Archives of Festival performers from years gone by:
Kevin McDonald is a founding member of The Kids in the Hall and a wonderful person. You might know him from his many credits on the televsion, you might know him from being hilarious onstage, or you might just know him.
Tony Beeman performs regularly as part of Seattle’s Unexpected Productions, where he directs, teaches Unexpected’s Performance class, serves as Artistic Associate and manages Improv Anonymous, UP’s resident longform group. Off-stage, Tony loves graphic design, illustration, writing, photography, everything Seattle, his wife, Jeannine, and his dog, Jane Boston.
Shawn Norman has been improvising around Vancouver for over 10 years. He is currently a member of Little Mountain Improv and also performs with Uncle Janes Crystal Queer Comedy. He has performed in festivals across North America, most recently at the Combustion Festival in Toronto, and is an occasional director and coach for improv groups in the city. This is his second time performing in the Winnipeg Improv Festival.
Elizabeth Brammer lives in Seattle, Washington, where she is a company member of Unexpected Productions, and an ensemble member of Improv Anonymous and Mr. Snake. Liz has a BFA in theater performance from Denison University, and has studied, directed, and/or performed improv here and there, including at Chicago’s Second City, LA’s Groundlings Theater, The Hideout Theater and ColdTowne Theater in Austin, Paper Street Theater in Victoria, Seattle Experimental Theater, and the Edinburgh Festival. She has directed half a dozen or so improvised long form shows and performed in many others.
Mike Hammond is filled with shame, bitterness, and regret. HILARIOUS! As a stand-up comedian, he’s natural born storyteller, Mike takes you through the personal details of the oddities tent that is his life. He has performed and taught improvised theatre all over the country and currently is the Artistic Director and a cast member with St. John’s based improv group, ‘Stanley Braxton Improv Co.’
Danielle Browne first began her improv journey in grade eleven. After a long hiatus and an education degree, she finally took the plunge at age 26 and enrolled in classes with Rapid Fire Theatre in Edmonton Alberta. Danielle has been a cast member with the company since 2014 and is so happy to be a part of the improv community again. When she’s not improvising Danielle can be seen “shaping young minds” as a teacher, cuddling her dog Fergus, or planning her next trip to exotic locations.
Bob L’Heureux has been improvising since 2012. He’s a member of Rapid Fire Theatre in Edmonton, Alberta. He has also just had his tonsils out. OUCH! He’s very excited to be participating in the Winnipeg International Improv Festival.
A Nigerian-born, former Calgarian, Ify Chiwetelu quit a job in the energy sector to pursue her creativity. In doing so, Ify charted her own path to form a career as a stand-up comic, improv performer, and comedy writer. She has written articles for CBC Comedy and was a contributing writer for season two of CBC’s hit television show, BARONESS VON SKETCH SHOW.
Ben Sellick plays piano and does improv. He did both at the U of Manitoba for some years, and now works as a pianist, and writes music for choirs and movies. He enjoys cycling, podcasts, Nic Cage, Werner Herzog, pasta, and the indomitable spirit of Winnipeg.
The Festival is organized by:
Stephen Sim is the founder of the Winnipeg Improv Festival way back in 2000. He is one half of the duo Stephen & Caity and one-half of the international duo CRUMBS, so he is used to being a part of something. He has performed and taught master classes in improvisation all over the world for close to two decades. He is also a co-founder of “The Improv Company” and a lifelong improviser.
Caity Curtis is an improviser, performer and producer. She is a co-founder of “The Improv Company” and one half of the duo “Stephen & Caity“. She is the Associate Artistic Director of this festival. She has travelled the country and led workshops and directed shows for years. She is amazing.
Local Performers:
The Local Ensemble: Jonathan Mourant, Anna Currie, Kristina Guevarra, Frances Koncan, Micaela Crighton, Mike Scott, Brigette Sabourin, Jaydin Pommer, Laurie MacDonell, Luke Cecelon and Riley Paull.
