Looking to buy tickets to the shows? You should ONLY purchase your tickets through the National Arts Centre’s official website!
Notre Dame from Ottawa
Centennial CVI from Tri-City
Elmwood School from Ottawa
Mayfield Secondary from Toronto
Harry Ainlay from Alberta
Eastside Secondary from Kingston
RE Mountain from Online Wildcard
Canterbury from Ottawa
Grant Park from Manitoba
Beaconsfield from Québec
Holy Spirit from Newfoundland
Rockridge from Lower Mainland
J.L. Ilsley from Nova Scotia
GISS from Vancouver Island
Luther Checkmates from Sask
Tuesday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. at Arts Court
We are kicking off our 2025 National Festival with the Alumni Showcase. On Tuesday April 15th at the ArtsCourt Theatre, watch CIG alum across Canada come together in the spirit of loving competition to celebrate the Canadian Improv Games!
Doors open at 7:00 PM show at 7:30 PM.
Tickets are $10. Festival participants and competing teams can PWYC at the door.
Saturday, April 19 at 1:00 p.m. at uOttawa LabO Theatre
Justin Collette (School of Rock, Broadway / Beetlejuice, touring) and Cari Leslie (Boom Chicago, Amsterdam / Beerprov, MSC Cruises) take audience questions and talk about life on the road, performing full-time, and how CIG got them there. Moderated by Lucas Arab.
April 16-19 from 6-7pm
No Experience Necessary! Hosted by our pals at Improv Embassy, The Improv Corporation and Wayward Improv! Join us in the lobby of the NAC at the Peter A. Herrndorf Place (lobby stage) before every night of Nationals.
Saturday, April 19 at 9:30 p.m. till late
After enjoying the National Finals, come hang out at the Homecoming Hang – CIG afterparty at D’Arcy McGees! Free with your NAC ticket to Nationals (any night) or with a donation to CIG.
Hosted by Jimmy Classic (Lisgar improv team circa 2004)
Canadian Improv Games National Festival is an immersive educational experience that fosters creativity and camaraderie. Through improvisational theatre, students develop valuable life skills, forge lasting connections, and grow in a supportive, inclusive community. The Festival offers 4 days of specialized workshops and learning opportunities from experienced improvisers and instructors from across Canada, as well as four nights of performances from the best teams in the country!
Ottawa-based teams may register for the festival up until April 15th, 2025.
Read more in our Nationals 2025 Info Package.
Long-form Demo: What does improv look like outside of four minutes? The answer is at the Long-form Demo. This is a staff showcase event where improvisers from coast to coast will get on stage and showcase a long-form set. Come see improvisers from a variety of improv troupes from across Canada play on stage.
Wrap Party: We’ve worked hard and played hard all week, time to shake it off and get down at our annual Closing Night Dance Party! Come dance & hang out with all your amazing new friends as we say goodbye to another wonderful year of Improv. There will be a quiet zone for students who want a more chill experience.
Make Good Choices!: Okay, so you’ve got your first offers in place. Your scene is looking good – and then what? What can you do to keep your scene rolling? This workshop will help!
Commit to THIS moment: It’s in the oath- but what does it mean to commit to a moment? In this workshop you’ll get out of your head and onto the stage!
Movement and Physicality: Improv doesn’t have to be verbal. Sometimes physical improv can pick up where words leave off. This advanced workshop will explore incredibly physical improv and how to use it in the CIG context.
Silence and Sincerity: Let’s all just slow down and listen. How can we show sincerity in our scenes without talking? Take this workshop to find out how!
Dynamic Characters: Characters aren’t just how they talk- they’re also how they MOVE! This workshop will infuse some physicality into your unique characters!
ADVANCED: Long-form: If learning how to improvise outside the parameters of a four minute scene is something you’ve always wanted – this workshop is for you!
Do I need to have a team registered with CIG this year to attend Nationals?
NO! You can attend as a teacher or bring a handful of students outside of participating in a regional tournament.
Does my team need to win our regional tournament to attend Nationals?
Nope! All teams are welcome at the National Festival, no matter their placement in the regional tournament.
What happens if we register and then win our regional tournament?
Your registration fees (for up to 9 players and one coach) will be waived.
What is the hotel situation for the National Festival?
We’ve partnered with Les Suites Hotel again this year! These are suite-style accommodations with full kitchens, so students can buy groceries for their time in Ottawa.
Are we required to stay at Les Suites?
No! You’re welcome to choose a hotel that works best for your team.
Are there workshops for teachers and coaches?
