SCHEDULE


The official festival schedule for the 2016 edition and the 17th annual Winnipeg IF... Improv Festival! 

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Tuesday, October 11th, 2016 FREE SHOW AT 8PM
THE FREE FESTIVAL SAMPLER
Albert Street Cocktail Bar 91 Albert Street  |  8 p.m.  |  Free 
The kick-off for the festival has traditionally been the free Sampler Platter show. The Sampler Platter is where the audience gets little tastes and samples of who will be performing at the IF… Improv Festival. There might even be some surprise guests. As traditions go, this one is pretty good. This will be at a new venue for us, the Albert Street Cocktail Bar, so we kick-off the improv festival in style... and with delicious cocktails.




 Wednesday, October 12th, 2016 8PM
The Stand-up Comedy vs Improv Comedy Show
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Gas Station Arts Centre, 445 River Ave.  |  8 p.m.  |  $15
The world of Stand-up Comedy and the world of Improv Comedy don't usually mix, in fact, both of these comedy disciplines have been at war for years. The Winnipeg IF… Improv Festival continues their promise to bring together art and artists in a collaborative and hilarious way. We have done it with visual art, we have done it with live poetry and we have done it with dance. We will continue to do it with Stand-up Comedy until we get it right. 

 This show will feature the Stand-up Comedy of:
Mark Little
Andrew Bush
Ashley Burdett
Aaron Merke
Lauren Cochrane
Jordan Welwood


The show will also feature an opening set by Bucko Comedy





Thursday, October 13th, 2016 8PM
SKETCH COMEDY NIGHT! 

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Gas Station Arts Centre, 445 River Ave.  |  8 p.m.  |  $15


Sketch comedy has it's roots in improvisation. Improvisation has it's roots in sketch comedy. They are both intertwined in comedic double helix whose DNA can be seen in Second City, SNL and most modern comedy you see on TV. The festival has put together a sketch ensemble to work with Special guest director Kevin McDonald (The Kids in the Hall) to create some new sketch comedy. The showcase will also feature a special guest showcase by Mark Little & Andrew Bush (from Picnicface).



 Friday, October 14th, 2016 EARLY SHOW AT 8PM
Mainstage Showcase 

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Gas Station Arts Centre, 445 River Ave.  |  8 p.m.  |  $15

 Parking Lots is a local improv troupe. Park yourself in the front row and enjoy!

Writer's Block we get improvisers and writers and we do improv and we use the written word. 

The Improvised Man: Improv in the Style of Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury will be remembered for the richly elegant style and emotional intensity of his best stories. The Improvised Man is a show in the style of Ray Bradbury. Each show consists of three stories tied together by a single theme from YOU, the audience, but otherwise unrelated, all framed by a host.

Both private poet and shy prophet, Bradbury had a writing style that was a cascade of imagery and simple truths: Government was the enemy of creativity (Fahrenheit 451), darkness was always to be feared (The October Country), robots were not our friends (I Sing the Body Electric!), and clowns, carnivals, and sideshows were the scariest things of all (Something Wicked This Way Comes).


We honor all of this is The Improvised Man. Wise, wicked and wonderful —his work of space-age paranoia and lyrical wonder that made science fiction respectable in the 1950s.
Friday, October 14th, 2016 LATE SHOW AT 10:30PM
The Ensemble Shows
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Gas Station Arts Centre, 445 River Ave.  |  10:30 p.m.  |  $15 
We have gathered two ensembles to perform brand new improv for you. The Festival Ensemble includes our international guests and our Local Ensemble... well, is filled with some amazing local players. Both ensembles will presenting brand new improv, I know, all improv is new right? this is the newest!

 Directed by Seattle's Unexpected Productions Artistic Director Randy Dixon

 This performance is a special TEDxWinnipegAdventures version of this event. Come and rub elbows with some idea people!


Saturday, October 15th, 2015 EARLY SHOW AT 8PM
Showcase Shows

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Gas Station Arts Centre, 445 River Ave.  |  8 p.m.  |  $15
The Neighbourhood Watch is a Winnipeg improv troupe. They will wow you with the improv in their neighbourhood.
Doodle Bop Girls is an improv duo that is focused on drawing characters based on your suggestions, and then bringing those drawings to life! Josephine Hendrick and Sarah Mattiello started this troupe in 2011. They initially performed it at the UIG Improv Festival,  and later began doing Chimprov with Rapid Fire Theatre. They recently performed at Improvaganza in June of 2016. This is their first time travelling with this duo!


Lost in Translation
This show has been a huge hit at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival. We explore the miscommunication between Canada’s two official languages (French and English) and we use the third official language to sort it out (Comedy). Join players from French St. Boniface, English Winnipeg and Montreal as they play. You don’t need to be bilingual to enjoy this show, you will laugh in the universal language of improv and comedy!





Saturday, October 15th, 2016 LATE SHOW AT 10:30PM
Ensemble Shows
BUY YOUR TICKETS ONLINE NOW
Gas Station Arts Centre, 445 River Ave.  |  10:30 p.m.  |  $15 


 We have gathered two ensembles to perform brand new improv for you. The Festival Ensemble includes our international guests and our Local Ensemble... well, is filled with some amazing local players. Both ensembles will presenting brand new improv, I know, all improv is new right? this is the newest!

 Directed by Seattle's Unexpected Productions Artistic Director Randy Dixon









*this official schedule for the 2016 festival can change without notice... but I'm sure you'll notice.

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