Well, well well, as per usual I’ve been remiss in my updates, so here’s an attempt to fix that and catch everyone up to what’s been going on as of late:
When last we met The Spontaneous Shakespeare Company was finishing our run at the Winnipeg Fringe: We then went on to have a highly successful run at the Saskatoon and Edmonton festivals, selling out our shows at both fests and winning Best National Production in Saskatoon. Since then the company has done a bunch of shows at Tightrope and Little Mountain Gallery, and this year had a stellar run at the Vancouver Fringe.
Personally, I also returned to the Winnipeg Fringe in 2024 to participate in Fuck Marry Kill, which was a delightful opportunity to be in Winnipeg on a show that I wasn’t also the producer of, which was a joy! The festival was a big success and it gave me plenty of time to meet up with friends and family.
Otherwise my plate is very full: In the improv world I continue to perform with Tightrope and Fistful of Kicks as well as The Spontaneous Shakespeare Company. In the world of film and TV I’ve shot a few shorts, including more roles with The Young Actors Project and most recently a short with In Focus Film School. I continue to teach at VFS and Tightrope, as well as doing a variety of voice over projects.
Most notable however has been my shift into pro-wrestling: At the moment, I’ve just passed my one year anniversary of working as wrestler, now with 75 matches under my belt. I’ve performed all over the Pacific Northwest with shows at Boom!, Nation Extreme Wrestling, All Star Wrestling, Wrestlecore, Glam Slam, Dusk Pro Wrestling, Big West, Combat Pro Wrestling, SOS, Bumbershoot, Reactivate and Wrestle Yr Friends. Last week, unfortunately, my tag team partner Tommy Chan broke his foot, which will cool things off for a little bit, but we are looking to come back strong in 2025 and put our tag team The Moral Panic on the top of the scene here and hopefully further out! If you want to watch that journey, you can follow my alter ego or my tag team on Instagram.
Upwards and onwards!
Mid-Winnipeg Fringe Update`
As I write this it is the evening of Tuesday, July 26th, and Breaking Bard has been a success at the Winnipeg Fringe. We’ve only completed 3 of our seven shows, but at this point we’ve received a 4 and a half star review from the Winnipeg Free Press, another positive review from UMFM and several wonderful patron reviews, but shockingly nothing yet from the Jenny Revue. (Hopefully that comes soon!)
Tomorrow we’ve got a 1pm matinee, before I head back to Vancouver for a shoot on Thursday, and then return on Friday to wrap up our final two performances. Our Thursday show on the other hand will be featuring Lili Beaudoin, who is flying in for less than 24 hours to cover the show, what a saint!
The Fringe thus far has been a treat: After 8 years away it has been wonderful to see some of my old touring performer friends including Jem Rolls, Rob Gee and Cameryn Moore, old Winnipeg friends and of course, making friends with new performers to the circuit. Of note, the Barbarian Bombshells from Houston, Texas, have been fast friends with our group and we absolutely adore their show. We also all really enjoyed meeting Maggie and Megan and seeing their show Always Because, a top tier charm offensive. (They, like us, will be in Edmonton so check them out!)
Winnipeg Fringe plays until Sunday: If you can’t get enough of the company, everyone except me will be in the Midnight Cabaret on Wednesday, all of us will be guesting on the Crosseyed Rascals’ Friday show, and I’ll be guesting on the Horrible Friends final show on Saturday. Go support live theatre!
After 8 Years- A Fringe Tour
As per usual, I’ve been remiss with updates, and also very very busy.
Most of my time the past year has been filled with working at Vancouver Film School as the improv teaching in the Essentials Program, along with doing many performances at Tightrope Impro Theatre, as well as, of all things, taking up Pro Wrestling. But that’s not what brings me here to update today!
No, this post is to belatedly talk about the the revival of Shakespeare After Dark, now rebranded as The Spontaneous Shakespeare Company. In the time since I’ve posted last, we reformed the company with a fantastic combination of old and new faces, we’ve completed a sold-out run of shows at Tightrope Impro Theatre, and we’ve even had to say goodbye to one of our company members as she heads off to a new chapter in the UK (this keeps happening to us!). But now, we’re very excited to be heading on TOUR!
Yes, in 2023, we are touring our improvised tragedy format to the Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Edmonton Fringe Festivals. You can buy tickets for Winnipeg here and the others will be availible shortly! See you at the Fringe!
Two Years Later...
Well, well, well…
Suffice to say, it’s been a while, and I’m fortunate enough to have been very busy since the last time that I updated this website. However, as the world opens up and more projects fly my way I should keep things updated. There was a major lowlight to the Vancouver comedy scene: Mike Mackenzie, Instant Theatre’s GM embezzled $30,000 from the company, which, alongside burnout and COVID led to the death of the company. What an asshole! However, here are a few of the many highlights of the last two years:
I booked several projects, including some commercials and a role in the feature film Sight, where I got to do a few scenes alongside Greg Kinnear
I directed the Podcast Starman with Sound the Alarm, as part of their project Theatre for the Ears, which has gone on to garner many awards and nominations.
