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DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20251208T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20251208T203000
DTSTAMP:20251119T170412Z
CREATED:20251119T170223Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251119T170412Z
UID:16342-1765220400-1765225800@improvisationinstitute.ca
SUMMARY:"Tracing the Life of Violence"— A talk by Dr. Sharon D. Engbrecht\, followed by an open discussion
DESCRIPTION:Be part of Guelph’s “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence” as IICSI 2025-26 Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Sharon D. Engbrecht explores systemic violence in Katherena Vermette’s “The Break.”  \n\n\n\n\n\n\nAs part of Guelph’s iteration of the “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence\,” Dr. Sharon D. Engbrecht will give a talk tracing lines of systemic violence in Katherena Vermette’s “The Break.” Copies of the book can be picked up at the Main Library’s circulation desk starting November 5\, 2025. Copies are limited\, and a library card is required to check these items out. Enjoy light refreshments and snacks! \nThe talk will be followed by an open discussion about the novel’s themes and intersections of violence\, as well as agency and responsibility in the wake of assault and intergenerational trauma.  \nThe event will be held in the Program Room on the second floor of the Library’s Main Branch (100 Norfolk St.). \nKatherena Vermette: is a Métis writer from Treaty One territory\, the heart of the Métis nation\, Winnipeg\, Manitoba\, Canada. Her first book\, “North End Love Songs” (The Muses Company)\, won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry. Her NFB short documentary\, “this river\,” won the Coup de Coeur at the Montreal First Peoples Festival and a Canadian Screen Award. Her first novel\, “The Break\,” is the winner of three Manitoba Book Awards and the Amazon.ca First Novel Award. It was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction\, the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize\, and CBC Canada Reads. \n“The Break”: The novel opens by describing “the break\,” a series of barren lots in a working-class neighbourhood in Winnipeg. In the winter\, there’s hydro lines that buzz “quiet enough that you can ignore it.” The “buzz” acts as a metaphor for various forms of violence in the novel\, including gender-based violence as something “you can just ignore.” It’s “just white noise\,” the narrator tells readers\, “and some people can ignore things like that. Some people can hear it but just get used to it.” Drawing attention to the “white noise” of gender-based violence allows us to reconsider how it plays out in our larger communities and what it means to take a stance to stop it. This activism\, at once very personal and communal\, is a small way we as individuals can take a stand and be a part of ending gender-based violence in all its forms. \nSharon D. Engbrecht: is a postdoctoral researcher at the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation (University of Guelph). Their research delves into how narratives by women authors challenge the systems of power that perpetuate gender-based violence and discrimination. They hail from the Canadian prairies and recently completed their PhD at the University of British Columbia. \nBy participating in this program\, you acknowledge and accept the Guelph Public Library’s Code of Conduct. \nIf you have any questions\, please contact Library Programmer Lauren at lcontini@guelphpl.ca. \nAlternative formats are available as per the Accessibility per Ontarians Act by contacting Library Communications at 519-824-6220.
URL:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/event/tracing-the-life-of-violence-a-talk-by-dr-sharon-d-engbrecht-followed-by-an-open-discussion/
LOCATION:Guelph Public Library\, 100 Norfolk St.\, Guelph\, Ontario\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Community Events,IICSI events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/thumbnail_image001.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Sharon D. Engbrecht":MAILTO:sharon.engbrecht@uoguelph.ca
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260121T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260121T210000
DTSTAMP:20260114T195620Z
CREATED:20260114T182520Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260114T195620Z
UID:16398-1769022000-1769029200@improvisationinstitute.ca
SUMMARY:cinéma FRANCOPHONE cinema presents: L.A. Tea Time (2019\, dir. Sophie Bedard Marcotte)
DESCRIPTION:IICSI Director Dr. Eric Fillion is bringing his cinéma FRANCOPHONE cinema curated film series back to The Bookshelf Cinema (41 Quebec Street\, Guelph\, ON). \n\nFrom January through April\, Dr. Fillion will present one film per month. These four films share the common theme of Quebeckers on road trips through the deserts of the southwestern United States. This theme has a personal significance for Dr. Fillion\, and so he looks forward to sharing these films with the local community. Intended for cinephiles and Francophones alike\, these films (in French with subtitles) depict young protagonists as they hit the road as an escape and a respite\, in search of thrills and adventure\, connection and purpose\, meaning and closure. The first film in this second iteration of the series will be L.A. Tea Time (2019)\, by Sophie Bedard Marcotte. \nEach screening begins at 7 PM\, with regular tickets costing $14 and member or student tickets priced at $11 (both are inclusive of taxes and fees). Dr. Fillion will introduce each film ahead of its showing. \n\n \nL.A. Tea Time \nDirector: Sophie Bedard Marcotte \nYear: 2019 \nCountry: Canada (Quebec) \nRunning Time: 82 minutes \nA filmmaker stuck in an arid\, jobless Montreal winter embarks on an improbable quest across the United States of America\, taking her director of photography along for the journey. L.A. Tea Time is an unusual travelogue\, at times meditative\, at times haunted\, recounting the adventures of Sophie and Isabelle with humour and a little touch of magic.
