THEATRESPORTS40 Returns to The Bad Dog Theatre Company

The Bad Dog Theatre Company will celebrate over 40 years of unscripted comedy and improvised performance in Toronto by bringing back its flagship show Theatresports every Friday for 40 weeks at Comedy Bar (945 Bloor St W) starting October 7th. The star-studded lineup will feature 5 directors, special guests, and notable alumni including Andrew Phung (Kim's Convenience), Ann Pornel (The Great Canadian Baking Show), The Tallboyz, Rakhee Morzaria (Run the Burbs), Alice Moran, Tricia Black (Pretty Hard Cases), Ken Hall (People of Earth), and Tom Hearn.

To purchase tickets, please visit: https://baddogtheatre.com/theatresports-1

The Bad Dog Theatre Company was founded in 2003 but can trace its roots back to 1982 when it was known as Theatresports Toronto. The company's work was based around that of director and playwright, Keith Johnstone, who developed Theatresports in 1977 as a form of improvisational theatre, which uses the format of a competition for dramatic effect. Opposing teams can perform scenes based on audience suggestions, with ratings by the audience or by a panel of judges. The concept of Theatresports originated in Johnstone's observations of techniques used in professional wrestling to generate heat, or audience reaction. The Company performed weekly improvisational comedy shows at Harbourfront in the Theatresports format. The show consisted of teams of improvisers competing with one another. Notable teams included Dangerous Poultry, The Parts, The Chumps and The Kids in the Hall (also previously known as The Audience).

Alumni from this period also include Mike Myers, Tim Sims, Bruce Hunter (Puppets Who Kill), Pat McKenna (Red Green), Gary Campbell (MadTV producer/screenwriter), Lisa Merchant (Train 48), Sandra Shamas (Playwright), Linda Kash (A Mighty Wind), Colin Mochrie (Whose Line Is It, Anyway), Globe and Mail Columnist Andrew Coyne and actor Keanu Reeves. It was through their work with Theatresports as well as legendary live shows at The Rivoli that Lorne Michaels reputedly came down to recruit Bruce McCulloch and Mark McKinney of the Kids in the Hall to write for Saturday Night Live.

In the early 1990s Theatresports left Harbourfront, performing at a series of venues, including St. Paul's Church basement, Big City Improv, Solar Stage and Tim Sims Playhouse, becoming Toronto's longest continually running improv comedy show. In 2003, Theatresports Toronto established a permanent home at 138 Danforth Avenue. A push to 'reinvent' the organization led by the artistic trio of Kerry Griffin, Marcel St. Pierre and Ralph MacLeod led to Theatresports Toronto ecoming The Bad Dog Theatre Company on May 1st, 2003.

The 40th Anniversary Cast (THEATRESPORTS40) is a nod to the show's heritage but also celebrates Toronto's rich tradition of being a comedic hub, where some of Canada's brightest perform on a regular basis on our local stages, most of these folks you have likely seen on TV as well.

The 40th Anniversary Cast will include Ajahnis Charley, Alex Kolanko, Alexa MacKell, Alice Moran, Anders Yates, Andrea Marston, Andrew Bushell, Andrew Phung, Ann Pornel, Antony Hall, Ayaka Kinugawa, Brandon Hackett, Callum Wratten, Chelsea Larkin, Coko Galore, Conor Bradbury, Daphney Joseph, Devon Henderson, Edward Choi, Filipe Dimas, Franco Nguyen, Guled Abdi, Herbie Barnes, Isaac Kessler, Jackie Twomey, Jan Caruana, Jane Luk, Jess Bryson, Kayla Lorette, Ken Hall, Kirsten Rasmussen, Kris Siddiqi, Kyah Green, Leigh Cameron, Lisa Amerongen, Lisa Merchant, Liz Johnston, Monica Garrido, Nadine Djoury, Nicole Passmore, Paloma Nunez, Rakhee Morzaria, Rob Baker, Rosh Abdullah, Ryan Sheedy, Sarah Hillier Shannon Lahaie, Sharjil Rasool, Shohana Sharmin, Stephanie Malek, Tim Blair, Tom Hearn, Tricia Black, Vance Banzo, and Youness Robert-Tahiri.

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