The Varscona Theatre is a live performance venue in the Old Strathcona

Old Strathcona

Old Strathcona is an historic district located in south-central Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Once the commercial core of the separate city of Strathcona, the area is now Edmonton's main arts and entertainment district, and in 2007 was named Alberta's second "Provincial Historic Area"...

 neighborhood of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. A former firehall, since 1994 the Varscona has been operated by a consortium of small theatre companies, including Rapid Fire Theatre

Rapid Fire Theatre

Rapid Fire Theatre is an improvisational theatre company based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The company’s goal is to provide affordable, high-energy improvisation and alternative theatre to audiences in Edmonton and beyond, while providing exciting opportunities for its participants.-History:The...

, Shadow Theatre

Shadow Theatre

The Shadow Theatre is an Edmonton-based theatre company born of the Edmonton International Fringe Festival in 1990.-History:Shadow Theatre was incorporated in 1992, operating under the governance of a volunteer Board of Directors...

 and Teatro la Quindicina

Teatro la Quindicina

Teatro la Quindicina is a theatre company founded by Canadian playwright Stewart Lemoine in 1982 at the Edmonton International Fringe Festival. The company is best known for producing Lemoine's original works but also produces a new comedy by an Edmonton-based playwright each season...

 (collectively known as The Varscona Theatre Alliance). The theatre is also the home of the nationally renowned live improvised soap opera Die-Nasty

Die-Nasty

Die-Nasty is a live improvised soap opera, running weekly in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada since 1991. Die-Nastys improv comedy format features a continuing storyline and recurring characters, live music, and a director who sets up scenes for the audience in voiceover.The cast of Die-Nasty...

 and the improv variety show Oh Susanna!

Oh Susanna!

Oh Susanna! is a live improvised variety show/talkshow, presented monthly in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, at the Varscona Theatre in Old Strathcona. Performances are generally the last Saturday of the month at 11pm...

. In addition, the Varscona has hosted tapings of The Irrelevant Show

The Irrelevant Show

The Irrelevant Show is a half-hour radio sketch comedy show airing on CBC Radio One.-Broadcast history:The show initially broadcast Saturday afternoons during the third hour of Definitely Not the Opera starting in 2003...

, a national sketch comedy program aired on CBC Radio

CBC Radio

CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...

.

The Varscona Theatre was formerly called the Chinook Theatre, and served as the headquarters of Chinook Children's Theatre and the Edmonton International Fringe Festival

Edmonton International Fringe Festival

The Edmonton International Fringe Festival produced by the Fringe Theatre Adventures is an annual event held every August in Edmonton, Alberta in Canada....

from 1983-1993. It is still used as a venue during the Fringe festival every August.