They have been assembled just for this show. You might have seen them perform already at a couple of the free pre-festival shows (at the Good Will or at Little Brown Jug). But you are going to want to catch their sets at the festival. They will perform in the Fri, Oct 19th late show and at the Sat, Oct 20th late show. Both shows are at 10:30pm and are at the Gas Station Arts Centre.
Family Dinner is a group of 5 sexually active young comedians from Winnipeg, MB. With their absurd take on the classic sketch format, these kids are hungry for the belt. If you throw a tomato at them they will surely catch it and cook it up for you.
Catch their show: Thu, Oct 17th 8pm at the GSAC
Club Soda will be performing as a trio at the festival. (Laurie, Luke and Kevin)
Catch their set: Fri, Oct 19th at 8pm at the GSAC
Unexpected Results will be performing as a trio at the Festiva (because trios are trendy now I suppose).
Catch their set: Fri, Oct 19th at 8pm at the GSAC
The Horrible Friends will not be performing as a trio. (Luke and Shawn)
Catch their set: Fri, Oct 19th at 8pm at the GSAC
Snicker-Snack is a female-powered duo on it’s way to its 2nd anniversary. Micaela and Anna twist together the serious, silly, and sometimes true to create stories which will make you think, laugh, and maybe even melt your heart.
Catch their set: Sat, Oct 20th at 8pm at the GSAC
You will also enjoy the onstage performances of:
Some experts in the “The More You Know” show on Fri, Oct 19th at 10:30pm
Some writers in the “MIND READERS” and the “Haiku Deathmatch” show on Sat, Oct 20th at 8pm
Our guests last year at the festival:
Dave Morris is a speaker, teacher, and storyteller, but mostly he’s an improviser. He’s been teaching, producing and performing improvisation around Canada and the world since the turn of the century. He is the artistic director of the award-winning Paper Street Theatre co. in Victoria B.C., was a long-time volunteer and regional director for the Canadian Improv Games, and performs his one-man improvised storytelling shows to high acclaim. He has performed and taught at festivals around the world, including Seattle, Montreal, London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Chicago, and many more across Canada. And he probably likes you already.
Meags Fitzgerald is a Montreal based writer and illustrator. Over the last 12 years, Meags has performed and taught improv in theatres across Canada, in the United States and Australia. In recent years she has been an ensemble member at Paper Street Theatre’s Improv Festival, Toronto’s COMBUSTIONfestival, Halifax’s East Coast Improv Festival, and at the Vancouver International Improv Festival. With her troupe Quest of the Dragon King, she’s also performed at the Ottawa Improv Festival and toured the Northeastern USA. She is lucky enough to be in a duo, We’re So Strong, with her oldest, bestest pal, Dave Morris. Meags is also an award-winning graphic novelist and an aspiring circus aerialist.
Tony Beeman performs regularly as part of Seattle’s Unexpected Productions, where he directs, teaches Unexpected’s Performance class, serves as Artistic Associate and manages Improv Anonymous, UP’s resident longform group. Off-stage, Tony loves graphic design, illustration, writing, photography, everything Seattle, his wife, Jeannine, and his dog, Jane Boston.
Megan Gray is the Artistic Director of the Magnet Theater in NYC, a writer, performer, teacher and native New Yorker. She has been studying improvisation for over a decade, with Armando Diaz, Kevin Dorff, Christina Gausas, Dave Pasquesi, TJ Jagodowski, Dave Razowsky and many talented others. Megan has performed with Second City aboard the NCL Gem and has taught improvisation at universities and festivals around the country, Canada and Europe, as well as companies and organizations. She also does a lot of yoga.
Stepheny Hunter is an actor and improviser currently living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She’s recently graduated from Dalhousie’s Fountain School of Performing Arts Acting Program and has been producing and performing in improv shows over the past four years. She has worked with Make ‘Em Ups Improv Company as a performer, producer and teacher, as well as was a member of the East Coast Improv Festival 2015 and 2016 Ensemble. Recently she has been working on a monthly improv show called Hello City, named after the Barenaked Ladies’ song about how much they hate Halifax. Stepheny has improvised and trained in cities across Canada, but is excited to be coming back to her hometown to be a member of the IF 2017 International Ensemble.
