FESTIVAL ENSEMBLE
We’ve assembled some of the best and brightest improvisers from around North America to form the Festival Ensemble! Under the inspiring direction of Ese Atawo (Vancouver) and Monica Gaga (London, UK), these intrepid performers will create never-before-seen improv shows that will blow your mind.
Ensemble Shows
Wed Oct 11, 7:30pm – Culture Lab
Thurs Oct 12, 8:00pm – Culture Lab
Fri Oct 13, 7:30pm – Historic Theatre (Relaxed Performance)
Sat Oct 14, 7:30pm – Historic Theatre
Ese Atawo (Vancouver, BC)
Festival Ensemble Director
Ese Atawo is a Nigerian Canadian actor and comedian. Raised in Toronto, Ese began her love of live performance through local theatre companies and festivals. She enjoyed the diversity of being a part of Canada's largest ten-minute play festival, InspiraTO Festival, for two consecutive years. She found strength through truthful vulnerability as a cast member of Toronto's Vagina Monologues production of A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer as well as Any One of Us; and she embraced the challenge of a German written play in Summerworks production of Kasper and the Sea of Houses. Alongside Ese's involvement in theatre, she began studying improvisation through Second City Toronto. With improv being so engaging and spontaneous, Ese completed all six level as well as Second City's Conservatory program. Ese relocated to Vancouver to expand her training in improv by taking classes through Instant Theatre and eventually became a cast member and frequent player. Her involvement in improv has enabled her to be a part of successful improv troupes such as Your Moms and Nasty Women; a faculty member at Blind Tiger Comedy school; as well as being involved in successful theatrical events and festivals throughout Vancouver and abroad.
Monica Gaga (London, UK)
Festival Ensemble Director
Monica Gaga is a British-born black African queer improviser, facilitator, host and performer. She has been improvising for 24 years, teaching professionally for 16 years and performing professionally for 11 years.
Trained at East 15 Acting School, Monica has worked professionally across England, Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Italy, Canada and beyond.
When she is not performing, hosting or teaching, Monica is championing diversity, inclusion and equity in improv and trying to get as many people, particularly BIPOC, involved as possible.
Monica is based in London, UK and plays/teaches internationally| www.monicagaga.com
As seen, heard, staged and featured on BBC Three, BBC News, BBC Click, ITVBe, London Live, BBC History, Amazon Prime, Sky Store, BBC Radio London, Talk Radio, Jack Radio, Global Pillage, The Comedy Store, CBC, @SohoPlace, Hoopla Impro, Omnibus Theatre, Boulevard Theatre, Battersea Arts Centre, Bristol Improv Theatre, Barons Court Theatre, Kings Head Theatre, The Guardian, Timeout and more.
Caitlin Maira (Vancouver, BC)
Caitlin Maira (she/they) is a Vancouver based improviser, actor, and writer. Even though she's loved improv most of her life, watching Whose Line Is It Anyway everyday after school, she didn't begin her improv journey until she was halfway through her twenties. Since then, she dove head first into training and performing all over North America. She performs regularly in Vancouver with various improv theatre companies and ensembles, including The Spontaneous Shakespeare Company, QueerProv, yamjam Improv, Momentous Comedy, Blind Tiger Comedy, Instant Theatre, Tightrope Impro Theatre, and The Improv Centre. Additionally, she has taught various improv workshops in the Vancouver theatre community, has been a coach/instructor for UBCimprov and QueerProv, and co-founded yamjam Improv Society with her talented friends.
Della Haddock (Vancouver, BC)
Della Haddock: A multi-racial Black woman with a medium skin tone, brown eyes, and dark brown hair cut above the shoulders that is often worn straightened. Pronouns: she/her/hers
Kenneth Tynan (Vancouver, BC)
Kenneth has been working in the improv scene for the past 7 years, having trained with Alan Marriot he then got in with Fistful of Kicks where he started to hone his craft. More recently he has had the pleasure of performing Maestro with Tightrope and is also performing with Regency Impro in their Jane Austen format Wit & Whimsey. Additionally he has appeared across many stages in Vancouver from the Metro, Queen Elizabeth, the Shadbolt and more in musicals and straight plays.
