I've talked about Improv in these pages before. And I'm pretty sure I've talked about my desire to work more in French here too. So imagine my surprise and delight when a friend sent me a link to some FREE French Improv classes in Toronto (they had me at "free" and it is ongoing if you're interested in participating). I went once and had a lovely time with a large group of civil servants, lawyers, teachers, ect but very few actors. It was a lot of fun, but I didn't find it all that challenging. At the end of the session, I asked the instructor if there was maybe something a bit more advanced that I could attend. He told me my timing was perfect since a group of people have just gotten together to form the very first French Improv League in Toronto - Les Improbables. Long story short, I went, got accepted into the league and was even named, in the style of hockey-improv everywhere, assistant captain. (Side note for all my anglophone friends French Improv is very different from English Improv and I've written more about it here.) I can't tell you how much I needed this. I don't know why I never took improv more seriously in Ottawa. Possibly because the English teams in Ottawa intimidate me. As for Francophones in the Outaouais region, they just intimidate me in general - like they'll think I'm a fraud or something because I'm an Acadian and not Québecois.
But here in this Toronto mecca of English, we are all outcasts and I find it easier to fit in. The French comes from all over too. We've got three Acadians, a bunch Quebecois, and a lot of people from France and the rest of Europe. It's quite beautiful, really, to hear us all speak in our different accents and I'm learning a lot of new words too... including the proper French term for "dildo" - "godemiché" if you're curious (it's improv, of course that came up - ba dum dum!)
We even had a pretty sweet article written about us in L'Express that came with a great photo gallery as well.
And now, after a few weeks of practice, we've got our first game coming up on Tuesday, March 6 at the Fox and the Fiddle - 27 Wellesley E - right across from the Wellesley Subway Station. My team will not be playing that night, but I will be MC'ing the event. It's been a lot of fun so far and everyone is super excited. The room is great and Tuesday nights mean $5.50 beers and martinis at the FnF!
Oh and if you are curious, my team will be playing two weeks later on March 20th.
Here's the link to our Facebook event. It says 7 p.m. but I'm pretty sure the match actually starts at 8 p.m.
J'espère que vous vous joindrez à nous en grand nombre!
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Une ligue d'improvisation théâtrale en français à Toronto? Oh que oui.
Les Improbables vous invitent à leur tout premier match: un retour au jeu pour certains, un baptême pour d'autres et une première pour bon nombre de spectateurs!
Deux équipes, pour votre plus grand plaisir, devront faire avec les contraintes de l'arbitre et vous offrirons des sketchs, des situations et des personnages plus colorés les uns que les autres.
C'est aussi une occasion de se réunir entre francophones et francophiles torontois: la pinte de Creemore et les Martinis sont à 5,50$! :)
Le mardi 6 mars 2012 à 19h Au 3e étage du Fox and Fiddle du 27 Wellesley Est (Au coin de Yonge, en face du métro Wellesley) Les Improbables vous présentent leur tout premier match! En échange d'un beau billet de 5 dollars.
Arbitre: Guillaume Touzel-Bond Juge de ligne: Heather Wong
Les équipes sélectionnées par Sonia D'Amico et Barbara-Audrey Bergeron auront donc l'honneur d'inaugurer cette toute première saison! S'affronteront donc:
(C) Sonia D'Amico (A) Mathieu St-Laurent Aurélia Peynet Laurent Balenci Madjiguene Diallo (+ Catherine Berthiaume et Edgar Aguilar Cardona)
vs
(C) Barbara-Audrey Bergeron (A) Georges Raymond Alban Ferrieu Renée-Claude Thériault Yannick Ariel Bihan Torres (+ Marion Bonafos et Léticia)
Donc on se voit le 6 mars 19h! :)