More than 100 top improv-comedy artists from across the globe are preparing to converge here from October 14 to 20.

Vancouver TheatreSports has announced it’s hosting the biennial 2019 International Theatresports Institute Conference and Festival on those dates.

The public component of the event means local audiences can enjoy improv from as far away as Brazil, New Zealand, Ireland, Israel, and India. More than 50 performances will take place not just at the Improv Centre but also at the nearby Waterfront Theatre and the Nest on Granville Island.

Those shows promise to expand your notions of the art form, whether it’s El Jaguar (New Zealand’s Derek Flores masquerading as a Mexican wrestler) inviting you on a whacked-out bus tour or Norway’s Det Andre Teatret presenting the kid-friendly The Toys Srike Back, in which they riff on playthings brought in by children.

Along with our own VTS, look for companies like Calgary’s Loose Moose Theatre (where Keith Johnstone first founded the theatresports form) to Seattle’s Unexpected Productions.

“Vancouver TheatreSports turns 40 in early 2020 and we are excited to kick off our anniversary celebrations by sharing so much laughter with the people of Vancouver,” VTS artistic and executive director Jay Ono said in the announcement today.

“It will be a fabulous opportunity for the public to see the different styles of improv as performed by the visiting delegates. Many Vancouverites do not realize that VTS is renowned globally as being a leader in the improv art form, with some of the best improvisers in the world being part of our company. It will be inspiring and instructive for all the improvisers, our own as well as the international delegates, to perform together and explore new formats and ways of playing. At the same time, the public will have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see companies and improvisers who do not normally perform outside of their home country.”

Look for more details and show times on the VTS website later in August.