COMPANY MEMBER

Abdullah was born in Iraq and moved to Canada when he was 3. Growing up in 2 cultures has given him a unique perspective he brings to him improv. He has been an Improvisor in Vancouver for the past 13 years. Starting at Second Storey Theatre, he performed 2-3 times a week, eventually expanding into more of Vancouver’s theatre scene by joining Instant Theatre and performing new long forms invented by those around him. Being a member of the improvised Shakespeare company for many years, this format has become one of his favourites. After taking a break during COVID, Abdullah has come back improv full of energy and ready to bring improvised Shakespeare around Canada.

COMPANY MEMBER

Barbara Kozicki Beall is a professional actress living in Vancouver, BC. Barbara's improv journey began in 2002 in her hometown of Calgary, AB with Rick Hilton and The Improv Guild. A current member of Vancouver’s Momentous Comedy, the Critical Hit Show and Queer Improv Society of Vancouver (Queerprov), Barbara is thrilled to add improvised Shakespeare to the list!

A Graduate of the University of British Columbia's BFA Acting Program, Barbara is recipient of the Hnatyshyn Foundation Developing Artist Grant for English Theatre. In addition to working in film, TV and on stage, Barbara is an accomplished seamstress as well as a flow artist & physical actor working alongside circus.

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Brent Hirose is an actor, writer, director, voice over artist and improvisor based in Vancouver, BC. An honours graduate of the University of Winnipeg, he is a founding member of Winnipeg’s Theatre by the River and the improv troupe The Horrible Friends. He is a former company member of Vancouver’s Instant Theatre, and served as co-Artistic Director from 2016-2019.

As well as being the current artistic director of TSSC, he is currently a company member and instructor for Tightrope Impro Theatre, teaches improv for Vancouver Film School and Improv for Work and Wellness and is a founding company member of Fistful of Kicks, Vancouver’s all Asian Canadian improv troupe. He has performed at the Vancouver Improv Festival, The Seattle Improv Festival, The Hideout Improvised Play Festival in Austin TX and the Stumptown Improv Festival in Portland, OR.

COMPANY MEMBER / SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Caitlin is an improviser, writer, and dancer in Vancouver. While she has only been actively improvising since early 2022, Caitlin has dove head first, learning as much about improv as she can in Vancouver from Blind Tiger Comedy, Tightrope Impro Theatre, and The Improv Centre. Additionally, she has studied improv at Bay Area TheatreSports in San Francisco and The Annoyance Theatre in Chicago. Caitlin was also part of the inaugural House Teams season at The Improv Centre with her team 7 Kids in a Trench Coat.

As a self-identifying drama kid who has been a Polynesian dancer since she could walk, Caitlin has always enjoyed live theatre and comedy, both watching and performing; so, naturally, improv would be the perfect fit for her. With the sparks of joy that performing and improv provides to her, Caitlin is happy and grateful to be part of the Spontaneous Shakespeare Company.

COMPANY MEMBER

Dan is an accomplished performer, teacher, and facilitator with over two decades of experience in theatre and improv. Dan is both a partner and the director of Improv for Work and Wellness at Tightrope Improv Theatre. With a background in drama and community education, Dan has been training professionals in applied improv for the workplace since 2014. Dan studied Shakespeare at Queen's University where he performed in many plays.

Dan is also the President of the Queer Improv Society of Vancouver and co-founder of Momentous Comedy. He brings his passion for collaborative performance to every show and is excited to bring his skills to the Spontaneous Shakespeare Company and looks forward to dying on stage for you this evening.

COMPANY MEMBER

Delaney Gilmour is a Vancouver-based actor, improviser, and voice-over artist. She has toured across North America performing improv and is a core member of The Spontaneous Shakespeare Company, Very Very Improv, and Regency Impro, where she serves as co-artistic director.

Beyond improv, Delaney brings her versatility to independent films, theatre productions, and video games. She is an Advanced Actor/Combatant with Fight Directors Canada, choreographing and teaching stage combat with a strong foundation in Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA). As both an instructor and practitioner, her interest in historical weapon techniques shapes her fight performance and fuels her work as a director.

Whether on stage, behind the mic, or in the director’s chair, Delaney is dedicated to bringing compelling stories to life with passion, authenticity, and just the right amount of play

COMPANY MEMBER

Evan Brow is an improviser born and raised in Vancouver, who first gained experience with Shakespeare in a starring role as Bottom in his high school’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He began performing improv comedy in 2011 at the University of British Columbia, eventually becoming Co-President of UBC Improv in addition to creating its sketch program with Jill Lockley.

He is a founding member of Grad School Improv, which produces genre-based improvised plays on a monthly basis at Little Mountain Gallery. He is a former cast member of Instant Theatre, has performed in The Vancouver Improv Festival, and is excited to be a current cast member of The Spontaneous Shakespeare Company. However, Evan is most proud of getting his spicy cat Pearl to love him

COMPANY MEMBER

Indu Iyer is a multi-disciplinary artist, focused in creative writing, abstract painting, and theatre. She is thrilled to return to performing after a long hiatus, but you may have caught her other work over the years at various Fringe Festivals : she wrote and co-produced Vladimir Is Dead (Winnipeg and Edmonton Fringe 2016), and directed The Other Side (Vancouver Fringe 2011), and Sabotage (Vancouver Fringe 2022). In 2019 she launched Lines and Paper Creative, an online stationary brand, through which she has produced two gallery shows featuring the artwork of local talent.

