Vancouver TheatreSports League

Founding (1980 to 1981)

Keith Johnstone visited Vancouver in 1980 to lead a workshop that brought together a group of local theatre performers. That group, inspired by Johnstone's Theatresports format developed at Loose Moose Theatre in Calgary, coalesced into the Vancouver TheatreSports League. The organization was formally registered as a BC Society in 1981. Colin Mochrie was among the inaugural company members. VTSL's first home was City Stage, known as The Back Alley Theatre, off the alley at Thurlow and Alberni Streets in downtown Vancouver.

Granville Island Era (1990s to 2011)

In the 1990s the company moved to the Granville Island Revue Stage, placing Vancouver TheatreSports within Vancouver's most significant arts district. In 2011 the company opened its own purpose-built 186-seat theatre at 1502 Duranleau Street on Granville Island, named The Improv Centre, and expanded to producing shows 12 times per week, 52 weeks per year, drawing 65,000 audience members, artists, and students annually.

Rebrand as The Improv Centre (2021)

In 2021 the organization formally changed its name from Vancouver TheatreSports League to The Improv Centre, reflecting the breadth of its programming beyond the TheatreSports format and its role as a comprehensive improv training and performance organization.

Vancouver TheatreSports League was the primary home of Keith Johnstone's Theatresports format in Vancouver from 1980, growing into one of Canada's most productive improv venues before rebranding as The Improv Centre in 2021.

Vancouver TheatreSports League was one of the first companies in the world to adopt Keith Johnstone's Theatresports format, helping establish the format's global spread. Colin Mochrie, who began performing with the inaugural company, went on to become one of Canada's most recognized comedy performers. Over four decades the company built an audience of 65,000 per year and trained thousands of improvisers in the Vancouver area before completing its evolution as The Improv Centre.