Matthew R. Lawrence (he/him)
Matt started the troupe in 1997 as a way for actors to hone their craft between gigs. It quickly blossomed into the amazing touring theatre company you see today. He is very proud of all the accomplishments the troupe has amassed in almost 30 years of performing all over the world, representing Canadian comedy.
Matt has recently taken a step back from his own professional acting to focus on the behind the scenes elements of running the troupe as well as the parent company, the registered educational charity O.E.I. Onsite Education Inc. However he did collection some very interesting acting credits earlier in his career working on such films as "Against the Ropes" with Meg Ryan, "Honey" with Jessica Alba, "Driven" with Sylvester Stallone and "Cinderella Man" with Russell Crowe.
He also has an impressive number of commercials under his belt, enough to get him starred at at the mall.
Carmen Gillespie (she/her)
Carmen is an actor who can do comedy, sing and dance (in a "moves well" kind of
way) and can deliver a decent stage punch. She is also a mom of two, an artist
in pen and an occasional puppeteer. A mom of two, an artist in pen, and an occasional puppeteer.
Growing up in Guelph, Ontario, Carmen’s childhood was full of piano lessons, ringette, and some ballet. In her teens she found the local community theatre, which started her love of live performance. Ever since, she has bounced around the Greater Toronto Area, playing roles like The Wicked Witch of the West, "The Wizard of Oz", Melissa, "Love Letters", Lina Lamont, "Singin’ in the Rain", and Boris the Spy, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". A production of "Godspell" made her look at Second City for improv training, after which she landed a spot with Canadian Improv Showcase.
You may have seen her face in the background of various films and tv shows, like "The Shape of Water" and "Murdoch Mysteries", and as Mrs. Brenneman in "Shelved…" but of all her film/tv/short film experience, she’s most tickled by her IMBD listing as Princess Leia.
Alan Harrington (he/him)
Alan's been with the Canadian Improv Showcase almost since the start. He has performed all over the world with the troupe and takes great pride in representing Canadian comedy. His performing background started with training at the famous Second City in Toronto plus many years performing stand-up comedy. He has also experience in community theatre where he particularly enjoys pantomime. He has acting in numerous independent and short films. When not performing Alan loves to travel and offer the benefit of his business expertise to the charitable sector. Alan is part of the board of directors of O.E.I. Onsite Education Inc., the parent company of the Canadian Improv Showcase.
Adrianne Marcucci (she/her)
Ever since Adrianne was little, she knew she wanted to perform! She began gymnastics at the age of 4, and then dance classes at age 5. These classes included acrobatics, ballet, tap and jazz until she hit 14. At that age she developed stage fright and decided to move onto other things. She began singing lessons at the age of 16. Her singing voice has provided her with the opportunity to travel all over Italy with the Mendelssohn Youth Choir and Palestrina Chamber Chorus (with whom she was a soloist). These days Adrianne performs Tribute shows, where she pays tribute to ABBA and Shania Twain, among others. Her tribute shows have brought her to some pretty cool places like New York, Atlantic City, and all around Mexico.
Adrianne has been improvising for around 20 years now and still gets stage fright before a show! The Canadian Improv Showcase gives her the chance to act like a sheep, which she greatly appreciates!
Peter Nelson (he/him)
Peter is a graduate of the University of Toronto where he studied engineering. He eventually found building characters preferable to building bridges and, thus, started his improv/acting career. He is married with three daughters which convinces him that God has a sense of humour. He is also a newly minted grandfather or "Babu" (look it up).
He enjoys both drama and comedy. His latest stage performance was as Frank in the play “Transit” performed at the Guelph Fringe festival and to be reprised at the Toronto Fringe Festival summer 2023. He is presently on Netflix channeling his inner country club republican in “The Luckiest Girl Alive”. He also does a number of commercials, the most recent as a Dad for Questrade.
His hobbies include golf and smoking (meat and cigars, sometimes at the same time).
Adam Risbridger (he/him)
Adam joined the Canadian Improv Showcase in 2003 and has been performing improv, stand-up and sketch comedy for 25 years. He has had the opportunity to perform all over the world both with the troupe and his other projects. He’s trained with the UCB in Los Angeles, graduated from Second City’s Conservatory program and graduated with Honours from the Humber College School of Comedy Writing and Performance. Even with all that training, Adam would say he’s still not very good. Of course, the rest of the cast would disagree. Adam sometimes offers musical skills to the improv troupe as he is an accomplished musician.
