Hours of performing with no script and zero clue what was coming next ended in a third-place finish for Ottawa's Canterbury High School at the 2012 Canadian Improv Games Saturday.
The 35th annual competition was held at the National Arts Centre this weekend, featuring a field of six high schools that outlasted hundreds more to get there.
"What you get at the NAC are students on stage in front of a huge audience in one of the most prestigious houses in all of Canada," said Al Connors with the games. "They have the absolute freedom to do and say whatever they want, and this is an extremely rare opportunity."
"You're creating four minute scenes on stage with the use of a suggestion from the audience," said Reanne Spitzer from Canterbury. "You take whatever the audience gives you and you work with it to create a scene, we're here to have fun and entertain."
Competitors said the games are a chance to express themselves in a supportive and fun environment.
"You make great friends, you meet great people and you just learn to be yourself and be very outgoing," said Jacob MacLeod from All Saints Catholic High School, who came in fifth.
"It's not only skills you learn on stage but skills in social groups with people."
"Confidence definitely is one thing, I've learned how to talk in front of people which can be related to all sorts of things in school and outside it," said Ben Compton.
Southern Ontario's Milton High School won the competition, which played out over three rounds and had teams judged in categories such as story, style and character.
"We mostly think about how to have fun out there and how to get the best time we can out of it," said Milton's Raechel Fisher. "That's basically how we've been preparing for this night, because we're like ‘Let's just have a great time and let's do our best.'"
Last year Ottawa's All Saints came in third and Canterbury in fifth.
The 34th annual Canadian Improv Games were won by John Rennie High School in Montreal.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Katie Griffin