I took part in a Fight Directors Canada intensive, and certified as a Basic Actor Combatant.
After a long run of audio books with Digital Sound Magic, I decided to expand my voice over career and have gone on to great success, booking over 200 projects in the past two years, including voicing Vernon in the critically acclaimed video game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge
I did several workshops of Carolyn Nakagawa’s new musical The New Canadians, with hopefully more work to come!
I joined the teaching staff and performance company of Tightrope Impro Theatre, performing briefly at a space in Chinatown during the tail end of Wave 1 of COVID, followed by a relocation to our new space at 2343 Main Street in Vancouver, a prime location for a new performance space in town! Along with in person classes, I also took over as the head instructor for the Improv for Brain Health Program, working with BC Brain Health to deliver online classes to a wide cohort of folks dealing with various Brain Health conditions.
I joined the teaching staff at Vancouver Film School, and now teach improv for the Essentials Program. I’ve been lucky enough to have a great support team behind me and was able to completely restructure the curriculum.
I attended the GEI: Arts Symposium, an unprecedented gathering of 100+ Japanese Canadian Artists from all over the country for a weekend of lively discussions and sharing the mutual struggles that we face as Japanese Canadians.
Most recently held a workshop for upcoming auditions for the relaunch of Shakespeare After Dark- I’m very excited to re-form the company, now as it’s artistic director, and build a new future for Improvised Shakespeare in Vancouver, and hopefully around the country! Along with Tightrope, Fistful of Kicks and various guest spots (most recently appearing as a guest in the season 20 premiere for Sin Peaks, pictured above) I can easily say that my dance card is quite full!
Oh, I’m also training in Pro Wrestling? I’ll fit that in somewhere.
That feels like enough for now! But many projects on the horizon, including a long term voice over gig that I hope to talk about more in the future. But, for now, we have re-connected, dear website, and hopefully I won’t be so long between updates. Cheers!
Hello SOLO TV!
It’s been a few days, so I have finally processed the whirlwind that was the first shooting day for SOLO TV. That’s right, even now in the midst of COVID times, productions are starting to get moving again, and I count myself incredibly lucky to have been able to get a new gig hosting an upcoming Youtube show talking about the Cryptocurrency world. Sponsored by the fine folks at Sologenic, SOLO TV will release two episodes a month talking about crypto & blockchain news, market updates and talking to some of the biggest names in the tech world.
On Tuesday we shot our first two episodes, and I had the distinct pleasure to interview Hans Koning, Chairman of Digibyte, and Dr. David Hanekon, CMO & President of SolveCare. They were actually the first things we shot, and I was so thrilled to have both interviews go incredibly smoothly, with knowledgeable and passionate guests that really get you with their infectious enthusiasm for the projects they are working on. The first episode (with our Interview with Mr. Koning) drops July 17th, but if you want to make sure you don’t miss it, you can head over to their Youtube page and subscribe and click the bell icon for all updates!
Anyway, if you’re following me on social media, you’ll see all sorts of preview updates as we get closer to launch, and I can’t wait to see how the final product comes together!
COVID Times Update
Well, it’s been a lot of radio silence over the past few months, mainly due to the fact that COVID 19 shut down the projects that were intended to run through until now: Of note, two fantastic plays, Consensual and A Kid Like Jake were cancelled, with potential to come back in the fall, and the upcoming and not-as-of-yet cancelled Vancouver Fringe Festival, which remains up in the air.
All of that said, it’s June and BC has begun to open up again, and there are some new exciting projects on the horizon. In fact, tomorrow will be the announcement of one and the confirmation of another. So, stay healthy, stay sane, wash your hands and keep watching this space for more info!
The Tragic Comedy of Macbeth
It’s been a while since I’ve written here, and I’ve been neglectful about mentioning the project that has devoured my last few months: The Tragic Comedy of Macbeth! We’re finishing off our first week of performance, and we’ve has some strong reviews thus far:
Vancouver Presents
Alex Waterhouse-Hayward’s Blog
We run until the 15th of December, hope you can make it out!
Tickets here!
Dog Days of Summer
And here comes another September!
It’s been a busy summer: Since my last post I’ve been to Japan on my honeymoon, and had the pleasure to work on a bunch of cool projects:
I went to Portland with Fistful of Kicks to perform as part of the Stumptown Improv Festival. The festival was tons of fun and they took great care of us. We were even reviewed as part of the festival, which you can read here!
Performed again with Fistful as part of Matty Vu’s great show Yellow Fever. So wonderful to see so many talented Asian performers and to be among them. Here’s Matty’s website for more information on him and his projects.
I read the worst book I’ve ever subjected myself for Sara Bynoe’s fantastic show Say Wha? The show has been on a long hiatus and I hope Sara sees fit to keep it around, as it’s always a good time and such a wonderful part of Vancouver’s comedy scene.
I was very grateful to be brought on board as a puppeteer for a workshop production of Carmen Aguirre’s Medea, presented by Rumble Theatre. It was my first time working with Rumble and hopefully not my last! Huge thanks to Shizuka Kai for bringing me on to play with her wonderful puppets.
