VTS Announces Lineup For 2019 International THEATRESPORTS Institute Festival; Tickets On Sale Now

Vancouver TheatreSportsTM (VTS) is honoured to be hosting the 2019 International Theatresports Institute Festival, taking place this fall from Tuesday, October 15 to Sunday, October 20 on Granville Island at VTS' home theatre The Improv Centre, as well as the The Waterfront Theatre and The Nest (with the exception of El Jaguar, which takes place on a bus). Single Tickets, Group Tickets, and Festival Passes are on sale now at www.vtsl.com. Prices range from $7 to $35 for Single Tickets and $49 to $220 for various Festival Passes. For groups of 10 or more people, a 10% discount will be offered. Early Bird pricing will be in effect until September 19. Full Festival ticketing details are now available online at www.vtsl.com.

The International Theatresports Institute (ITI) is the largest improv network in the world, representing 90 improv companies, schools and universities from 22 countries on six continents. Every two years, ITI convenes a conference and festival that brings together improvisers from around the globe. Previous locations have included Dubai, Milan, Würzburg, and San Francisco. This year's Festival features more than 50 public performances from improvisers from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, UK, and U.S.A.

Here is the Festival lineup:

The Bechdel Test (created by Lisa Rowland, U.S.A.) - October 17 & 19 at 7:30pm at Waterfront Theatre The Bechdel Test is based on a set of criteria developed by feminist cartoonist and author Allison Bechdel. It asks: 'Does a work of fiction have at least one scene in it where two women talk about something other than a man?' The remarkably low percentage of films and stories that pass this test points to the fact that we have grown accustomed to creating and seeing stories centering around men. The Bechdel Test format aims to explore the complexities, relationships, and stories of women.

**El Jaguar Fiesta Tour of Vancouver (Derek Flores, New Zealand) - October 18-20 at 5:00pm The audience jumps on a bus with masked Mexican luchador El Jaguar for a hilarious one-hour tour of the city where the focus is on fiesta, not facts. Seating is very limited as the performance actually takes place on a bus as it wends its way through Vancouver. **embarkation point TBA | advance online sales only | passes and group discounts not valid for this performance.

The Ferocious Four (created/directed by Laura Doorneweerd, Netherlands) - October 17 & 19 at 7:30pm at The Nest Having previously headlined at the 2017 Mount Olymprov Improv Festival in Greece and the 2018 Finland International Improv Festival, The Ferocious Four is an improvised tale of action, power, and heroines. In every performance, an all-female international cast comes together to give you the story of a group of heroines collaborating to battle evil.

Frisky Friday - Adults Only Comedy - October 18 at 9:30pm at The Improv Centre An all-star cast explores the funny side of naughty. From BDSM to fetishes and threesomes to porn, no subject will be deemed too scandalous to spoof. Based on audience suggestions this is not a show for the faint of heart, those with delicate sensibilities or anyone under the age of 19.

Gorilla TheatreTM (created by Keith Johnstone, Calgary) - October 16 at 9:30pm at Waterfront Theatre | October 18 & 19 at 11:30pm at Waterfront Theatre One of the hallmarks of Gorilla Theatre is the inclusion of a 'live gorilla' (a performer in a gorilla suit) that adds an element of spectacle, mask work, and playful misbehaviour. Cast members take turns directing each other in scenes. The audience is invited to reward or punish the director of a scene by yelling "BANANA!" if they liked it or "FORFEIT!" if they didn't. Successful directors are awarded a banana. Unsuccessful directors are required to perform a forfeit, such as expose a personal secret or get beaten by a foam stick. At the end of the evening the director with the most bananas wins "a week of quality time with the resident gorilla."

Le Roundabout (directed by Dan O'Connor, U.S.A.) - October 16 at 7:30pm at The Nest This fully improvised contemporary play deals with relationships, modern living, and the change that happens when we commit to what we want. Who do we meet when we walk into the unknown and discover new ways of thinking? What consequences will these new relationships bring? Le Roundabout sheds light onto these questions with one single narrative, performed by an international ensemble.

Life Game (created by Keith Johnstone, directed by VTS alum Veena Sood) - October 17 & 18 at 7:30pm at The Nest This show is an improvised staged biography of a guest's life. The guest is interviewed about their life, and a cast of international improvisers along with a director bring the stories to life. We begin with childhood, formative experiences, successes and failures, triumphs and heartbreaks. At times hilarious, at times deeply moving, LifeGame is a show that reminds us that everyone, however ordinary, has an extraordinary life story to tell.

