At The Improv Centre, Jacki Gunn's Back to the Holidays features a time-travelling Christmas cynic
Community-driven improv comedy show melds all the best parts of A Christmas Carol and Back to the Future
Jacki Gunn.
Rudy the Norwegian Reindeer (left), Meaghan Hommy, and Alan Pavlakovic in The Improv Centre’s Back to the Holidays.
The Improv Centre on Granville Island presents Back to the Holidays from November 23 to December 24 on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, with 2 pm shows on December 17 and 24
JACKI GUNN’S IMPROV comedy show Back to the Holidays started with a dream.
It was a dream about A Christmas Carol, to be exact, that struck the performer at The Improv Centre back in May. The concept’s holiday potential was so strong that Gunn immediately called up Jalen Saip, The Improv Centre’s artistic director, to share the dream. From there, the idea snowballed into the full-scale mash-up of A Christmas Carol and Back to the Future that’s about to premiere.
The inspiration behind Gunn’s dream almost certainly stems from their two blond-haired, blue-eyed little brothers, who are both violin players. At separate violin recitals when the boys were younger, each of them just so happened to be scouted to play Tiny Tim in different national theatre productions of A Christmas Carol. It’s an ironic coincidence that’s stuck with Gunn ever since.
“At the time, I was a teenager working hard to establish myself as a professional actor,” Gunn tells Stir. “They both had professional acting jobs before I ever did, and neither of them are actors today. It was a real kick in the pants. I had to create my own version of A Christmas Carol just to prove myself.”
Written and conceptualized by Gunn, Back to the Holidays tells the tale of a holiday cynic who adventures through Christmases of the past, present, and future in order to save a town from ruin. The audience gets to decide what time period the actors launch themselves into as an eccentric scientist helps the cynic discover holiday spirit along the way. The show features a rotating cast of six or seven performers each night from The Improv Centre’s ensemble, Gunn included.
Back to the Holidays marks the first show that Gunn has devised for The Improv Centre. They’ve been performing there in various capacities since 2019—first as a member of the rookie league before taking a break during the pandemic, and later working their way up to the main stage ensemble.
“In Back to the Future and A Christmas Carol, surprisingly, a ton of themes overlap, like destiny and time,” Gunn says. “Consequences of time, and redemption, those are both big things within both stories. And the importance of family and community are huge in both. So I’m like, how come no one’s done this before? And if they have, and they’re reading, then they should contact me privately,” the comedy maven says with a laugh.
Gunn’s improv prowess stems from years of experience as an actor. Most recently, the artist born in Oxford, U.K. and raised in Silicon Valley, California starred in Lucky Hank, the 2023 dramedy TV series helmed by Breaking Bad’s Bob Odenkirk. When they took their first foray into improv, it quickly became the backbone of their work.
“Every time I say this, it sounds so woo-woo,” jokes Gunn, “but I think it really is a way of life. It’s a way of living. It’s a way of saying ‘Yes’ to the ideas in your head, and saying ‘Yes’ to the ideas of those around you. And it feels so good when people support what you have to say, and support your voice.”
Back to the Holidays musters up the collective crankiness of all the most notorious holiday cynics—think Ebenezer Scrooge, the Grinch, Krampus, and Hans Gruber all rolled into one devilishly hilarious downer. It’s interesting though, notes Gunn, how all of those characters are male-presenting. Back to the Holidays inverts those stereotypes by creating space for equally sullen femme cynics.
“Particularly now, I don’t know a single person who doesn’t bring up seasonal affective disorder, you know, SAD—what happens when the time changes,” Gunn remarks. “There’s something about winter that can bring a gloominess out in just about everybody.”
With seasonal depression being such a relatable topic for many folks, there’s a comedic charm to watching cynics turn their frowns upside down and embrace the holidays. On a deeper level, it’s a reminder to lean on the people around us during tough times.
“I really think that this show is about coming together,” Gunn says, “and what community is, and the role it plays, especially during the wintertime and during the holidays. The moment you show up to a show and you’re in your own city during the holidays, you are supporting the community, and being a part of the community. And that is awesome.”
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