The Canadian Improv Games (CIG) is a national charity dedicated to providing

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

youth with

improvisational theatre Improvisational theatre, often called improvisation or improv or impro in British English, is the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted, created spontaneously by the performers. In its ...

education and programming. It is one of the largest and most geographically dispersed theatre festivals in Canada with 14 regional programs and over 100,000 alumni participants. The winning team from each region proceeds to the National Festival and Tournament held in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

at the

National Arts Centre The National Arts Centre (NAC) () is a Arts centre, performing arts organization in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre (building), National Arts Centre building. History The NAC was one ...

. The CIG also offers workshops, training, and week-long summer camps throughout the year.

History

The Canadian Improv Games got its start in

in 1977. It was created by Jamie "Willie" Wyllie and Howard Jerome, based on a concept originally conceived by David Shepherd and Howard Jerome. With the efforts of Willie and Johnson Moretti, by the 1990s the games had become so popular they were given hour long live coverage on YTV.

Events

Teams perform 5 events in the Canadian Improv Games, including: Life, Character, Style, Story and Theme.

Life

A sincere scene that honestly represents the reality of a situation.

Story

A scene that tells an original story with the use of narration. The story must have a beginning, middle and ending but it does not need to be in chronological order.

Character

A scene featuring an original character. Teams create an original character(s) through physicality and voice.

Theme

An exploration of a theme given by the referee.

Style

A scene that recreates a style. This is done by drawing on the distinctive features and common elements of a recognized style or genre of performance.

Regions

* Vancouver (Lower Mainland) *

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

* Regina *

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario ** Sudbury (federal electoral district) ** Sudbury (provincial electoral district) ** Sudbury Airport ** Sudbury Basin, a meteorite impact cra ...

Greater Toronto The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the Toronto, City of Toronto and the regional municipality, regional municipalities of Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham, Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton, Regional ...

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

* TriCity Area *

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Moncton Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the The Maritimes, Maritime Provinces. Th ...

* Halifax * St John's *Online Tournament

The Oath

At the beginning of every night of play, the referee leads everyone in the Oath which reminds players and audience members about the core values of the Canadian Improv Games. :We have come together :In the spirit of loving competition, :To celebrate the Canadian Improv Games. :We promise to uphold the ideals of improvisation, :To co-operate with one another, :To learn from each other, :To commit ourselves to the moment, :And above all, :To Have A Good Time!

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of the Canadian Improv Games include

Sandra Oh Sandra Miju Oh (born July 20, 1971) is a Canadian and American actress. She is known for her starring roles as Rita Wu in ''Arliss (TV series), Arliss'' (1996–2002), Cristina Yang in ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005–14), and Eve Polastri in ''Kill ...

Seth Rogen Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. Known primarily for his comedic Leading actor, leading man roles in films, the accolades he has received include nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, ...

Nathan Fielder Nathan Joseph Fielder (born May 12, 1983) is a Canadian comedian, actor, writer, director, producer, and pilot. He is known for his awkward persona and involvement in works blurring reality and perception. His accolades include an Independent S ...

Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, she became a cultural phenomenon during the mid 199 ...

Tatiana Maslany Tatiana Gabriele Maslany ( ; born September 22, 1985) is a Canadian actress. She rose to prominence for playing multiple characters in the science-fiction thriller television series ''Orphan Black'' (2013–2017), which won her a Primetime Emmy ...

, Mark Little, Picnicface and

Andrew Phung Andrew Phung (born January 26, 1984) is a Canadian actor, improviser, and comedian. He played Kimchee Han on the CBC Television sitcom '' Kim's Convenience.''"A Convenience truth; Andrew Phung stars in new TV series about an Asian corner store". ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

Canadian Improv Games
Improvisational theatre in Canada Educational organizations based in Canada