Improvisation in Alberta
Cities
Historical Moments
Keith Johnstone Introduces Theatresports
Keith Johnstone introduces the Theatresports format at Loose Moose Theatre in Calgary, creating a competitive framework in which two or more teams of improvisers perform scenes scored by judges. The format combines the spirit of athletic competition with improvisational aesthetics, creating immediate stakes and audience engagement. Theatresports spreads rapidly across Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and eventually worldwide, becoming one of the most widely performed improv formats in history.
Loose Moose Theatre Company Founded in Calgary
Keith Johnstone founds Loose Moose Theatre Company in Calgary, Alberta, creating the institutional home for his developing system of improvisational theater. Loose Moose becomes the birthplace of Theatresports and a laboratory for Johnstone's ongoing experiments with narrative, status, and spontaneity. The company's work, grounded in Johnstone's distinctive pedagogy, influences improvisers throughout Canada and internationally.
Loose Moose Theatre Company Founded in Calgary
Keith Johnstone and Mel Tonken co-founded Loose Moose Theatre Company in Calgary in 1977, creating the home where Johnstone would develop Theatresports and other foundational improv formats.
Theatresports Comes to Edmonton via Theatre Network
Theatre Network Artistic Director Stephen Heatley invited Keith Johnstone to Edmonton in 1981, making Theatre Network the third company in the world to regularly produce Theatresports and beginning the Edmonton improv tradition that would become Rapid Fire Theatre.
Rapid Fire Theatre Formed as Independent Company
In 1988 the Edmonton improv performers who had been working under Theatre Network formed Rapid Fire Theatre as their own independent company, with Jack Smith as first Artistic Director.
Die-Nasty Founded in Edmonton
Dana Andersen, Mark Meer, David Belke, and other founding members launched Die-Nasty in Edmonton in 1991, presenting a live improvised soap opera format that evolved from an earlier show called Soap on the Rocks.
International Theatresports Institute Founded by Keith Johnstone
Keith Johnstone founded the International Theatresports Institute on May 23, 1998 in Calgary, creating the worldwide licensing and community organization for his Theatresports, Maestro Impro, and Gorilla Theatre formats.
Keith Johnstone Establishes the International Theatresports Institute
On May 23, 1998, Keith Johnstone formalized the international licensing of his competitive formats by establishing the International Theatresports Institute. The ITI grants performance rights for Theatresports, Maestro Impro (also known as Micetro), and Gorilla Theatre, and distributes official format guides co-authored by Johnstone with Patti Stiles and Shawn Kinley. The institute provided a legal and pedagogical framework for the hundreds of organisations worldwide that perform Theatresports under licence.
Loose Moose Moves to Crossroads Market
Loose Moose Theatre moved to its current home at 1235 26th Avenue Southeast in Calgary's Crossroads Market in 2005.
Die-Nasty Reaches 500th Episode
On February 12, 2007, the Government of Alberta recognized Die-Nasty as the company performed its 500th episode, marking one of the longest-running improvised serial works in North American comedy.
Keith Johnstone Dies in Calgary at Age Ninety
Keith Johnstone died on March 11, 2023, at Rockyview General Hospital in Calgary, Alberta, at the age of ninety. Johnstone created the Theatresports competitive format in the late 1970s and authored Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre (1979) and Impro for Storytellers (1998), two of the most widely read books in improvisational performance. His emphasis on status, spontaneity, and acceptance shaped the pedagogy of improvisation schools across North America, Europe, and Australia.
Includes moments from child regions. View full timeline →
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Alberta. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/locales/north-america/canada/alberta
The Improv Archive. "Alberta." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/locales/north-america/canada/alberta.
The Improv Archive. "Alberta." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/locales/north-america/canada/alberta. Accessed March 17, 2026.
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