URL:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/event/cinema-francophone-cinema-presents-l-a-tea-time-dir-sophie-bedard-marcotte-2019/
LOCATION:The Bookshelf Cinema\, 41 Quebec Street\, Guelph\, Ontario\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Community Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Fillion_Bookshelf_Series_W20261.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260128T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260128T143000
DTSTAMP:20260114T185957Z
CREATED:20260114T175633Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260114T185957Z
UID:16395-1769605200-1769610600@improvisationinstitute.ca
SUMMARY:Life After the PhD: What is a Postdoc?
DESCRIPTION:Are you a graduate student wondering what your post-PhD pathway might look like? Join Dr. Sharon D. Engbrecht (IICSI 2025-2026 Postdoctoral Fellow)\, Dr. An Kosurko (Musagetes and MITACS Postdoctoral Fellow)\, and Dr. Jordan Zalis (SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow) for a discussion of postdoctoral fellowships! \nThese three researchers will discuss the various pathways they took as they continued their research\, how they navigated funding and application processes\, and how they grounded their research projects in improvisation\, community engagement\, and social responsibility! This talk will be of tremendous value for grad students who are curious about the range of opportunities open to them as they complete their degrees. As with all our talks\, this event is free! \n\nSharon D. Engbrecht\, PhD English Literature\, University of British Columbia (they/them)\nIICSI Postdoctoral Fellow\, Improvising Futures SSHRC Partnership Grant: Improvising Identity \nSharon’s research in improvisation focuses on narratives of community and identity making. Their research is particularly focused on improvising intimacies by analyzing cultural narratives of gender and sexuality. Their postdoc project is about community-making and engagement\, in part working with feminist-influenced organizations that actively seek to end gender-based violence and in part with researchers approaching improvisation from multiple streams of inquiry and disciplines of practice. Their work on intimacies and community-making is one piece of their larger project looking at the multiple registers of dwelling as a theoretical and phenomenological concept. \n  \n  \nAn Kosurko\, PhD Social Sciences\, University of Helsinki\, Finland (she/her/they/them)\nMusagetes & IICSI Postdoctoral Fellow supported through Mitacs: Improvisation\, Dementia Care\, & Aging \nAn Kosurko is jointly hosted by Sociology & Anthropology at U of Guelph and IICSI in partnership with the Musagetes Foundation. Her research combines ethnomethodology\, multimodal conversation analysis\, and arts-based\, community-engaged methods to study social inclusion\, creativity\, technology\, and care. Her current project\, Improvising with Dementia\, brings together people living with dementia\, caregivers\, artists\, and researchers to explore everyday spontaneity in caring relationships. \n  \n  \n  \nJordan Zalis\, PhD Ethnomusicology\, Memorial University of Newfoundland (he/him)\nSSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow at IICSI: What Does Basketball Sound Like? \nJordan Zalis is an artist and ethnomusicologist whose work examines the powers of sound in a variety of social contexts. His doctoral research built on five years of ethnographic fieldwork with the Toronto Raptors Basketball Club\, analyzing how professional basketball has become increasingly commercialized and spectacle-oriented\, raising urgent questions about corporate control of transnational sports culture. In response\, his postdoctoral project examines public basketball courts as sites of grassroots cultural expression\, investigating how basketball’s improvisatory practices transcend social and cultural difference. By studying informal norms and improvised communities emerging on public courts\, he explores mechanisms through which small-scale affinity groups can build broader solidarity in everyday life.