Kristen Schier (Portland, OR)
Kristen Schier has extensive improv teaching, directing, and performing experience. She holds a BFA in Performing Arts from the University of the Arts where she taught Acting for Non-Majors, Improvisation for the Actor, and first-year Acting Studio. She has toured all over the country teaching and performing at various festivals such as the Seattle Festival of Improvised Theater, Chicago Improv Festival, Vancouver International Improv Festival, Boom Chicago Comedy Festival in Amsterdam, and more. Kristen is the former Co-Artistic Director of Curious Comedy in Portland Oregon and former Improv Producer at the Philly Improv Theater. She has studied improv at Second City, Magnet Theater, and Annoyance. Kristen has also studied Physical Theater, clown, extensively with Pig Iron Theater company and Movement Theater Studio.
Kristine Grændsen (Oslo, Norway)
Kristine received her acting education from the Rose Bruford Drama School in England. She has extensive theater experience and is the associate Artistic Director at Det Andre Teatret (Oslo, Norway).
Kristine had her television breakthrough in 2020, as one of the main roles in the award-winning HBO MAX series Basic Bitch. She has also participated in season 5 of the Norwegian version of “Taskmaster” and is in NRK's comedy series “Dummedag” in the role of Lone. She also played the role of Elsebubb in the comedy series for children, “Superheltskolen”, which received the Golden Route in the category best children's and youth program 2024. She is now starring in the hit show “Forever single” on TV2.
Kristine had her television breakthrough in 2020, as one of the main roles in the award-winning HBO MAX series Basic Bitch. She has also participated in season 5 of the Norwegian version of “Taskmaster” and is in NRK's comedy series “Dummedag” in the role of Lone. She also played the role of Elsebubb in the comedy series for children, “Superheltskolen”, which received the Golden Route in the category best children's and youth program 2024. She is now starring in the hit show “Forever single” on TV2.
Melanie Robinson (Dallas, Texas)
Melanie is a performer and producer from Dallas, TX. She performs various forms of improv including long-form, organic, musical, and duo, and co-produces, Swiped -a nightmare compilation of the profiles daters find irl and the cast brings to life on stage. You can find her at Stomping Ground Theater where she completed her improv training or at festivals around North America.
Patricia Tab (Toronto, ON)
Patricia Tab is a Hispanic-Latinx improviser and performer. She is an alumna of the Second City HouseCo and Diversity Fellowship and Bad Dog Featured Players. Patricia received the Pat & Tony Adams Freedom Fund for the Arts as part of the Bad Dog Theatre Emerging Creators Unit. As a Stage Manager, they worked with directors Kirsten Rasmussen, Nelu Handa, Ashley Comeau and liza paul; and was the Assistant Director of Julie Dumais Osborne in the 2019 run of "Toronto I love you". Patricia approaches comedy as a poetic language and loves to live there where melodrama meets deadpan. She was featured in improv festivals in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Argentina and Colombia.
Steve Currie (Vancouver, BC)
Steve Currie is an improvisor and poet from Winnipeg MB, now based here in Vancouver. He has performed improv with the Prairie Theatre Echange, Common Crow Improv Comedy, Instant Theatre Company and Blind Tiger Comedy. In 2017 he directed the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word and debuted Here and Gone, a poetry/improv fusion show. In 2018 he developed Ad Improvinem, an improvised debate show.
Stevey Hunter (Toronto, ON)
Stevey Hunter (they/them) is a queer trans non-binary award winning improviser, actor, writer, and filmmaker. They are a versatile performer known for their work with the award winning improv group: Hello City, and have taught and performed improv across Canada. You can see them in tv shows like FROM (Epix), Moonshine, and Diggstown (CBC). Currently their short film MICKEY, a lil gay love story, is in Reel East Coast season 9 episode 01 streaming on CBC Gem. Stevey grew up in Winnipeg, lived in Halifax for 10 years, but is currently based in Toronto.