Holly Greene (she/her)
Holly Greene is originally from Montreal, Quebec or not originally from Toronto, Ontario, depending on how you look at it. Either way, she is a graduate of Dawson College’s Professional Theatre Program and the Second City Conservatory Program. She actually had to audition twice to get into the Canadian Improv Showcase, demonstrating that hard work and perseverance pays off! She has been performing for most of her life in a wide variety of productions. She will perform anywhere, anytime, in almost any production. She was recently featured in "Start Stop: The Untold Story as Told by Mary Applestone (a film by Jim Branfield)." When not working with the troupe she is also a registered massage therapist working in downtown Toronto at the Transense Healing Arts Holistic Centre.
Holly can be seen on this website, in this photo here.
Michael Bennett Leroux (he/him)
Michael Bennett Leroux graduated from the Conservatory Program at Second City. He loves making people laugh and growing facial hair, sometimes both at the same time.
Michael is the tallest cast member currently and can be found helping others get things off the top shelf whenever his schedule allows.
His second feature film, a comedy called “Start Stop: The Untold Story as Told by Mary Applestone (a film by Jim Banfield)”, is currently being submitted to film festivals worldwide.
If you Google it, you can watch the trailer online. It’s true. Try it.
Tamara S. Mady (she/her)
Tamara S. Mady retired from 25 years of improvising as a Drama teacher in the Simcoe County area, to join CiS in 2017. Performing with the Canadian Improv Showcase is just one of her many pursuits. Tammy also facilitates workshops with the other O.E.I. programme, the Knights in the Classroom, plays backup on gigs with her musician children, plays the bagpipes with a local pipe band, and teaches people how to ride motorcycles. Having successfully raised (or survived?) two children, Tammy has kept her sense of humour and sense of adventure, check out her blog here: www.iTSMady.com
Andrea Hertach Lawrence (she/her)
Andrea is a retired elementary school teacher and the driving force behind the educational programming offered by the Canadian Improv Showcase. She spent over thirty years in the classroom and has her Masters Degree in Education from O.I.S.E.. She always ran her classroom like an arts school and put on productions with her students each and every year. She presented such works as Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and wrote her own junior versions of Charles Dickens' novels for stage and film. Andrea also supported her students in writing, directing and producing their own theatrical works.
Performance wise, she has been acting since she was quite young, appearing in "A Christmas Carol", "Huckleberry Finn", "The Wizard of Oz", and "The Mikado" before entering high school. She helped write and direct a version of "Dracula" in her senior year of high school. She met her husband on stage in a production of Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice."
The healing power of theatre has long been a force in her life.
Archie Ballantyne (he/him)
Archie truly believes that improv can help us in every area of our lives: public speaking, social interaction, customer service jobs, interviews and any awkward situation! Teaching the fundamentals of acting, stage work and improv is a huge passion of his.
Archie hails from Barrie and has always had an affinity with the stage from a young age. He has acted in many community theatre and a few professional productions such as "Billy Elliot the Musical" with YES Theatre in Sudbury and "The Cenotaph Project" with Theatre By The Bay. Archie has recently spent the last three years as the executive producer, director, writer, actor, dramaturg and production designer for Black Cat Studios. Archie’s improvisation journey began back in 2011 when he saw his older brother compete in the Canadian Improv Games. He started taking classes at the Moving Art Centre for the Performing Arts and enjoys performing with the comedy troupe Yikes Comedy.
Eunnie An (she/her)
Eunnie is a Korean-Canadian dancer, singer, and choreographer from a classical ballet background.
Having danced in various ballet and contemporary productions across North America for over 15 years, she made her debut in musical theatre last year as Lady Macbeth in "Macbeth the Musical."
Since then, Eunnie went on to make her Toronto Fringe debut in "The Man With The Golden Heart" and her debut in Stratford as a featured dancer with Neural Ballet.
She is excited to continue growing as a performer by being a part of the Canadian Improv Showcase!
Alyssa Tess (she/her)
Beyond her association with the improv troupe, Alyssa Tess performs at club venues, weddings, and festivals as a solo act, as a duet with musical friends, and with a trio called "Wild Bloom". Alyssa Tess is a graduate of the prestigious Humber College Music program and has been performing since she was 7 years old. She wrote her first original song at the age of 10 and recorded her first EP "Twenty/Twenty" in her 20th year. She has produced a second solo album since, and has shared her music throughout Ontario, at Canada Music Week in 2022 and, internationally, at the Millennium Music Conference in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Alyssa is excited to work with the Canadian Improv Showcase, where she has the opportunity to blend her love of music and love of theatre together into an original show every night.