URL:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/event/life-after-the-phd-what-is-a-postdoc/
LOCATION:ImprovLab\, MacKinnon Room 108\, 87 Trent Lane\, University of Guelph\, Guelph\, Ontario\, N1G 1Y4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:IICSI events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=application/pdf:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/PostDoc-Panel-Jan-28-8.5x11.pdf
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260204T133000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260204T150000
DTSTAMP:20260128T184219Z
CREATED:20260119T201615Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260128T184219Z
UID:16434-1770211800-1770217200@improvisationinstitute.ca
SUMMARY:Thinking Spaces: Alex Chesney and Dr. Nathan TeBokkel—Storied Social Practice: Improvisation in Farming and Food
DESCRIPTION:Growing and making food are ancient practices yet also scientifically advanced\, necessary for everyday living yet often inaccessible but to experts\, interdisciplinary yet highly specialized. Considering the role of improvisation in farming and cooking\, especially in our chosen subfields of beekeeping and dietetics\, fruitfully foregrounds these tensions. With improvisation as our watchword\, we bring to bear a syncretic mix of lived experience and literary criticism to develop a concept of storied social practice\, which will allow us to attend to social relations\, embodiment\, sensory perception\, and historicity\, without sacrificing\, as so often seems conventional in the long critical post-enlightenment\, individual agency\, the mind\, cognition\, and contemporaneity. Along the way we engage with our own stories and social practices as well as those of philosophers like Sylvia Winter and Ludwig Wittgenstein\, literary theorists like Anne-Lise François and Lenora Hanson\, and food and farming events like eighteenth-century agricultural improvement\, the contemporary Right to Repair movement\, and Leah Penniman’s Soul Fire Farm. \nAlex Chesney is a dietitian and farmer living and working on her family’s fruit and vegetable farm in Southwestern Ontario. Alex’s dietetic practice and farming work go hand in hand; rooted in food and agriculture education and communication\, she creates spaces for people to experience their food at its source\, and teaches them about agricultural production\, food preparation\, and nutrition. She manages pick-your-own fruits and vegetables\, on-farm workshops and tours\, recipe development\, communications (social media\, newsletters\, blog posts)\, and daily produce-subscription delivery (paired with nutrition tips\, recipes\, and techniques for food storage and preservation). Alex is also the current Chair of the Berry Growers of Ontario and is proud to help represent and promote the thriving Ontario berry industry through research and marketing efforts. \nDr. Nathan TeBokkel is a Banting postdoctoral fellow at Western. He’s writing a book\, Working Feeling\, on labour history and lived experience\, and he has a book in press at Cambridge\, Whistling at the Plough\, on agricultural capitalism and romanticism. Nathan’s also training to be a master beekeeper\, managing 160 hives on his family’s melon farm\, and researching requeening. His recent publications include an essay on food labels and technocratic populism in New Literary History.