Her latest venture is Hold Your Hand Content, a digital marketing agency with her at the helm as creative director. Indu attended Humber College for Theatre Arts, and has a BFA in Creative Writing from UBC. In her spare time she enjoys endurance sports, such as boxing and long-distance running. This is her first time doing improv and she couldn’t be more grateful to join such a talented company.

COMPANY MEMBER

Ivy Padmos is a multi-disciplinary artist working, playing and living in Vancouver, situated on the unceded, ancestral, and traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlil̓wətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples.

Ivy is incredibly lucky to have found a home in the improv community over the last two years and has gleefully worked with companies such as The Improv Centre, Tightrope Theatre, Instant Theatre, and in the last year co-founded her own production company, Espoused Productions. Monthly, she can be seen improvising as a part of The Maddie and Ivy Hour at Little Mountain Gallery. Ivy is thrilled to be delving further into the heart of the improv community, and having been an avid fan of their shows, get to play and collaborate with Spontaneous Shakespeare.

With poetry, Shakespeare, and theatre coursing through her veins, Ivy cannot wait to bring tragedy, romance, and occasionally comedy to audiences in Vancouver and beyond.

COMPANY MEMBER / DESIGNER

Julia is an improviser, stage manager, graphic designer, and genre nerd. She's been improvising since 2012 and has performed at the Vancouver International Improv Festival, Seattle Festival of Improv, the New York Musical Improv Festival, the rEvolver Festival, and assorted dodgy bars. Her favourite improv formats are musicals and space operas, and thinks people should stage Cymbeline more often.

COMPANY MEMBER

Martina is a magical creature, sent from the fae to amuse and confound all. When asked for a bio, she fades into the scenery and steals from you a prized childhood memory which she hungrily devours. Along with being a skilled actor, Martina is the most fashionable member of the cast and it’s not even close, really.

COMPANY MEMBER

Nikolai Witschl is an actor, writer, and improviser in Vancouver, originally from Edmonton, AB where he was born, raised, and trained. Nikolai graduated with a BFA in Acting from the University of Alberta in 2010, where he also spent 7 seasons with Rapid Fire Theatre before moving to Vancouver. Since then, Nikolai has been a cast member at Sin Peaks, a weekly improvised soap opera, and Instant Theatre, including Shakespeare After Dark.

Nikolai has also appeared in many movies and TV shows, including Deadpool 2, Riverdale, Yellowjackets, Upload, X-Files, and The Strain, among others. He has also performed in various productions of classic Shakespearian plays including As You Like It, Measure for Measure, Titus Andronicus, Comedy of Errors, and Cymbeline.

COMPANY MEMBER

Forged in the fabled Great Mountains of Ottawa, Raf emerged with an uncanny ability to summon laughter from the ether. With razor-sharp instincts and a heart tempered by the fires of spontaneity, he has graced the stages of many an esteemed theatre, including The Improv Center, Tightrope Theater, Regency Theatre, and Spontaneous Shakespeare.

But no hero journeys alone! Raf was one half of the legendary improv duo Rööf and Aider, a partnership whispered about in hushed, reverent tones. He was also a key player in the mystical ensemble known as Hocus Focus, a team that held dominion over the venerated stage of Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club, leaving audiences spellbound with their comedic sorcery.

And so, with a twinkle in his eye and a world of characters at his command, Raf continues his quest—forever seeking the next great story to tell, the next laugh to summon, and the next adventure to embrace.

COMPANY MEMBER

Sean Depner is a classically trained actor (LAMDA) from Vancouver Canada. His work on camera includes Deadly Class, Riverdale, Fargo and Billy the Kid as well as voice acting work in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Shaq’s Garage.

He once ate so many mangoes in one sitting that he developed a lifelong allergy. It wasn’t even for a bet, he just really likes mangoes.

COMPANY MEMBER

Trista is an improviser, actor and sketch comedian originally from northern Alberta, and most recently, from Montreal.

Trista has performed in many shows and festivals across Canada and has studied improv and sketch comedy with the Grindstone Theatre, Montreal Improv, Instant Theatre, Kids in The Hall’s Kevin McDonald, and many others.

Trista currently performs with Instant Theatre and produces several monthly improv shows at Little Mountain Gallery. She also produces scripted plays and immersive theatre as the co-founder and co-director of the theatre collective Craft & Bone. A fan of Shakespeare since the 2006 teen comedy She’s the Man inspired her to read Twelfth Night, she is delighted and honoured to be a member of the Spontaneous Shakespeare Company. 

COMPANY MEMBER / CO-FOUNDER

Zach Wolfman is an actor, improviser, and teacher from Vancouver. Zach has a BFA in Acting and BEd from UBC. He has trained with Canada’s National Voice Intensive, Theatre for Living, and performed for nearly a decade with Instant Theatre Company. Zach is also a secondary drama teacher in Richmond B.C. where he enjoys sharing his passion for the arts.