Improvisation in Edmonton
Companies
Festivals
Historical Moments
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.
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.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Edmonton. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/locales/north-america/canada/alberta/edmonton
The Improv Archive. "Edmonton." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/locales/north-america/canada/alberta/edmonton.
The Improv Archive. "Edmonton." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/locales/north-america/canada/alberta/edmonton. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.