URL:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/event/thinking-spaces-alex-chesney-and-dr-nathan-tebokkel-storied-social-practice-improvisation-in-farming-and-food/
LOCATION:ImprovLab\, MacKinnon Room 108\, 87 Trent Lane\, University of Guelph\, Guelph\, Ontario\, N1G 1Y4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Thinking Spaces
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ThinkingSpacesChesneyTebokkelcopy2.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260205T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260205T120000
DTSTAMP:20260318T152212Z
CREATED:20260129T165053Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T152212Z
UID:16456-1770285600-1770292800@improvisationinstitute.ca
SUMMARY:Cacophonie | Just Listening: Experiments with Collective Memory with Dr. Jordan Zalis
DESCRIPTION:This interactive workshop by Dr. Jordan Zalis invites you into the practice of just listening—an approach to storytelling and ethnographic engagement that centres care\, attention\, and the improvised encounters we create together. Through personal narratives about sports\, games\, and gaming\, we’ll examine how play shapes our memories\, identities\, and communities. \nThe workshop unfolds in three movements: 1) a brief introduction to just listening as a practice with some simple listening exercises\, 2) sharing stories about moments of play that stick with us\, listening attentively to each other’s experiences\, and then 3) playing together! We’re interested in the sensorial\, the feelingful\, and\, of course\, the relationships that emerge when we play\, compete\, watch\, game\, or recall—from our experiences playing pickup basketball to board game nights\, from video game marathons to the World Cup. \nWho should come? Everyone is welcome. We especially invite folks with strong connections to sports (basketball\, hockey\, soccer\, etc.)\, games (chess\, trivia\, board games)\, or gaming (video games\, e-sports\, gambling). We aim to make these events as accessible as possible\, and they are open to everyone regardless of age\, ability\, ethnicity\, religion\, language\, sexual orientation\, gender identity\, political beliefs\, or status. Folks with children are also welcome to bring them along and their participation will not be part of the study. \nOn workshop day\, we all play! \nCome ready to share a story\, listen generously\, and learn from each other. \nTo confirm participation and/or for more information\, including about consent forms\, please email Cacophonie’s curator\, Dr. Sharon D. Engbrecht\, at sharon.engbrecht@uoguelph.ca. \nIf you decide to join us spontaneously\, please do. Doors will be open 30 minutes before the event!
URL:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/event/cacophonie-just-listening-experiments-with-collective-memory-with-dr-jordan-zalis/
LOCATION:ImprovLab\, MacKinnon Room 108\, 87 Trent Lane\, University of Guelph\, Guelph\, Ontario\, N1G 1Y4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Community Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Cacophonie.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Sharon D. Engbrecht":MAILTO:sharon.engbrecht@uoguelph.ca
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260211T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260211T210000
DTSTAMP:20260114T184203Z
CREATED:20260114T184203Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260114T184203Z
UID:16403-1770836400-1770843600@improvisationinstitute.ca
SUMMARY:cinéma FRANCOPHONE cinema presents: La Grande Noirceur (2018\, dir. Maxime Giroux)
DESCRIPTION:IICSI Director Dr. Eric Fillion is bringing his cinéma FRANCOPHONE cinema curated film series back to The Bookshelf Cinema (41 Quebec Street\, Guelph\, ON). \n\nFrom January through April\, Dr. Fillion will present one film per month. These four films share the common theme of Quebeckers on road trips through the deserts of the southwestern United States. This theme has a personal significance for Dr. Fillion\, and so he looks forward to sharing these films with the local community. Intended for cinephiles and Francophones alike\, these films (in French with subtitles) depict young protagonists as they hit the road as an escape and a respite\, in search of thrills and adventure\, connection and purpose\, meaning and closure. The second film in this iteration of the series will be La Grande Noirceur (2018)\, directed by Maxime Giroux. \nEach screening begins at 7 PM\, with regular tickets costing $14 and member or student tickets priced at $11 (both are inclusive of taxes and fees). Dr. Fillion will introduce each film ahead of its showing. \nLa Grande Noirceur \nDirector: Maxime Giroux \nYear: 2018 \nCountry: Canada (Quebec) \nRunning Time: 94 minutes \nWhile a world war rages\, Philippe\, a draft-dodger from Quebec\, takes refuge in the American West\, surviving by competing in Charlie Chaplin impersonation contests. As Philippe makes his long journey home\, he encounters various characters under the sway of a destructive madness borne of the chaotic times. His voyage\, both violent and fascinating\, is a hallucinatory initiation to the darker side of the American dream.
