the list of festival darlings. Having garnered media attention and critical acclaim, Donny and Earle entertain the audience with insightful social commentary from the perspective of two Indiana rednecks.
2005: On the Map
Landing firmly on the festival map, our fourth annual shindig featured John Lutz, Rich Talarico and Jason Sudeikis as the SNL Writers in a sold-out show that many veteran improvisers claimed was the best improv show they had ever seen. And it was only Tuesday.
The festival continued to impress as Aphasia made its debut on the fringe stage, locals Pete and Pat wooed the main stage audience, and Kalamzoo, Michigan's Crawlspace Eviction made a mockumentary film about their trip to the festival that was featured at the 2006 AFI Film Festival.
Venues: Alumnae Theatre (main stage), Bad Dog Theatre (showcase stage), Betty's (fringe stage).
SNL Writers
August 16, 2005
John Lutz (30 Rock) and Rich Talarico perform as the SNL Writers, along with Jason Sudeikis (not pictured). All three were writers for the hit TV show Saturday Night Live at the time. The next season Jason became a featured player on the show. His festival appearance had nothing to do with that.
2006
Having received a record number of submissions, the festival schedules a 52-hour improv marathon at the Bad Dog Theatre. More than 250 improv artists take to the stage. Josh and Tamra return to Toronto. Toronto's Mantown makes its debut with a splash in a show so smooth it left even some improvisers hard pressed to believe it was improvised.
Venues: The Second City (main stage), Deisel Playhouse (cabaret), Bad Dog Theatre (marathon), Nation Film Board of Canada Theatre.
Aphasia
August 25, 2006
Having been lauded as one of the best of the fest after their 2005 fringe stage appearance, Aphasia is one of only six acts to appear on the 2006 main stage. They don't disappoint and their reputation as a festival fave remains in tact, despite some bruises from a number of onstage, in-character scuffles.
2007
Jill Bernard is officially the darling of the Toronto Improv Festival. Having performed in more than a dozen shows in half as many years, Jill has become a festival mainstay and one of the most popular performers at the festival.
Venues: Alumnae Theatre (main stage), Bad Dog Theatre (showcase).
Jill Bernard
August 17, 2007
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2008
Popular New York City group 4Track makes its Canadian debut. The 2008 festival features more than 40 acts and sets up its main stage at the newly opened Comedy Bar.
Venues: Comedy Bar (main stage), Bad Dog Theatre (showcase).
4Track
August 2008
4Track makes its Canadian debut in a show that is talked about in the local improv community for months and is one of the highlights of the 2008 festival.
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