I also took part in Tia Glenn-Cooke’s 10 Things I Blank About You improvised romantic comedy. What an absolute delight, and played in front of a sold out crowd! If that sounds like a good time, you’re in luck, as we’re bringing the show back one more time on September 22nd: Details here!
Pretty good for the dog days of summer! So, what’s coming up next?
In September, Fistful of Kicks and Shakespeare After Dark will be taking part in the Vancouver International Improv Festival. In October, I’ll be participating in a workshop for The Berlin Project with City Opera Vancouver. I’ve got an unannounced project looking to go up in December (not Christmas related!), the proper run of The Berlin Project in January , followed by the play Speaking in Toungues going up at Go Studios in Feb. I’ve also got my eyes on projects for March and April, so it’s shaping to be a busy 2020!
Busy and Grateful
It’s been a while since my last post, and a lot has happened!
As I write this, it’s May 26th, and I’m a week away from heading off on my long awaited honeymoon. I’ve also been blessed with some really cool projects that I’m excited for everyone to check out. One of them has already begun: I’m delighted to be taking part in Upintheair Theatre’s rEvolver Festival, playing a role in Fireflies, a multimedia dystopian sci-fi drama. We had a great opening on Friday, with two final shows at the Cultch Greenhouse on May 29th and June 1st at 7:30pm. Hope to see you there!
After the Fireflies opening I got to participate in one of my favourite comedy shows in town, Weird Al Karaoke. It was a great show, featuring a killer line up of performers. It’s not done regularly, so if you ever see it on your Vancouver events listing, I highly suggest checking it out!
I’m also delighted to be wrapped on yet another audiobook with the fine folks at Digital Sound Magic. It was a great time working with their team and I can’t wait until my next project in the booth.
So, it will be a little while before I get back to Vancouver, but already there are exciting projects in the wings. Grateful for all the wonderful things I’ve got going on right now and planned for the near future, but even more excited to take a nice long (and I hope well deserved!) break.
On Stepping Down As Instant Theatre's Co-Artistic Director
So, after two and a half years, Briana Rayner and myself have announced that we are stepping down as Co-Artistic Directors of Instant Theatre. It was a hard decision, for many reasons. We initially took up the position because of our love for the company and what it represents. Even today, we still provide something different and unique to the improv landscape of Vancouver, and we want to see that continue to thrive and expand, which we’ve come to understand might happen best with new blood at the helm. 2018 was a crazy year for me, and I only wish I had the time to devote to all the things I wish I could contribute to the company and to the community at large. My hope is by stepping down from this position I’ll have the ability to do more playing to my strengths and will be able to support a new team and set them up for success.
This is all to say that I’m not going anywhere (well, I am going on my honeymoon in June, but I’ll be back!) and am excited to continue with my current commitments to the company: As a cast member of Shakespeare After Dark and Fistful of Kicks, as a regular player in EVIL and as the director of whatever shows might need my talents: I’m delighted to be playing in our upcoming Twilight Zone show, and will be casting and directing a Firefly based show shortly. So yeah, no lack of improv in my life for the foreseeable future.
Also, even with a new team, I’ll be around helping out and doing a bunch of tasks. I still love the company and frankly, you can’t get rid of me that easy.
But, I do have a lot of thank yous, and I might as well get them out of the way: Of course, thank you to Briana, for being an excellent partner and a good counter-balance to my bad ideas. I’ve gained much through my experience working as co-AD, but getting to know Briana better and having her as a wall to bounce ideas off of, a shoulder to lean on and a friend has been an invaluable addition to my life. Improv is a collaborative art form and I couldn’t ask for a better scene partner.
Thank you to the Instant show producers: Ese and Geoff with EVIL, Zach and Patrick with Shakespeare, Curt with Fistful, Allie Patrick and Travis with Actor’s Nightmare, Julia with Off-Key, and the many producers of the literally hundreds of shows Instant programs each year. You’ve made amazing shows that we are proud to have under the Instant umbrella. You’ve also done the hard work of creating something and maintaining it over the years which is no small feat.
To the Instant cast, especially the folks who are almost always there to throw their hat in the ring at the last minute, thank you. Carolyn, Tia, Kai, Steve, Vivian, Maddy, Andrew- You’ve been the core of so many shows and have been reliable in ways that have removed so much potential stress from my life.
A huge thanks to my wife Amanda, who has been ever so patient with all the time that Instant has required of me.
Of course, I need to also thank the past and present management team at Instant: Chelsey, Nikolai, Mike, Graham: You were and are the beating heart of the company and keep all the parts moving. Without your hard work, there would be no company at all.
And finally, thank you to Alistair Cook for giving Briana and I a chance to keep his baby going. 2019 is 25 years of Instant, so here’s to 25 more.
If you’re interested in applying for the AD position with Instant (we’re looking for teams of at least 2 to take over the role), applications are being accepted until April 5th right here. I’m looking forward to seeing the applications!