The Montreal Improv Festival is here!

The Montreal Improv Festival is the only fully bilingual improv festival not only in Montreal but in North America. Each year Mprov hosts an extraordinary mix of new, up and coming acts along with established, celebrated performers from all over Canada and the United States. Now in it’s 11th year, this year’s festival is the biggest it has ever been, with troupes coming from all over North America to perform in French and English at Montreal Improv Theatre from November 3rd to November 12th.

The hilarious line up of talented and diverse performers is sure to delight audiences over ten days this November. A few highlights of visiting performers coming to this year’s festival are Network Notes (Toronto, ON; named in the Top 10 Comedy Shows Of The Year by NOW Magazine’s Glenn Sumi), Fake Cops (Toronto, ON; recipients of the Pat & Tony Adams Freedom Fund residency at Bad Dog Theatre), Big Bang (Boston, MA; featuring alumni of the mainstage company at Improv Boston), Sea Tea Improv (Professional Improv Theatre Company from Hartford, CT), Daflo (Toronto, ON basedFrench-speaking improvisers) La Bagasse (de l’ile de la Reunion) and The Improv Embassy (brand new theatre company and school from Ottawa, ON).

The festival will showcase dozens of local performers including Too Sick, Bro (featuring James McGee of Bonhomme Caramel & Marc Rowland of Easy Action), Camp Wanapoke (Montreal Fringe 2016, featured in the Montreal Gazette and Bad Feeling Magazine), Soap Box (winners of the Threepio Spring 2016 edition at Montreal Improv), Reservoir Chien (Impro Montreal House Team), Les Enfants des Moliere (improv inspired by the work of French author Moliere), Jess and Vance (Big City Improv Festival 2014, 2015, 2016), Ladies and Gentlemen (recipient of the Just for Laughs Award at Montreal Sketchfest 2016), Coffee Break (Big City Improv Festival 2016, Del Close Marathon 2016) and Theatre Sainte Catherine’s Grinders (featuring Sandi Armstrong and Alain Mercieca of Depflies), along with many more amazing local acts.

As always the festival will host incredible workshops from many of the talented out-of-towners performing in the festival. This year’s festival includes workshops from Evany Rosen and Kayla Lorette (Network Notes), Kirsten Rasmussen (Toronto, ON; former Mainstage performer and current instructor at Second City Toronto), Will Luera (Big Bang, current Director of Improvisation at Florida Studio Theatre, Artistic Director Emeritus of ImprovBoston) and Dave Sawyer (Big Bang).

Mprov is dedicated to bringing together a diverse range of performers from varying levels of experience and a wide variety of backgrounds. This year the festival will include a panel discussion on diversity in a modern improv community – facilitated by festival director Vinny Francois. The panel will feature performers, teachers, and producers from Montreal, Ottawa, Hartford and Burlington to take part in this timely discussion.

For more information about Mprov and the performers for the 2016 edition please go to http://mprov.ca and be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@mprovfest).