Joel Carter is an accomplished palliative care and pain specialist, author, speaker, storyteller and artist. Born and bred in Winnipeg – he received his medical degree from the University of Manitoba, completed his pain and palliative fellowship at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard University in Boston, and training at the Physician Leadership College at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis. Carter previously worked as an Emergency Room Doctor in both Duluth & Monticello, Minnesota and Winnipeg, Canada. He practices Pain and Palliative Medicine in Minneapolis where he speaks and lectures on various topics related to quality of life support, the life lessons of his patients share with him on meaning and life purpose, and the integration of creative art process with healing arts practice. He was named by Minnesota Monthly as Best Doctor in 2017, 2016, 2015 & Best Doctor for Women in 2014 for Palliative Medicine – Hospice. Carter’s clinical interests include the use of storytelling and narrative as they pertain to the psychosocial aspects of dying patients and their families. He has been published in the Los Angeles Times, Reader’s Digest and the Annals of Emergency Medicine. He is the author of “Lava Lamp Lessons – Writings, Stories, and other Free Associations,” and “Rockpeople – The Chester Creek Inuksuit Anthology” which became a sold out regional hit in Minnesota. The sequel work “Rockpeople – Beyond Chester Creek” published in 2012 has garnered multi-award winning recognition and accolades. He and his wife, along with their two beautiful children currently live in Minneapolis.
We’re so Strong: Dave Morris (Victoria) and Meags Fitzgerald (Montreal) have known each other for a very long time, and they’re still friends. It’s probably because they both like their improv with a strong sense of story, and just a dash of darkness. This cross-country duo will delight you with their dark, yet playful, style of improvised theatre.
Meet our Local Heroes:
HUNKS is a sketch comedy troupe from Winnipeg, Canada. Their distinct brand of finely tuned nonsense makes HUNKS shows an engaging and unique experience. They have performed in festivals across North America including Just For Laughs Northwest, San Francisco Sketchfest, Chicago Sketchfest, and Toronto Sketchfest. They also host a weekly podcast with past guests including Mark Forward, Pat Thornton, Graham Clark, Mark Little, Jackie Kashian, and many more. It can be found at www.hunkscomedy.com
President Bear is a local sketch comedy troupe that formed in 2016. They have performed in the Winnipeg Comedy Showcase, The Winnipeg Fringe, and are a regular feature in “Skit or Die” at Wee Johnny’s Pub. President Bear’s sketches can be described as dark, hilarious, and about 5 minutes each.
Tim Gray got his start in comedy doing improv at the University of Manitoba many years ago. Member of HUNKS, releaser of comedy album and booker at Wee Johnny’s – check out www.zellers.biz for more information.
Rémi Authier is a friendly Montrealer who moved to Winnipeg almost two years ago to escape the town of Regina where he was exiled to work for the national broadcaster. He is a journalist for Radio-Canada and a member of the french improv league La LIM. Rémi is so bilingual he tends to speak both in French and English simultaneously. He nevertheless still requires subtitles when watching movies in the language of Shakespeare.
Ashley Burdett was born and raised in Winnipeg and dang, she loves this wintery, mosquito filled city. She has been doing improv for over 11 years, most recently with Breaking Dads and Dungeons & Dragons Improv. She has also appeared in The Winnipeg Comedy Festival, the Oddblock Comedy Festival and at the Fringe Festival in The Humourists. She won the title of Rumor’s Funniest Person with a Day Job in 2016. Her style has been described as “thoughtful, honest and wickedly silly” and comedy makes her really happy.
Brigitte Sabourin is a local improviser and curmudgeon. She is one half of the Theatresports duo Third Wheels, and improvises with University of Winnipeg Improv and Common Crow Improv Co. She also coaches a Canadian Improv Games team. She likes snack platters and birds.
*Catch their set on on Fri, Oct 20th 8PM and Sat, Oct 21st 8PM with the Local Ensemble
Jesse Bergen has been improvising for over ten years. He’s also a writer, designer, and podcaster. He enjoys activism, wordplay, and murder mysteries that take place on trains.
