After solidifying their comeback to live performance last year, the Ottawa Improv Festival is ramping up the energy, presenting some of the best improv in the city from May 29-31 at Arts Court.
Joshua Mayo and Krystal Merrells are co-directors of the festival this year and have prepared some incredible and unique programming for Ottawa audiences.
“This year, we are back to full form with three nights of fun, improvised shows,” says Mayo. “Obviously, all of the shows are improvised, which means they’re made up on the spot—each night is an experience unique to you, and will never be replicated again.”
The festival will not only highlight local talent but will also feature performers from Montreal and Toronto. They’ve even secured Michael Bird, a solo performer from NYC, and Hinprov, an act that mixes improv and Bollywood, as headliners.
Ottawa Improv Festival logo with performers from the fest. Photo provided.
“We really view the festival as a celebration of the Ottawa community, and at the same time, a way to showcase and inspire that creation throughout the rest of the year,” says Merrells.
The festival will also include workshops for all levels of improv, no matter your knowledge or background with the craft.
There are two new workshops this year—one brings the world of music and improv together from a trained violinist, and the other focuses on improv for performers whose second language is English.
These workshops are also great for folks who are brand new to the festival and want to experience everything the Ottawa improv scene offers.
“One of our main goals for [the festival] is to really raise the profile of improv in the city,” says Mayo. “So, a lot of it has to do with making the shows feel welcoming—nobody will force you to do anything you don’t want to do. Your job as an audience member is to just have fun.”
This year will also bring a few themed shows to the festival. Performers for the May 30 show are bringing all kinds of musical magic to the stage.
A photo of the crowd from OIF 2024. Photo by Philippe Marchand (@marchand_phil)
“So if improv wasn’t impressive and spontaneous enough, [they] make musicals on the spot,” says Merrells. “One group is a clown and mime show with improvised violin, we’ve got another one that’s an improvised movie musical, and one of our headliners from Toronto, Hinprov, is coming to do their improvised Bollywood—audiences can expect to be totally amazed by spontaneous music made up on the spot and also perhaps to dance.”
That same evening will also include performances that are “better than streaming,” where the shows are inspired by TV-based formats.
“We’ve got a local duo who hands the audience the remote to flick between channels, and we have troops from Montreal and Toronto doing a behind the scenes look at TV production, fully improvised,” says Mayo.
On the evening of May 29, a brand new event called Battle of the Neighbourhoods will duke it out on stage for bragging rights.
“We’ve split Ottawa up into five distinct regions, each with their own representatives of their local areas in front of judges,” says Merrells. “It’s really like a fun competition for bragging rights for each area of the city.”
Both Mayo and Merrells believe there is something particularly special about improv and the relationship between performers and audiences.
“It becomes a conversation between the performers on stage and the audience, so there’s this constant feedback that’s influencing what’s happening on stage which you don’t get with other live shows necessarily,” says Merrells.
“I think what you do end up seeing is, especially for this festival, is a series of seasoned, trained performers who have mastered the craft of agreeing with each other and supporting each other, and I often find as an audience member, that is so much fun to watch,” says Mayo.
Check out the Ottawa Improv Festival from May 29-31 at Arts Court. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased online. For more information about the shows and performers, check out the Ottawa Improv Festival’s website.
