Featuring both a Youth and Adult Company, the Improv Players is a low-pressure, welcoming environment for folks to play pretend and make stuff up! Learn the fundamentals of improvised theatre and build your skills. Improv Players alternates weekly between Youth and Adult Companies. We get silly, laugh lots, and grow together as performers!
This program is presented by the Friends of the Suncor Energy Centre for the Performing Arts, with funds from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.
There are currently no Improv Players programs open for registration. Check back again for information about future programs!
Youth Company
The Youth Company is designed for anyone between the ages of 12 and 17! An expanded version of our wildly popular Improv Summer Camps, the program instructs in the fundamentals of improv, builds skills in theatre sports and improv games, and offers the chance for students to make big creative choices and be supported in a safe, inclusive space.
Adult Company
The 18+ adult company is a space for improvisers of all experience levels to build their skills. Improvisers can expect to go over the fundamentals of improv and build skills in games, theatre sports, and have performance opportunities. This is the perfect program for people of all experience levels.
2022 improv players
Meet the instructors
emma carter
Emma Carter is an interdisciplinary artist from Fort McMurray. She has been improvising for many years, since her time on the Westwood Improv Team (WIT). With WIT she performed weekly at lunchtime shows, competed numerous times in the Canadian Improv Games, attended workshops, and had tons of fun. She was coached by local legend Megan Carnegie.
Emma has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Writing and Theatre from the University of Victoria and has performed across North America and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Her poetry, plays, and essays have been published in This Side of West and The Warren. She has been honoured to receive nominations and awards as a writer, actor, and director. In 2017, she was an Artist in Residence with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, where her work explored visual artistry and poetry. Emma also trained as a Highland dancer with the Fort McMurray Highland Dance Association and loves to explore the joy of movement.
She has been an arts educator for many years and has helped lead the Youth Players Program, Playwrights’ Corner, and Summer Camps with Theatre; Just Because.
Bailey Yarkie
Bailey Yarkie is an educator and theatre artist in Wood Buffalo. She has received nominations for theatre and arts education awards from the ACWB. Bailey has been involved with Theatre; Just Because for over 6 years, and currently acts as its Artistic Director. She has appeared as an actor in Theatre; Just Because, Keyano Theatre, and independent productions.
Bailey Yarkie has worked with the TJB Youth Players program for 5 years as a facilitator on productions including A High School Horror Story, An Evening of Commedia and Almost, Maine. She has taught workshops for adults and youth on improv, ensemble, and collaborative storytelling. She worked as a supervisor at Theatre Alberta's Artstrek for four years. She holds a degree in education and works with the FMPSD.