Stage Door News
Stage Door News
From June 4-9, the Bad Dog Theatre Company is thrilled to present
the return of Toronto’s premiere celebration of improvised theatre,
unscripted experiments and comedic mischief: the
2018 COMBUSTIONfestival.
Launched in 2008, this week-long comedy party will bring together
some of the most exciting, talented, boundary-pushing,
genre-bending, industry-leading improvisers from across North
America (and, in this case, Sweden) - to showcase what they do best
and to collaborate on festival-exclusive projects and
shows.
WHEN:
Drop-in workshops every night at 6pm or7pm (see
schedule)
Shows at 8pm & 9:30pm throughout the week as well as 7pm
WHERE:
Bad Dog Comedy Theatre - 875 Bloor St. W. (upstairs)
COST:
$5- $15 (a limited number of full night and full festival passes
available)
WHO:
featuring more than 70 artists from 10 cities
including…
Festival Guests:
PREACH
(Chicago),
Magnet TourCo.
(New York),
Casually Dope
(Baltimore),
One Lions
(Calgary),
Little Mountain Improv
(Vancouver),
DJ Mama Cutsworth
(Winnipeg),
Andrew Phung
(Calgary),
Todd Houseman
(Edmonton),
Kristen Schier
(Philadelphia),
Ese Atawo
(Vancouver),
Martin Gustafsson
(Gothenburg, Sweden),
RobYn Slade
(Winnipeg), the
Bad Dog Repertory Players
(Toronto),
Skullz
(Toronto),
The Kweendom
(Toronto) and more!
All of our guests will be showcasing their own work &
respective styles and then mixing it up with some of Toronto’s top
performers to take on improvised projects specially amped up for
the
COMBUSTIONfestival.
Festival highlights include:
• The first Toronto appearance of Chicago sensations:
PREACH
(featuring
TJ Medel & Brooke Montoya)
- whose arresting blend of spoken word poetry and unscripted scenes
has been turning heads at festivals across the United States,
recently garnering them a residency at the venerable iO Mission
Theater and a rare spot opening for Bob Odenkirk.
• Baltimore favourites,
Casually Dope
(Rasheed Green,
Ti Coleman,
Harold Young
&
Blue Cavell-Allette),
bringing their signature style of high-energy audience-inspired
comedy and unforgettable characters “fresh from the city that gave
you charm and crabs” - to quote their bio.
• Two-time Canadian Screen Award winner and star of CBC’s
Kim’s Convenience
Andrew Phung
(Calgary) hosting a special guest-filled festival edition of Bad
Dog’s flagship show
Theatresports.
• Calgary’s
One Lions
(Stephen Kent
&
Covy Holland)
performing
Waiting for [Blank]
an unscripted Samuel Beckett-inspired riff on the absurdist
masterpiece
Waiting for Godot
- the Best of the Fest winner at the 2016 Vancouver International
Improv Festival.
• Powerhouse trio:
Elana Fishbein,
Megan Gray,
and
Bianca Casusol,
three of the top improvisers at New York’s
Magnet Theater
- home to some of the best improvisational comedy in the country
with shows that have been top picks by the New York Times, Time Out
NY, and “other critics that matter”.
• Unmissable festival collaborations including the immensely-popular
multimedia
Doppelganger Video Project,
and COMBUSTIONfestival guest-studded editions of Bad Dog favourites
like the
Paul Bates-helmed
sellout hit:
HOOKUP,
• Nicole Passmore’s
spontaneous theatrical experience:
Premiere,
and
Zohaib Khan’s
deliciously chaotic
60 in 60
- a show featuring sixty improvisers in just sixty
minutes.
• A public festival workshop slate that includes
Cree Oral History & Improv
with
Todd Houseman
(Edmonton),
Silence, Intentions & Desires
with
Martin Gustafsson
(Gothenberg, Sweden) and
THE SOUNDTRACK: Rethinking How Music Is Used in Improv
Theatre
with
Sarah Michaelson a.k.a. DJ Mama Cutsworth
(Winnipeg) - an internationally renowned DJ & theatrical
collaborator who will be underscoring a number of the
COMBUSTIONfestival shows as well as providing the music for the
festival’s opening night party.
About the COMBUSTIONfestival:
Originally produced by the Canadian Comedy Award nominated Toronto
improv collective: PROJECTproject, the COMBUSTIONfestival was first
staged in 2008 and was the inaugural event held at Bad Dog’s sister
venue: Comedy Bar. Past festival guests include:
Det Andre Teatret
(Oslo),
Dad’s Garage
(Atlanta),
Global Impro
(Buenos Aires),
CRUMBS
(Winnipeg),
The Sunday Service
(Vancouver),
Parallelogramophonograph
(Austin),
Folk Lordz/Rapid Fire Theatre
(Edmonton),
4TRACK
(New York),
Easy Action
(Montreal),
Junior Varsity
(New York),
Ted & Melanie
(Chicago),
Picnicface
(Halifax),
Dark Side of the Room
(Atlanta),
The Amie & Kristen Show
(Philadelphia),
!nstant Theatre
(Vancouver) &
Uncalled For
(Montreal).
About the Bad Dog Theatre Company
For over 30 years, the award-winning Bad Dog Theatre Company
(previously known as Theatresports Toronto) has specialized in the
art of unscripted comedy and improvised performance and has
provided affordable, accessible improv training for thousands of
people of all ages and experience. Voted Best Small Theatre Company
(2017) by the readers of NOW Magazine and led by renowned improv
veteran
Julie Dumais Osborne,
Bad Dog presents Theatresports, Toronto’s longest, continuously
running improv show, every Saturday along with shows throughout the
week at its home: the
Bad Dog Comedy Theatre
(875 Bloor St. W. - upstairs)
Visit
for details.
2018-05-15
Toronto: The Bad Dog Theatre Company presents the 2018 COMBUSTIONfestival June 4-9