Sam Antonick is committed to making you smile and laugh. Improvisation has been a love of mine for the past 4 years.
Jessina is a local actress, director, and writer who also dabbles in wardrobe consulting as well. She is very excited to say that this is her 2nd year performing in the Improv Festival and is so thankful to be apart of the festival with such talented artists. You can catch Jessina on Shaw TV’s Millworth.
Sarah Jane Martin is a local actress, playwright, and comedic jack-of-all trades. She recently wrote and directed the highly successful play “The Doula” for the 2017 Winnipeg Fringe Festival. She often performs at the local sketch comedy showcase “Skit or Die” under the name “The Glen Murray Experience” alongside her partner Dan Huen. You may have seen her in a recent series of Recycle Everywhere commercials in which she is reprimanded by giant anthropomorphic raccoons for not practicing proper recycling habits.
Bohdan Dyck has been in the Improv scene since grade ten when he started on his high school Improv team. He has made the journey from High school Improv to a University player and coach as well as affiliation with Common Crow as a producer and workshopper. Bohdan Dyck is on his 6th year of improv and 3rd year with The Winnipeg Improv Festival. He is very excited to be back again for another fun and hilarious festival in his home town of Winnipeg.
Taylor Owens is a local performer with many years experience in improv, stage comedy, and low budget high school musicals. Taylor has performed in the Winnipeg IF, and the Winnipeg Fringe Fest. She is a cast member of the Dungeons and Dragons Improv show, as well as Sidetrack Bandits sketch comedy. She is also a volunteer for the Manitoba Chapter of the Canadian Improv Games.
Cathy Herbert is just some fucking comedian. She is a member of the sketch troupe President Bear and you can catch her stand up act in and arounnnnnnn bla blarg plorp *fart sound*
Carine Roy is a multilingual improviser who is fluent in French, english and Frenglish. Elle débute sa 5e saison avec la LIM (Ligue d’improvisation du Manitoba) cette automne and is thrilled to participate in the Winnipeg Improv Festival pour la première fois. Hopefully she can woo you with her Franco-Manitoban joie de vivre, or at the very least elle souhaite vous faire rigoler un p’tit peu.
Anna E.N. Currie has been improvising for the last decade since she first got her start through the Canadian Improv Games. She likes fall, philosophizing, and (vegan) cake and is so so excited for the most wonderful time of the year (no not Christmas)!
Angie St. Mars is a Winnipeg-based comedian and sketch comic. She has been featured in Winnipeg Comedy Festival, the Winnipeg Comedy Showcase and Oddblock Comedy Festival. She writes and performs regularly with local sketch comedy troupe President Bear. She is thrilled to be part of the Winnipeg Improv Festival.
Mack Norberg
-has been doing improv for 10 years -has never performed in the Winnipeg Improv Festival before -hopes to do well -has NO fear -has made mistakes -hopes you enjoy the show/your life
Michael MacDonald has been improvising in the Winnipeg scene for 9 years now. Falling in love with the art-form in high school, he has spent the last 7 years coaching improv teams at Garden City Colligate to compete in the CIG! This year he also has the honour of directing University of Manitoba Improv! He also loves magic and sleight of hand!
Ryan Clement is a PhD candidate with the University of Waterloo Department of English Language and Literature and a member of the University of Waterloo Games Institute, where he researches the relationship between emergent narrative, game mechanics, and participatory fan communities; as well as the possible use of this interaction for new forms of education and intercultural communication. In addition to his game studies research, he teaches at the University of Winnipeg and Brandon University. Ryan has travelled to approximately seventy countries, often spending his summers teaching future astronauts and Elon Musks at the International Space University how to use an Oxford comma. He is no stranger to improv, having graduated from Toronto’s Second City Training Centre and performed as a regular cast member with Waterloo’s Theatre on the Edge.
and Came to the festival with 4 Track. He is still based in New York City and started the Reckless Theatre.