Lugares (directed by Felipe Ortiz, Colombia and Patti Stiles, Australia) - October 16 at 9:30pm at The Nest | October 18 at 7:30pm at Waterfront Theatre Lugares (Spanish for 'places') invites members of the audience to describe a special setting such as the house of a grandparent. Utilizing the audience member's description, the cast creates exciting new stories and parallel worlds that will change the way we see these spaces and connect us to our own personal places. Join us for an engaging and emotive show that unearths personal stories and comedic treasures.

Maestro ImproTM (created by Keith Johnstone, directed by Steve Jarand (Canada/Germany) - October 16 at 7:30pm at Waterfront Theatre | October 18 & 19 at 9:30pm at Waterfront Theatre Maestro ImproTM is often described as a 'crash-and-burn-elimination-style' format. Each improviser is given a numbered button or 'pinny' to wear and their names appear on the scoreboard next to their number. Two directors take turns randomly pulling the numbers of players to cast their scenes. A host asks the audience to score each scene out of 5. As the evening progresses, lower scoring players are eliminated until only one improviser remains - The 'Maestro'.

Masks Unleashed (directed by Steve Jarand, Canada/Germany) - October 19 at 11:30pm at The Improv Centre In Masks Unleashed, the director attempts to wrangle the impulses and imaginations of masked improvisers and build them into a story. A genre and initial challenge sends them into the drama. The Masks follow the tale through trials and tribulations and come through with a new feeling for the world of the stories and this world too. Or, they could decide to sabotage the entire plan!

Ok Tinder - International Edition - October 16 & 17 at 9:30pm at The Improv Centre Is finding love easier in the 21st century or has social media made it more complicated? Do people really expect to find the love of their life through a dating app? Are apps even used to make connections in other parts of the world? Is the dating scene as tough in Dublin or Auckland or Tokyo as it is in Vancouver? How do singles meet in Trondheim and Bangalore? This show brings together a cast made up of VTS ensemble members and international delegates for a global take on the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of dating in the digital age. NC 17+ - this show may contain mature content and language. Parental discretion is advised.

Our Play (Patti Stiles, Australia and Joe Bill, U.S.A.) - October 19 at 11:30pm at The Nest Two legendary improv performers make a rare appearance together onstage. The duo demonstrates that despite the differences in their improv performance styles, there are many more things that they share in common. Ultimately, the magnificence of the performance comes from their diverse approaches and their ability to use their differences to support each other. This is a very unique opportunity to catch these two world-renowned improvisers performing together.

Play UnScripted (directed by Dan O'Connor, U.S.A.) - October 17 at 9:30pm at Waterfront Theatre Utilizing audience suggestions, the cast creates a completely improvised, contemporary, two-act play from scratch with no pre-set genre, no guidelines, and no safety net. Play UnScripted presents a play built on pure imagination where every performance is completely unique - and will never be seen again.

TheatresportsTM Summit (created by Keith Johnstone) - October 15-19 at 7:30pm at The Improv Centre | October 19 & 20 at 9:30pm at The Improv Centre TheatresportsTM Summit explores the TheatresportsTM format as played by the 'four pillar' companies - from Calgary's Loose Moose Theatre where the format was first performed as created by Keith Johnstone at The University of Calgary (it is the foundation format) to variations as performed at Vancouver TheatreSports (Vancouver), Rapid Fire Theatre (Edmonton), and Unexpected Productions (Seattle).

The Time is Now (directed by Inbal Lori, Israel) - October 18 & 19 at 9:30pm at The Nest The Time is Now is made of different scenes, each inspired by current topics given by the audience. The ensemble explore the darkness and light, the needs and fears, and the limitations and borders of the topic in our lives and society. This is a satiric, criticizing, vigilant show that encourages the audience to be reflective and thoughtful. It uses improv and comedy to criticize reality, while revealing its pain and beauty. It's a show that thinks that now is the time to use this art form to show what you think and feel.

The Toys Strike Back (Det Andre Teatret, Norway) - October 19 & 20 at 2pm & 4pm at The Improv Centre The Toys Strike Back is a matinee performance suitable for families with children aged 5 and older. Children are asked to bring a favourite toy with them as the show's plot is based on the toys, which will be part of the action on stage.

For complete Festival details, please visit https://www.vtsl.com/iti-conference/public-performances/.