Sudbury hosting Canadian Improv Games event Valentine’s Day 2026
Organization’s Northern Ontario regional tournament returns for first time since pandemic
The Canadian Improv Games has announced the return of its Northern Ontario regional tournament for the first time since 2020.
Scheduled for Valentine’s Day 2026, the tournament takes place in Sudbury.
“For the first time since 2020, improv is back in Northern Ontario,” said regional producer Billy Wray.
“The sense of family and support that CIG Sudbury and Northern Ontario has is by far the largest in an already very supportive organization. I’m thrilled that other young performers get a chance to experience the games again.”
Founded in 1977, the Canadian Improv Games is a national charity that teaches youth social, emotional and leadership skills through the art of improvisational theatre.
What began in Ottawa nearly 50 years ago has since grown to include 14 regions across the country, including Sudbury and Northern Ontario.
“We joined the Northern Ontario region in 2012, after my students saw what was going on at other schools and told me that we had to get involved,” says Earl Sacrey, coach of the Gravenhurst High School improv team.
“I did not feel like I had the skills or knowledge to coach a team, but the CIG was there with lesson plans, volunteer support, and anything I needed to get started. From that point forward, we were hooked, and within a few years, even our small rural school was able to field two full CIG teams.”
The region last competed in February 2020, when the Huntsville Bravo Squad were crowned champions and set to advance to the National Festival. Just weeks later, the event was cancelled as the COVID-19 pandemic brought live performances to a halt.
CIG pivoted to online programming in 2021 and gradually returned to in-person events across Canada. Now Northern Ontario is officially back on the map.
“CIG Sudbury gave me a home, a family, and a purpose all at once. After a long hiatus, I am ecstatic to be back where I belong—surrounded by friends, laughter, and unbridled joy,” said Khris Finley, regional producer of the Northern Ontario tournament.
Anticipation is already building among alumni and volunteers. “It’s amazing that an organization that meant so much to me growing up is back at it. It’s so exciting to be able to [instill] a love of improv in [the] next generation of Sudburians/Northern Ontarians,” says local volunteer Cora Eckert.
The first events leading up to the regional tournament will take place this October in Sudbury and Muskoka. For more information, contact sudbury@improv.ca.
By Sudbury.com Staff