Kevin McDonald from The Kids in the Hall
Mark Little from Picnicface (Toronto)
Mark does stand-up, sketch comedy and improv. He is a triple threat. We’ve had him here at the festival a couple of times. It is always a treat.
JOE BILL (iO Chicago Theater, Chicago)
Joe Bill is widely regarded as one of the best teachers of Scenic and Comedic Improvisation in America today. He currently teaches, performs and does corporate training at iO Chicago, is an Artistic Associate for The Chicago Improv Festival, and acts as an Artistic Advisor for a number of improvisation and comedy Theatres all over the world.
Joe and a number of very talented friends, under the Artistic Direction of Mick Napier, co-founded The Annoyance Theater in Chicago in 1990. Joe and Mark Sutton, his partner in the nationally touring improvised production BASSPROV, have evolved the Annoyance approach into Power Improv, which they both have been teaching all over the world at festivals, theatres and universities since 2000.
Joe has performed, coached, directed and innovated with a vast number of successful groups including The Screw Puppies at Annoyance, The Armando Diaz Theatrical Experience & Georgia Pacific at iO Chicago (with whom he developed The Bat), The Throwdown at Donny’s Skybox- Second City Chicago and The Scramble at The Playground. He directs and performs in Chica Go Go and Chicago Improv Gorillas at The P.I.T. in New York City and he’s frequently a guest improviser in Let’s Have A Ball & ASSSSCAT 3000 at UCB Theater in New York and L.A. and Show X at HUGE Improv Theater in Minneapolis. Website
ALISTAIR COOK (Instant Theatre Company, Vancouver)
Alistair has been performing, instructing, consulting and directing improvisation for audiences and companies across Canada, the USA and Europe for almost 20 years. He has had the great pleasure of working and training with some of the greatest teachers in improvisation. From these varied styles and beliefs Alistair has developed his unique brand of performing and instructing. Alistair is the AD of Instant Theatre Company and Artistic Producer of VIIF, the IMPROVCAMP. Alistair is proud of his 20 years with the Canadian Improv Games and time spent with VTSL as a performer and AAD. Website
Amy has been performing with Rapid Fire Theatre since 2002, and is a former Artistic Director. Improv has taken her to festivals in Berlin, Vancouver, Milan, Bogota, Austin, Toronto, and many more cool places. She appears regularly on CBC Radio’s The Irrelevant Show, as well as SuperChannel’s Tiny Plastic Men. In 2015, she was honoured with an Excellence in Artistic Direction award from Edmonton’s Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts. Twitter: @shostakattack
Joleen is overjoyed to be back in her home away from home, Winnipeg! Joleen has been improvising with Rapid Fire Theatre since 2007. Since then she has been lucky enough to do a lot of traveling either as an ensemble member or as the second half of the improv duo DotDotDot with Jessie McPhee. Joleen has just returned from her second European tour and is gearing up for tour in late fall with Rapid fire Theatre’s Off Book the Improvised Musical.Dad’s Garage from Atlanta, Georgia
Amber Nash (who is the voice of Pam on ARCHER) Chris Blair
Jonathan DeMuth has been studying improv in New York City at the Magnet Theater, Upright Citizens Brigade and People’s Improv Theater since March 2009. He has studied improv with Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh, John Lutz, Billy Merritt, Armando Diaz, Chris Gethard, Will Hines, Charna Halpern, Peter McNerney, Louis Kornfeld, Shannon O’Neill & Gavin Speiller just to name a few.
The General Fools from Regina
More:
Monster Theatre from Calgary/Vancouver
Dave Morris from Victoria
Gordon has been improvising in Winnipeg for 20 years. He just counted, and that’s the number he came up with, and now he’s crying. So, nice work everybody. A founding member and one-time director of the Manitoba Improv League, he spends most of his time now acting in plays where people expect you to memorize the words. FRAZ WIEST (Winnipeg)
His first-ever one-man show, “FRAZ: Lonely At Last,” premiered at the 2012 Winnipeg Fringe Festival and then he followed it up this year with a tour of his second one-man show “FRAZ vs The Future”, which played in Winnipeg, Edmonton, Portland and Vancouver.
