Impro Montréal

Founding (2008)

Vinny François, an improviser with experience in both English and French performance, founded Impro Montréal in 2008 on boulevard Saint-Laurent in Montreal's Plateau/Mile End area. The company offered bilingual classes and shows from the outset, serving Montreal's both English and French-language improv communities. Impro Montréal hosted events for the Montreal Fringe and the Just For Laughs off-festival and was recognized by Cult MTL as a preferred comedy venue.

COVID-19 Closure (2020)

In July 2020, Vinny François announced Impro Montréal's permanent closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that the organization had been in good financial standing before the pandemic but could not survive the extended loss of revenue from closures.

Revival in Saint-Henri (2020 to Present)

The organization was subsequently revived under new ownership and leadership. Mélanie McCrae joined as Associate Producer in 2022 and became Owner, Operations Director, and Interim Artistic Director. The revived company moved to 3706 rue Notre-Dame Ouest in Montreal's Saint-Henri neighbourhood. The organization describes itself as Montreal's only venue dedicated exclusively to improvised theatre.

Impro Montreal is Montreal's only dedicated improv venue, offering bilingual French and English classes and shows following a revival after COVID-19 forced a temporary closure of the original organization.

Harold Night (a weekly long-form showcase mixing emerging and experienced players in the Harold format), Dream Teams (a recurring show pairing special ensemble configurations), Threepio (an annual improv competition created by Marc Rowland in 2013, featuring bracket-style team elimination voted on by the audience, with winners including The Actor's Lounge in 2022 and the troupe Imploding in 2023), Hotshots (a monthly long-form competition pitting local troupes against one another for audience votes, won by Succulents! in 2021), Indie Night (a recurring Thursday and Sunday bill featuring independent ensembles), and the Mprov: The Montreal Improv Festival (for which Vinny François served as Executive Producer). François also directed It's Not You, It's Me, a tragic improv show that toured Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Impro Montréal was founded in 2008 as Montreal's first dedicated English-French bilingual improv venue, filling a gap in a city whose comedy infrastructure had centered on stand-up and sketch through institutions like Just For Laughs. Founding director Vinny François served as Executive Producer of Mprov: The Montreal Improv Festival, co-produced multiple shows for the Montreal Fringe Festival, and directed the touring show It's Not You, It's Me. Matt Goldberg, producer of the storytelling series Confabulation, described Montreal Improv as an essential pillar for performance in the city at the time of its July 2020 COVID closure.

After the closure, the venue was revived under new leadership. Mélanie McCrae, who had studied at the school in 2019 and joined as staff producer in 2022, became Owner, Artistic Director, and Operations Manager, relocating the organization to 3706 rue Notre-Dame Ouest in Saint-Henri. Under the new leadership the venue has been recognized by Cult MTL readers as one of Montreal's favourite comedy spaces, has hosted performances at OFF-JFL and the Vancouver International Improv Festival, and has sent performers to the Del Close Marathon in New York. Faculty member Dale Bernier's trio After This We're Going To Tokyo won both the Threepio and Head to Head competitions during this period.