URL:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/event/cinema-francophone-cinema-presents-la-grande-noirceur-2018-dir-maxime-giroux/
LOCATION:The Bookshelf Cinema\, 41 Quebec Street\, Guelph\, Ontario\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Community Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Fillion_Bookshelf_Series_W20261.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260311T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260311T210000
DTSTAMP:20260114T194714Z
CREATED:20260114T194714Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260114T194714Z
UID:16415-1773255600-1773262800@improvisationinstitute.ca
SUMMARY:cinéma FRANCOPHONE cinema presents: Déserts (2016\, dirs. Charles-André Coderre and Yann-Manuel Hernandez)
DESCRIPTION:IICSI Director Dr. Eric Fillion is bringing his cinéma FRANCOPHONE cinema curated film series back to The Bookshelf Cinema (41 Quebec Street\, Guelph\, ON). \n\nFrom January through April\, Dr. Fillion will present one film per month. These four films share the common theme of Quebeckers on road trips through the deserts of the southwestern United States. This theme has a personal significance for Dr. Fillion\, and so he looks forward to sharing these films with the local community. Intended for cinephiles and Francophones alike\, these films (in French with subtitles) depict young protagonists as they hit the road as an escape and a respite\, in search of thrills and adventure\, connection and purpose\, meaning and closure. The third film in this iteration of the series will be Déserts (2016)\, directed by Charles-André Coderre and Yann-Manuel Hernandez. \nEach screening begins at 7 PM\, with regular tickets costing $14 and member or student tickets priced at $11 (both are inclusive of taxes and fees). Dr. Fillion will introduce each film ahead of its showing. \nDéserts \nDirector: Charles-André Coderre and Yann-Manuel Hernandez \nYear: 2016 \nCountry: Canada (Quebec) \nRunning Time: 93 minutes \nA man chooses to run away from his everyday life in order to lose himself in the desert of Death Valley. While on his journey\, he encounters a woman who accompanies him on his quest. As they embark deeper into the desert\, heat and fever push them to extreme\, psychological limits.
URL:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/event/cinema-francophone-cinema-presents-deserts-2016-dirs-charles-andre-coderre-and-yann-manuel-hernandez/
LOCATION:The Bookshelf Cinema\, 41 Quebec Street\, Guelph\, Ontario\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Community Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Fillion_Bookshelf_Series_W20261.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260325T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260325T160000
DTSTAMP:20260226T180521Z
CREATED:20260119T192853Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260226T180521Z
UID:16424-1774449000-1774454400@improvisationinstitute.ca
SUMMARY:Thinking Spaces: Kate Story and Ryan Kerr—Death in Reverse: Performance in Precarious Times
DESCRIPTION:Artists Kate Story and Ryan Kerr will share what it means to create meaningful work within conditions of precarity\, and on the unusual\, often improvised ways artists find to stay connected with audiences. They will share experiences from curating a contemporary theatre piece marked by setbacks: limited funding\, collaborative challenges\, shifting resources – while also finding unexpected forms of support through local politics\, partnerships\, and community networks. Reflecting on “Project Baroness” (https://ttok.ca/death–in–reverse-project-baroness/)\, they will also consider festival and DIY theatre\, arts and “non-arts’’ collaborations\, residency models\, and the fragile balance between fundraising and public funding that shapes small-scale performance ecosystems. “As Death in Reverse made its way toward the stage\, our work continually evoked echoes of DADA-era New York: periods of conflict\, displacement\, authoritarian tightening\, censorship\, and the suppression of movements for racial\, gender\, and LGBTQ2IA+ justice. Artists may have been worn down by their circumstances\, yet they continued to create. This conversation invites us to sit with those parallels—and with the quiet insistence of art that persists.” \nRyan Kerr is the founding artistic director of The Theatre on King\, a radical black-box space that\, soon after being established\, became the hub for new and risk-taking performance in Nogojiwanong/Peterborough Ontario. At TTOK\, Kerr oversaw countless original performances as outside eye\, lighting designer\, director\, and mentor\, featuring a wide range of artists – emerging to established\, including theatre artists\, musicians\, writers\, dance artists\, comedy\, and multidisciplinary artists. With Kate Story he co-ran the Precarious Festivals\, four multi-disciplinary\, multi-artist\, multi-week festivals featuring regional artists in collaboration with non-arts groups and initiatives. Kerr is the winner of the Arts Catalyst Award (Peterborough Arts Awards).  \n\nKate Story is a genderqueer writer and performing artist originally from Newfoundland\, now living and working as an uninvited guest in Nogojiwanong/Peterborough\, Ontario. Winner of the Ontario Arts Foundation’s K.M. Hunter Artist Award for theatre\, Kate is a dramaturge/director\, writer\, theatre designer\, and performer. Her one-person shows have been presented in Peterborough\, Toronto\, and St. John’s\, and her climate change story “Animate” was adapted for an international radio drama and virtual reality theatre performance\, performed and broadcast across Europe and as part of MUTEK 2023 in Montréal. They have published 6 novels\, including Governor General’s Literary Award finalist Urchin. She is currently working on a new novel.