Recently, she both wrote and performed on the web series, Wind City, and toured all
WARREN BATES (Instant Theatre Company, Vancouver)
A member of Instant Theatre for two years, Warren Bates has been performing improv for over a decade. He has entertained audiences in festivals across North America, and appeared on television as well as the stage. A student of sketch, stand-up and improv, Warren aims to delight audiences and share in story with them. Website
Lucy Hill began improvising over ten years ago in high school with the Canadian Improv Games in Regina, Saskatchewan. Since then Lucy has gone on to join the long-form ensembles of Combat Improv and Middle Children and is one half of improv duos Business and Dot & Mae. Most recently Lucy has been touring Dot & Mae to festivals and theatres across Canada and the U.S., including the Globe Theatre, The General Fools Festival, ViiF, Duofest, and the Winnipeg Fringe Festival. In addition to performing improv, Lucy is also a teacher, producer, writer, and voice/theatre actor.
KORY MATHEWSON (Rapid Fire Theatre, Edmonton)
Kory is also an improv teacher. Recently he collaborated with the University of Alberta’s School of Pharmacy on a curriculum-based experiential learning module combining the skills of improv with challenges of professional communication in industry. WebsiteSHAWN NORMAN (Instant Theatre Company, Vancouver)
Shawn has been performing improv across Canada and in the US for the past 10 years. In addition to his work with Instant Theatre, he can be seen performing with the Bobbers and Psycho, a duo project with fellow Instant Company member, Warren Bates. Shawn has been featured in the Vancouver, Seattle and Victoria improv festivals and is formerly the Artistic Director of the Impromaniacs in Victoria. He has also performed and trained others in Ottawa, Regina, Pittsfield and New York City. A graduate from the Vancouver Film School’s acting program, he often uses the skills learned there in his improv work.
PARKING LOTS (Winnipeg)
DJ HUNNICUTT (Winnipeg)
Since 2005, Hunnicutt has been performing with internationally renowned improv duo Crumbs, enhancing their freestyle comedy shows with an improvised soundtrack. Website
In 2013, she started a project called Speechless with Bogotá’s Felipe Ortiz and Daniel Orrantia. Since its debut in Germany, this long-form wordless and surreal show has been staged in Colombia, Brazil, the Winnipeg Fringe Festival.
Maybe you want to go to one of her amazing dance parties? She’s throwing on on Sat, Oct 3rd at the Union Sound Hall… perfect thing to do after watching hilarious shows.
BIG D & THE GREEN (DANA SMITH & KANE GREENE)
Dana Smith and Kane Greene are the voice and beatbox voice of this musical duo. After “tearing the roof off” at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, they are back to give you a couple songs at the Gas Station Arts Centre. Look for them as the opening acts for North Coast on Friday and Saturday night late shows.
KAILA MULLADY (NEW YORK CITY)
STAND-UP COMICS
Ryan Ash was in Decoys 2 by Sony Entertainment in 2007. Since being in Decoys 2, Ryan has unsuccesfully tried petitioning for Decoys 3 no less than 347 times. In a desperate bid to recreate the feeling of making Decoys 2, Ryan tried stand up comedy. He’s been to the Winnipeg Comedy Fest 4 times, is a writer on ShawTV’s The Week Thus Far, and loves being part of the Improv Fest. But it’s no Decoys 2.
Matt Nightingale is a stand-up comic from Winnipeg whose act has been described as “inappropriate for a funeral setting”. A regular host at Rumor’s Comedy Club, Matt has appeared in the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, the Winnipeg Improv Festival, and was invited to perform at the 2013 Just For Laughs Winnipeg Showcase. He hopes to one day own a slow cooker.
Dana smith has recently decided to become a rap star. She has appeared in shows such as “Awareness through the auts”‘ “The Winnipeg Showcase #3″, ” The Drunk Show” and is the co-creator of hit fringe shows “Comedy + time = tragedy and “Lady Skits”. Dana is a writer for Shaw tv’s Week Thus Far.
