The Bad Dog Theatre Company
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Bad Dog Theatre company is an improvisational theatre company based in Toronto Canada established in 1982. originally called Theatresports Toronto, the company's work is based around that of director and playwright, Keith Johnstone. In addition to producing weekly Theatresports shows, the company produces shows parodying pop-cultural icons such as The Lord of the Things and A Twisted Christmas Carol.
[edit] History
To learn about the history of The Bad Dog Theatre Company, you need to travel back to 1982 and Theatresports Toronto. In those days, top actors and comedians would perform improv comedy every week at Harbourfront to enthusiastic crowds. Free drop-in workshops were given to the public, and the best students from these workshops were then invited to take more advanced invitation-only workshops. From this system, the cast was able to create a continual flow of improvisors to fill the burgeoning ranks of talent needed to cast the weekly shows. Teams with names like Dangerous Poultry, The Parts, The Chumps and The Kids in the Hall sometimes broke away from the ranks to achieve near-legendary status on their own.
Some of Toronto’s finest comedic and improv talents graced the stage in those early years - 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 (Who's Line Is It, Anyway) Globe and Mail Columnist Andrew Coyne and - believe it or not - even Keanu Reeves did some time on our stage. The cast was regularly raided by agents and Second City scouts all looking for the next big thing. Even Lorne Michaels dropped by to snatch up a young Bruce McCulloch and Mark McKinney and whisked them away to write for Saturday Night Live. It was, and always has been, an incredibly exciting and vibrant place to hang out and be discovered. Most of all, though, Theatresports was a place to hang out, get invited to parties, make friends, start your own comedy troupe... and more than occasionally, find a soulmate.
And while the names and faces had changed - and the audiences had dwindled - the spirit of friendship and community that had kept Theatresports going was still strong. Still, nothing lasts forever... and after getting bumped out of a regular performing venue at The Poor Alex, it seemed like the writing was on the wall for Theatresports Toronto. During the 90’s Theatresports floated from venue to venue. Places like Big City Improv, Solar Stage, Tim Sims Playhouse, and St. Paul's Church basement were temporary resting places for what was becoming Toronto's longest continually running - but long forgotten - improv comedy show. But then, a small and dedicated core of players decided something needed to be done to keep Theatresports alive...
After a 1999 visit to Chicago's famous The Annoyance Theatre, Toronto improvisors Kerry Griffin and Marcel St. Pierre decided that if Theatresports was going to survive, it needed to stop wandering and settle down. The pair were hired by Theatresports' Board of Directors as Co-Artistic Directors, and the two began hatching plans of reinventing the organization. They joined Ralph MacLeod who had already been hard at work revamping the Training Centre and producing the highly successful, weekly student show called, (That Friday Show). In a short time, the Training Centre went from a single drop-in populated by 6 to 10 people to several classes with an average student population over 80.
On May 1st, 2003, Theatresports Toronto became The Bad Dog Theatre Company and established a permanent home at 138 Danforth Avenue.
[edit] Bibliography
Foreman, Kathleen, and Martini, Clem (1995). Something Like a Drug: An Unauthorized Oral History of Theatresports. Red Deer Alberta: Red Deer College Press. ISBN 0-88734-918-8.