URL:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/event/thinking-spaces-ryan-kerr-and-kate-story-death-in-reverse-performance-in-precarious-times/
LOCATION:ImprovLab\, MacKinnon Room 108\, 87 Trent Lane\, University of Guelph\, Guelph\, Ontario\, N1G 1Y4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Thinking Spaces
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-25-at-17-14-03-ThinkingSpacesStoryKerr2.pdf.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260326T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260326T213000
DTSTAMP:20260319T200008Z
CREATED:20260319T195721Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260319T200008Z
UID:16726-1774553400-1774560600@improvisationinstitute.ca
SUMMARY:IBPOC Artists' Network Tour: From Words to Action 2025/2026—Sashar Zarif Dance Theatre and Coco Collective
DESCRIPTION:Make your way to ImprovLab on March 26th for a double-bill presentation of spectacular live dance and music! Coco Collective and Sashar Zarif Dance Theatre will visit Guelph for one night only to perform at the ImprovLab. \nMovement\, voice\, and percussion harmoniously come together for these individually and culturally expressive dance works. \n“Calabash\,” by Coco Collective\, is a dance and live percussion journey exploring how African-diasporic communities cultivate everyday social bonds. This light-hearted narrative follows a woman’s labor of love in local food sovereignty and nurturing community connections. \nIn “Grandmother’s Drum\,” by Sashar Zarif Dance Theatre\, dance and voice fold into each other\, becoming a single river of presence. Within its silence and its pulse\, the past leans forward; the present opens; the body remembers what the mind forgets. \nThis performance is co-presented by IICSI\, Guelph Dance\, and the IBPOC Artists’ Network Tour\, in collaboration with Wind in the Leaves Collective. \nYou can grab your tickets here!
URL:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/event/16726/
LOCATION:ImprovLab\, MacKinnon Room 108\, 87 Trent Lane\, University of Guelph\, Guelph\, Ontario\, N1G 1Y4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Community Events,IICSI events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Guelph-OnToday_Mar26-3.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260401T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260401T210000
DTSTAMP:20260326T161453Z
CREATED:20260326T161453Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T161453Z
UID:16736-1775053800-1775077200@improvisationinstitute.ca
SUMMARY:Mini Film Festival / Mini festival de film
DESCRIPTION:Make your way to ImprovLab on April 1st\, for a film festival curated by MA students in French and Francophone Studies at the University of Guelph! The students will present a selection of fiction and documentary films\, spanning shorts and feature-length options\, all of which are in French with English subtitles.  \nThis free event will feature two screenings (afternoon and evening). The afternoon screening will run from 2:30 PM to 5 PM\, with the evening screening running from 6:30 PM to 9 PM.   \nThe afternoon program will feature the following documentary films: \n\nFrom here\, elsewhere (Chadi Bennani\, 2023)\nYour call is important to us (Romy Boutin St-Pierre and Joe Nadeau\, 2023)\nThere’s a star (Julien Cadieux\, 2023)\n\nThe evening program will highlight works of cinematic fiction: \n\nRosie (Gail Maurice\, 2018)\nYou’re sleeping\, Nicole (Stéphane Lafleur\, 2014)\n\nReserve your free spot on EventBrite!
