WILD IMPROV COMEDY
ON THE SHORES OF PTBO'S STORIED RAPIDS

Experience the best of Peterborough Improv with our dynamic and hilarious comedy shows! Based in the heart of Peterborough, under the eye of the iconic clock tower, our wildly talented cast of local comedians and surprise guests, including current and former Second City stars, will bring you unforgettable nights of laughter and mayhem. Join us for regular performances at local venues like The Theatre on King. Whether you're a comedy enthusiast or looking for a fun night out, our shows are guaranteed to entertain. Come see why the Peterborough comedy scene is hotter than a summer day at the lift lock!

Photos: Bryan Reid

UPCOMING EVENTS

FIRST FRIDAY IMPROV @ Dreams of Beans

As a part of Peterborough's FREE First Friday Art Crawl.Join us for an evening of spontaneous comedy, laughter, and creativity, where the audience inspires the performers in a lively atmosphere!

Participating June 5th 2026
Shows Starting at 6:30pm
Dream of Beans, Peterborough ON
FREE EVENT

BREWHAHA
Stand Up Comedy @ Bobcaygeon Brewing

Come join us at Bobcaygeon Brewing Co for a night of laughter and good brews! Our stand-up comedy event will feature talented new comedians who only have 5 minutes to tickle your funny bone. Grab a pint of the finest craft beer and get ready for a hilarious evening. Whether you're a comedy enthusiast or just looking for a fun night out, this event is perfect for everyone. Don't miss out on the chance to enjoy live comedy in a laid-back brewery setting. See you there!

Thursday June 11th, 2026
Doors at 7:00pm
Show at 7:30pm
Bobcaygeon Brewing Co., Peterborough ON
10$ or PWYC

RAPID'S END IMPROV:
THE SEASON FINALE SHOW

We’re closing out the season the only way we know how — big, fast, and absolutely ridiculous.Join Rapid’s End Improv for a high-energy Season Finale Show at Sadleir House! Featuring Rico & Rostrup, The Lady Bards, and Action 705 Improv. Expect callbacks, returning fan-favourite characters, surprise appearances, and a few wild swings we’ve been saving for the right night. If you’ve been to a show this season, this is the payoff. If you haven’t, this is the one that shows you exactly what we’re about.

Friday June 19th 2026
Doors at 7:00pm
Show at 7:30pm
Sadleir House
20$

RICO & ROSTRUP

Rico & Rostrup is an electrifying, laugh-out-loud improv duo lighting up the stage at Theatre on King. Fueled by audience suggestions, these two dive headfirst into creating wild new worlds and meeting a cast of quirky characters. Every performance is a rollercoaster of emotions, packed with twists, turns, and nonstop laughs.Here’s the catch: songs are triggered when audience members throw dinner rolls onstage. Yes, actual buns. The ancient tradition nobody asked for, yet somehow humanity needs. Paired with musical wizard and accompanist Andrew Fitzpatrick, the duo spins audience suggestions into full-blown musical numbers in real time. Come experience a night of musical majesty, audience-fueled storytelling and carb-based chaos with Rico & Rostrup. Who doesn’t love dinner and a show?

Friday July 17th, 2026
Doors at 7:30pm
Show at 8:00pm
Theatre on King
20$ or PWYC

IMPROV-EYES:
Improv Workshop with focus on Blind and Low-Vision Performers

Improv-eyes is back! An improv workshop for all levels, encouraging blind and low-vision performers to join.ALL abilities are welcome! All proceeds go towards supporting TTOK.Facilitated by Mark Rostrup - Rapid's End Improv and Jason King - Council for Persons with Disabilities 😎

Thursday June 4th 2026
7:00PM - 9:00PM
Theatre on King
PWYC (ALL PROCEEDS GO TO TTOK)

ImPros + PTBOs in the Ball Pit

Dive into The Ball Pit—a high-stakes improv battle royale where teams clash in back-to-back, made-up-on-the-spot comedy chaos! You call the shots: laugh, cheer, and vote to crown the funniest team as the ultimate champions of the Pit. Only the sharpest, silliest, and most hilarious shall be crowned—who will take the title? Come find out and be part of the madness!This time, we’re teaming up with PAPA (Proactive Academy of the Performing Arts) and the legendary Linda Kash to bring you an improv extravaganza like no other! Alongside the beloved Ball Pit, we’re rolling out the red carpet for a powerhouse lineup of pro comedians and local improv stars in ImPros + Ptbos—where quick wit meets wild storytelling.
Watch as these improv maestros take your suggestions and spin them into a full-blown, laugh-out-loud comedy epic—right before your eyes! Whether it’s sharp one-liners or absurd, sprawling tales, these performers will have you in stitches with their unscripted hilarity.Whether you’re rolling with your besties, your partner-in-crime, or going solo, The ImPros + Ptbos in The Ball Pit is the must-see improv showdown you don’t want to miss. Get ready for a night of big laughs and even bigger surprises!SPECIAL GUEST: BRUCE HUNTER

Friday May 29th, 2026
Doors at 7:30pm
Show at 8:00pm
Theatre on King
20$ or PWYC

Ball Pit #21

Come celebrate with your favourite players at your favourite venue!The Ball Pit is a thunderdome of improv games and competition with five rounds of back-to-back made-up-on-the-spot hilarity. The audience will vote for the team who brought the most laughs at the end of each round. Only one team can reign supreme as champions of The Ball Pit.Bring your friends, bring your comedy-loving lover, have a drink, have a comedy-loving drink and watch Peterborough’s highly anticipated competitive improv show that is THE BALL PIT!

