Are you feeling the spring blues? Make your way to the Vancouver Improv Centre, where you’re sure to laugh your socks off!
The Improv Centre is a live theatre at Vancouver’s Granville Island where you can find live improv, theatresports-style shows and even stand up comedy.
Theatresports is the venue’s traditional style of show. It’s what the Improv Centre has become famous for.
During this show two teams of actors do short improvised skits and compete against each other for points. “Contestants” have to act out funny, quirky and odd improv scenes, but It’s all improvised, so they have to think fast on their toes and make things up in the moment!
The Theatresports shows are on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm, with performances running about an hour and a half, with a15-minute intermission. Tickets prices vary between around $15 and $30 depending on where you sit.
The Playground shows are similar to the Theatresports shows, but with different materials and without the points and teams. The Playground is kind of where the actors get to test out new ideas and experiment with an audience.
With the Playground, It’s still improv and participants still have to act on the fly, but it’s less structured and predictable than the normal Theatresports shows.
The Playground shows take place on Thursdays at 7:30 pm. They run for about an hour and ten minutes with a short intermission in the middle. Tickets cost between about $18 and $20 depending on where you sit.
Stand Up At The Improv is a newer series at the Improv Centre.
It doesn’t involve theatresports or improvised acting, but rather It’s more traditional stand up comedy where a comedian stands on the stage and tells a series of jokes and entertains the audience.
Stand Up At The Improv takes place every second Thursday evening at 9:00 pm. It features local stand up comics as well as ones from both elsewhere in Canada and abroad. Some of the comedians you’ll see are the same ones that perform at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival or at places like the House of Comedy in New Westminster.
These shows last for between around 75 minutes and an hour and a half. Prices may vary depending on who’s performing. Tickets can cost as little as $20 or so.