URL:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/event/mini-film-festival-mini-festival-de-film/
LOCATION:ImprovLab\, MacKinnon Room 108\, 87 Trent Lane\, University of Guelph\, Guelph\, Ontario\, N1G 1Y4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:IICSI events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Francophone-Film-Festival1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260408T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260408T210000
DTSTAMP:20260408T134330Z
CREATED:20260114T195432Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260408T134330Z
UID:16418-1775674800-1775682000@improvisationinstitute.ca
SUMMARY:cinéma FRANCOPHONE cinema presents: Un 32 août sur terre (1998\, dir. Denis Villeneuve)
DESCRIPTION:IICSI Director Dr. Eric Fillion is bringing his cinéma FRANCOPHONE cinema curated film series back to The Bookshelf Cinema (41 Quebec Street\, Guelph\, ON). \n\nFrom January through April\, Dr. Fillion will present one film per month. These four films share the common theme of Quebeckers on road trips through the deserts of the southwestern United States. This theme has a personal significance for Dr. Fillion\, and so he looks forward to sharing these films with the local community. Intended for cinephiles and Francophones alike\, these films (in French with subtitles) depict young protagonists as they hit the road as an escape and a respite\, in search of thrills and adventure\, connection and purpose\, meaning and closure. The final film in this iteration of the series will be Un 32 août sur terre (1998)\, directed by Denis Villeneuve. \nEach screening begins at 7 PM\, with regular tickets costing $14 and member or student tickets priced at $11 (both are inclusive of taxes and fees). Dr. Fillion will introduce each film ahead of its showing. \nUn 32 août sur terre \nDirector: Denis Villeneuve \nYear: 1998 \nCountry: Canada (Quebec) \nRunning Time: 88 minutes \nAt 26\, Simone is already rethinking her entire life after surviving a horrible car crash. She quits her job and heads off in search of her closest friend Philippe to ask him to have a child with her. Philippe is apprehensive\, but finally agrees on condition that the conception occurs in the desert. \n 
URL:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/event/cinema-francophone-cinema-presents-un-32-aout-sur-terre-1998-dir-denis-villeneuve/
LOCATION:The Bookshelf Cinema\, 41 Quebec Street\, Guelph\, Ontario\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Community Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Fillion_Bookshelf_Series_W20261.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260410T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260410T120000
DTSTAMP:20260319T192340Z
CREATED:20260319T191339Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260319T192340Z
UID:16722-1775815200-1775822400@improvisationinstitute.ca
SUMMARY:Cacophonie | choreographies of choice with Ms. Georgia Simms
DESCRIPTION:We’ll see you in ImprovLab on April 10th at 10 AM\, when Ms. Georgia Simms (she/her) will lead this creative\, interactive workshop that invites participants to engage in movement research framed by attention\, shape\, and momentum. Language\, music\, and the energy of the ensemble will create an atmosphere for experimentation\, response\, and reflection. This creative workshop is part of the Cacophonie series\, curated by IICSI Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Sharon D. Engbrecht! \nWe invite everyone who is interested in participating to join the creative workshops. We aim to make these events as accessible as possible\, and they are open to everyone regardless of age\, ability\, ethnicity\, religion\, language\, sexual orientation\, gender identity\, political beliefs\, or status. Folks with children are also welcome to bring them along and their participation will not be part of the study. \nTo confirm participation and/or for more information\, including about consent forms\, please email sharon.engbrecht@uoguelph.ca. \nIf you decide to join us spontaneously\, please do. Doors will be open 30 minutes before each event. There will be coffee\, tea\, and light snacks provided. \nMs. Georgia Simms (she/her) is a PhD student in the Critical Studies in Improvisation program at the University of Guelph. She is also an artist-mother who dances\, performs\, choreographs\, facilitates\, and organizes. Her current work investigates ‘ecstatic survival’\, emotions\, play\, and relational repair through the blending of modern and post-modern sensibilities in solo\, collective\, and site-specific improvised movement composition \nDr. Sharon Engbrecht (they/them) comes from a background in theatre and visual arts\, narrative theory\, and critical studies in gender and sexuality. They have a knack for event planning and facilitating group events focused on storytelling and improvisation. Their research investigates questions of embodiment\, identity\, and relationality.
