Make November funny again: Montreal’s bilingual Improv Festival is just around the corner

As we’ve already said our goodbyes to summer, the cold & damp fall triggers seasonal affective disorder in the very best of us. The remaining festivals do their best to distract us from the inevitable marching of time, but one festival which I believe actually produces vitamin D to chase away them chilly blues is the upcoming, one-of-a-kind, highly entertaining Mprov 2016, hosted by the folks who run the Montreal Improv Theatre. If the old adage is that laughter is the best medicine, this one is the cure.

This ten day long improv comedy festival, with performances running from Thursday, November 3rd to Saturday, November 13th, is touted as the only fully bilingual (English and French) improv fest in North America. Already in its 11th season, Mprov 2016  is serving up a beefier and incredibly diverse lineup of the best improv talents, from up & comers to seasoned performers, coming from across Canada, the United States and the rest of the world.

This year the fest cast its net wider to snag itself two members from a ten-person super team all the way from Ile-de-la-Reunion, calling themselves La Bagasse. Hailing from this tiny volcanic island just east of Madagascar on the googoo maps, this improv decad is named after their island’s French word for the residue collected from processed sugarcanes and converted into energy. If this is any indication to their style, get ready to see them combine music and performance to turn them into pure delight that goes beyond any game. If you’d like to incorporate their improv style into yours, they’re also teaching a workshop on Saturday, November 5th. More details here.

A benefit of having out of town performers is that they tend to offset their travel fees by putting on workshops where they reveal the magic behind their method. Sign up before places are filled for the chance to be taught by some of the most incredible traveling instructors to grace the fest. Second City Toronto instructor and Mtl Improv co-founder Kristen Rasmussen is an instant character generator extraordinaire who will help you discover the sometimes elusive scene with your stage partner. Will Luera, improv director at FST in Florida, racks up the air miles performing as Big Bang, and shows students how to use their partner’s choices to create dynamic interactions together; Bostonian Dave Sawyer is no stranger to Montreal as he’s had repeat performances at Sketchfest and is a Concordia alum. Trust yourself to let go and tap into free-form improv with this ImprovBoston traveling teacher & performer.

Additionally, looking at a sampling of the best local acts to come to the fest tells me I’ll need to cancel all other evening plans just to catch my favourites and to be blown away by the new blood:

Camp Wanapoke, the crew of eager campers and rebellious councillors who were breaking hearts at past fests such as OFF-JFL and Fringe, return with more sex, drugs and alcohol-addled teen hijinks as they get ready to look their freshest at their upcoming prom night set in 1994.

Ladies & Gentlemen were recipients of the Just For Laughs award handed at Sketchfest earlier this year. Sandiford & Carin were put on earth to find each other and unpack the funniest ideas through their silly banter. Enjoy the most you can out of them before the American dollar and an eventual comedy deal entices them to move to greener pastures.

On the French side of thangs, there are so many worthy acts to mention, but be sure to catch Montréal Improv resident house teams Réservoir Chien, and for amateurs of the French thespian, Les Enfants de Molière.

Improv siblings from anotha theata, Sandi Armstrong & Alain Mercieca bring their Theatre Sainte Catherine brand, which many liken to “punk rock improv”, to Montreal Improv’s stage as Grinders. You’ll never stop laughing with these two.

Not wanting to be called a scam artist of Dr. Oz proportions, I felt I needed to back up my earlier medical claim by flexin’ my mad qualitative method skillz via the Internet (I just killed a library, i know). This Psychology Today article bangs on about how “Laughing in the evening makes you sleep better at night.” So what’s anybody’s excuse now about not going? Already sleep like a baby? Well, sleep like a foetus that just cannibalised its twin in the woooooomb. Happy Halloween, then set your sights on Mprov 2016 at the Montreal Improv Theatre this November 3rd to the 13th!

Prices will vary depending on how jam packed with talent the night is. Individual tickets are on-sale for each show, and there are also passes available for the entire evening. To reserve a seat for a show (as some will sell out fer sure fer sure) contact reservations@mprov.ca.

Check out the Mprov Facebook page for all of the workshop listings. and for the complete rundown of shows visit the festival website.