SATURDAY April 18, 2026
Doors at 7:30pm
Show at 8:00pm
Theatre on King
20$ or PWYC

IMPROV at THE LIBRARY

Come join us at Douro-Dummer Public Library for a Beginner Improv Drop-In Class! Where we learn the basics of improv comedy and storytelling through a variety of fun games and exercises. Come laugh, be silly and have a funny time! Ages 15+

Wednesdays April 1 - May 6, 2026
7:00PM - 8:30PM
Douro-Dummer Public Library,
435 Douro 4th Line, Douro-Dummer ON

The Lady Bards: A Fling into Spring

Shakespeare Inspired Improv ComedyCome all ye gentlefolk and lay thine eyes upon the only all female troupe of improvisers inspired by the works of the Bard. Weaving scenes born of thy suggestions, fling into spring with hearty laughter. Reserve thy tickets for the eve of April 11th.

SATURDAY April 11, 2026
Doors at 6:30pm
Show at 7:00pm
Theatre on King
20$ or PWYC

Comedy Night @ Bobcaygeon Brewing

Come join us at Bobcaygeon Brewing Co for a night of laughter and good brews! Grab a pint of the finest craft beer and get ready for a hilarious evening. Whether you're a comedy enthusiast or just looking for a fun night out, this event is perfect for everyone. Don't miss out on the chance to enjoy live comedy in a laid-back brewery setting. See you there!

Thursday March 12th ,2026
Doors at 7:00pm
Show at 7:30pm
Bobcaygeon Brewing Co., Peterborough ON
10$ or PWYC

ACTION 705: LAW & ORDER - SPECIAL IMPROV UNIT

Action 705 is back! With the news behind them and their poor possessed friend laid to rest, they are taking law into their own hands! This two-act improv show follows a complete criminal case from crime scene to courtroom taking inspiration from Law & Order. Fast, funny, and unpredictable. Clues are uncovered, testimonies are challenged, and courtroom dramas unfurl - Objection your honour, that was entirely made up...Come help us solve this case and reach a final verdict. Be part of the judge, the jury, and the laugh-ecutioner.
"Laughs?... You want Laughs?... You CAN'T HANDLE THE LAUGHS!"

Thursday February 5th, 2026
Doors at 7:30pm
Show at 8:00pm
Theatre on King
20$ or PWYC

IMPROV for the Dark Ages: A Winter's Tale

The Action 705 improv troupe returns to The Theatre on King, joining forces with The Lady Bards for a night of medieval madness, pagan pageantry, and unholy laughter.The hard-hitting news has gone off the air, and in its place rises a radiant, evangelical program, where one of our own has been possessed, and the only path to salvation… is improv. Expect the usual Action 705 chaos, now with added anointings, divine revelations, and questionable preaching.Meanwhile, The Lady Bards bring their signature Shakespearean flair, twisting classic improv games into poetic mischief. They’ll “wherefore art” their way through scenes of courtly confusion, tragicomedy, and pure farce.Together, the two troupes summon a new-format showcase filled with spontaneous games, dark humor, and absurdly charming characters. From devilish wit to divine nonsense, no scene escapes the frost untouched.So grab thy goblet, ready thy laughter, and cast thy suggestions into the fray.

Friday December 5th 2025
Doors at 7:30pm
Show at 8:00pm
Theatre on King
20$ or PWYC

Let's Get LIT: A Literature-Themed Improv Show

Let's Get Lit is an improv comedy show that brings literature to life in a hilarious and unpredictable way. Set in the cozy atmosphere of Take Cover Books, a local independent bookstore, the show features performers creating spontaneous scenes inspired by classic and contemporary literature. Audiences can expect a night filled with wit, creativity, and plenty of laughs as beloved stories are reimagined in this unique and engaging format.

Thursday August 28th 2025
Doors at 6:30pm
Show at 7:00pm
Take Cover Books
10$ or PWYC

Action 705 IMprov News:
Morning After Night

Introducing Peterborough’s Action 705 News Team! We’re Peterborough’s No. 1 improvised news
experts, delivering breaking headlines on all things made up. Real or not—but mostly not—we bring
you the news literally on the spot! Join us as our team of quick-witted reporters and chaotic anchors make watching the news fun again. From absurd updates to spontaneous breaking stories, you won’t want to miss the madness.

Saturday May 31st 2025
Doors at 7:30pm
Show at 8:00pm
Theatre on King
20$ or PWYC

STAFF

CAST

TROUPES/SHOWS

Rico & Rostrup | Highlights from 2025

Rico & Rostrup is a Peterborough-based Improv Duo of Mark Rostrup and Marc Rico Ludwig. Every show we do is completely unscripted, unpredictable, and fueled by the energy of the audience. Whether we’re playing time-traveling plumbers, ghost-hunting dentists, or two losers (a man and a bear), we’re just here to have fun and make you laugh.

Join the community!

Have some improv experience and are curious to try out the Ball Pit? Have a show idea and would love to get it off the ground? Looking to get some coaching for your troupe? Reach out, we'd love to chat!

Looking to learn how to do improv?

Many of our players have taken classes through PAPA: Proactive Academy of Performing Arts. If you are looking to start your journey in improv - we highly recommend checking out their classes!

Founded by Canadian Improvisers Mark Rostrup and Marc Rico Ludwig, Rapid's End Improv is based out of The Theatre on King in Peterborough's iconic downtown. We respectfully acknowledge that Peterborough is located on the traditional territory of the Michi Saagiig Anishnaabeg, within the lands covered by the Williams Treaties. We honour the Indigenous peoples who have cared for this land for generations and recognize our shared responsibility to uphold their rights and stewardship of the land, waters, and all life.