URL:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/event/cacophonie-choreographies-of-choice-with-ms-georgia-simms/
LOCATION:ImprovLab\, MacKinnon Room 108\, 87 Trent Lane\, University of Guelph\, Guelph\, Ontario\, N1G 1Y4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Community Events,IICSI events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Cacophonie.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Sharon D. Engbrecht":MAILTO:sharon.engbrecht@uoguelph.ca
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260416T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260416T120000
DTSTAMP:20260319T192357Z
CREATED:20260318T153054Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260319T192357Z
UID:16704-1776333600-1776340800@improvisationinstitute.ca
SUMMARY:Cacophonie | Bridge to Terabithia: A Somatic Exploration of Childhood Self—A Creative Workshop with Mark LeRoy
DESCRIPTION:Join us at ImprovLab for a workshop by Mark LeRoy\, PhD student in Critical Studies in Improvisation\, as part of Dr. Sharon D. Engbrecht’s “Cacophonie” series! \nFor this event\, prospective participants should read Bridge to Terabithia. Copies are available through the Guelph Public Library. If you are unable to find a copy\, but would like to participate in the workshop\, please e-mail sharon.engbrecht@uoguelph.ca. A limited number will be available through The Bookshelf at no cost to participants! \nThrough exploration and play guided by sensation\, image\, behaviour\, and affect\, we will explore how parts of us emerge within Terabithia\, as we collectively hold space for embodied knowing and self- and group-coherence. \nTerabithia becomes our imagination’s site of exploration and experimentation\, where we are invited to lay down our certainties to wonder and explore the beauty of our fragile highs. \nWhile reading Bridge to Terabithia prior to attending\, you may consider: \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHow might ritual support your temporal encounter of reading Bridge to Terabithia?\nAs you immerse yourself in Jesse’s and Leslie’s world\, how does your body emerge as a co-narrator?\nHow might we extend curiosity towards what our 10-year-old selves might be experiencing or want to share?\nThe name of your own magical land.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMark LeRoy (he/him) is a PhD Student in Critical Studies in Improvisation at the University of Guelph\, researching how the liminal spaces of improvisation and negative capability\, emerging from postmemory\, might function as a rite of passage to embodied knowing. As a Registered Social Worker and Psychotherapist\, Mark is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and Internal Family Systems Therapist\, supporting those affected by the silencing narrative of trauma.  \nSharon Engbrecht (they/them) comes from a background in theatre\, visual arts\, narrative theory\, and critical studies in gender and sexuality. They have a knack for event planning and facilitating group events focused on storytelling and improvisation. Their research invest igates questions of embodiment\, identity\, and relationality.
URL:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/event/cacophonie-bridge-to-terabithia-a-somatic-exploration-of-childhood-self-a-creative-workshop-with-mark-leroy/
LOCATION:ImprovLab\, MacKinnon Room 108\, 87 Trent Lane\, University of Guelph\, Guelph\, Ontario\, N1G 1Y4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Community Events,IICSI events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Cacophonie.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Sharon D. Engbrecht":MAILTO:sharon.engbrecht@uoguelph.ca
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260711T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260711T190000
DTSTAMP:20260707T194834Z
CREATED:20260707T145744Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260707T194834Z
UID:16802-1783791000-1783796400@improvisationinstitute.ca
SUMMARY:The Stratford Festival Presents "Take the 'A' Train... to Stratford\," featuring Dr. Eric Fillion\, Melvin Gibbs\, and Garvia Bailey
DESCRIPTION:Join us on July 11th for this exciting Stratford Festival event! Titled “Take the ‘A’ Train… to Stratford\,” this conversation will feature IICSI Director Dr. Eric Fillion\, musician and writer Melvin Gibbs\, and journalist\, producer\, and Jazzcast co-founder Garvia Bailey! \nThese three will discuss the period from 1956 to 1958\, when the Stratford Festival’s stages branched out beyond Shakespearean programming to host concerts by such legendary jazz figures as Duke Ellington\, Oscar Peterson and Billie Holiday. Why did these artists venture to Stratford? What what was the cultural significance of these concerts? What broader implications did these events have for the Canadian jazz scene? Come find out! \nThis Meighen Forum event will take place at 5:30 PM on Saturday\, July 11th\, in the Lazaridis Hall at Tom Patterson Theatre. Tickets for the event are $39\, and available through the Stratford Festival website! This talk is generously supported by the T.R. Meighen Family Foundation.
URL:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/event/take-the-a-train-to-stratford/
LOCATION:Lazaridis Hall\, Tom Patterson Theatre\, 111 Lakeside Dr.\, Stratford\, Ontario\, . N5A 7K5\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Community Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://improvisationinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-06-at-12-20-18-Take-the-A-Train.-to-Stratford-Stratford-Festival.png
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