Yes! We’re hosting the Teacher’s Conference again this year. Winning teams will also receive one free coach/teacher registration for the conference.
Have you ever wanted to see your local CIG volunteers try out an event? Well, wait no longer! We are kicking off our 2025 National Festival with the Alumni Showcase. On Tuesday April 15th, watch CIG alum from Newfoundland to Victoria come together in the spirit of loving competition to celebrate the Canadian Improv Games. Get ready to cooperate with one another, to learn from each other, to commit ourselves to the moment, and above all, to have a good time!
Doors open at 7:00 PM and the show begins at 7:30 PM. Tickets coming soon.
The Canadian Improv Games also offers a Teachers Conference that runs in conjunction with the National Festival & Tournament. The Conference is open to all teachers across Canada whether they bring a student team to participate in the National Festival & Tournament or not!
This exciting and hands-on conference will give drama and english language arts teachers lots of games, activities and strategies for improving student’s speaking and listening skills as well as help get teachers comfortable introducing improvisational theatre into their professional practice. Teachers can expect to work with veteran improvisors, coaches and theatrical performers to learn how to bring improv into their classroom. Improvisational theatre is a great cross-curricular teaching methodology in all subjects that engages students and activates their learning in meaningful ways.
Our Conference includes tickets to nights of performance, improv demonstrations from our senior performers, and workshops on topics such as barriers in teaching improv and how to build an improv lesson plan.
The Teacher’s Conference will be held from April 16-19th in Ottawa, ON, in conjunction with the National Festival. Teachers can attend the Conference with or without a student team. If you are registering a student team for the National Festival, the Teacher’s Conference is included in the registration fees. If you are attending without a student team, the cost of the National Festival is $100 for one day, $175 for two days and $250 for the full week!
The Conference will be hosted in Les Suites, Ottawa. Accommodations are arranged through the hotel manager Steven Carnaffan at Steven.Carnaffan@innvesthotels.com. With the Canadian Improv Games rate, a one bedroom suite costs $219/night.
Nationals Pricing Tiers
Day Pass – $100/student
Two workshops, each two hours in length, with an experienced CIG trainer
One ticket to one evening show at the National Arts Centre
Two Day Pass – $175/student
Four workshops, each two hours in length, with an experienced CIG trainer
Tickets to two shows at the National Arts Centre
Festival Pass – $250/student
Up to eight workshops, each two hours in length, with an experienced CIG trainer
Tickets to all National Tournament shows at the National Arts Centre
Les Suites Hotel
The Les Suites Hotel Ottawa is located at 130 Besserer Street, Ottawa. Located just steps from the historic ByWard Market and Parliament Hill. Each room is equipped with a full kitchen and sizeable living room. As the official hotel partner of the National Festival, Les Suites hotel offers a special rate for CIG participants.
How to Book
Rooms at Les Suites can be booked through the hotel. Once you register, we will put you in contact with the hotel and you can book your rooms. The hotel will automatically book your school’s rooms on the same floor as the rest of the Festival.
Pricing
Performing Team Schedule – Nationals 2025
Wednesday April 16:
Elmwood School (Ottawa Team 2)
Centennial CVI (Tri-City Team)
Notre Dame (Ottawa Team 3)
Mayfield Secondary School (Toronto Team)
Harry Ainlay (Alberta Team)
Thursday April 17
Eastside Secondary (Kingston Team)
RE Mountain (Online Wildcard Team)
Canterbury High School (Ottawa Team 1)
Grant Park High School (Manitoba Team)
Beaconsfield High School (Quebec Team)
Friday April 18
Holy Spirit High School (Newfoundland Team)
Rockridge Secondary (Lower Mainland Team)
J.L. Ilsley High School (Nova Scotia Team)
GISS (Vancouver Island Team)
Luther Checkmates (Saskatchewan Team)
Saturday April 19
Top 5 Teams
Each year, Canadian Improv Games teams work tirelessly to perfect their craft—putting in countless hours of practice, performing, and fundraising to earn their spot at the National Tournament in Ottawa.
This year, due to financial challenges related to ongoing pandemic recovery, CIG is unable to cover the cost of hotel accommodations for our qualifying teams. By sponsoring a team, you will directly cover the cost of their hotel stay, ensuring they can fully experience the National Festival and celebrate their hard-earned achievement.
Help make this essential step of their journey possible by becoming an official National Festival sponsor. Contact operations@improv.ca for more information about donations and tax receipts.
If your team advances from their regional tournament, your registration fees will be waived. All teams are encouraged to register as a festival team ahead of time.
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