LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We create and gather on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded land of the Coast Salish Peoples.
This includes the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We are grateful to tell stories on this land.
OUR STORY
From a T-Shirt shop to a creative community
Instant began in an unlikely place: a T-shirt shop with a small studio tucked away in the back.
What started as a modest space for improv education grew into a meaningful part of Vancouver's performing arts community.
Our founder helped nurture the city's developing improv scene, creating opportunities for performers of all ages, including a non-profit organization encouraging high school student's participation in improvisational theatre competitions.
In 2023, a group of friends and improvisers who had grown up through the original Instant Theatre came together to carry its legacy.
They took over and incorporated the company with a shared ambition: to preserve what made Instant meaningful while reimaging what it could become.
Rather than build around a single theatre, instant evolved into something more flexible: a creative space without a permanent stage.
Today, we bring improv classes, live comedy shows, and original productions to venues throughout Vancouver. Our space may change, but our purpose remains the same: to create opportunities for people to learn, perform, and connect.
We're no longer defined by a building. We're defined by the community we cultivate.
OUR VALUES
Principles we return to.
01
Generosity
Make room for other people's ideas and attention.
02
Curisity
Stay open to what is actually happening.
03
Craft
Take the work seriously without taking ourselves too seriously.
03
Belonging
Building rooms where people can participate as themselves.
THE TEAM
The people behind Instant.
Co-President
Ava Nasiri
Ava (she/her) is a Vancouver based Iranian improvisor and producer on a mission to enrich and expand community within the Iranian diaspora. She is most passionate about facilitating improv theatre experiences for communities where they may not have existed in the past. Her creative and activist work takes place where themes of education, technology and politics intersect.
Artistic Direction
Jordan Wesley
Jordan (he/him) is an improviser who has been performing and teaching in Vancouver for fifteen years. He began while studying at UBC with UBCimprov, and continued training and performing with Vancouver Theatre Sports League, Instant Theatre Company and Blind Tiger Comedy. He currently performs regularly with Vancouver’s Grad School Improv. Jordan has coached UBCimprov and CIG, as well as directing several shows a year with Grad School Improv.
.jpeg)
President of the Advisory Board
Malcolm McLeod
Malcolm (he/him) is a comedian, podcaster, and writer based in Vancouver. He has performed at JFL Vancouver, the Del Close Marathon, and VIIF as well as other comedy festivals. His most notable credits include working an understudy at The Second City Toronto, being a member of the Instant Theatre ensemble “Embezzlement”, and he is an alumni of Blind Tiger’s House Team program. He co-runs the monthly show “BloodFeud: Stand Up vs Improv” and is a cast member of Momentous Comedy’s “Dirty Little Secrets”. As a writer, his work has been featured in Critical Mass by Odyssey Comics and Containment Breach: Monsters, Beasts, and Bastards by Fugitive Poems. You can follow him on Instagram @malcolmrjmcleod.
Co-President
Delaram "Del" Hajipour
Del (she/her) is a seasoned Canadian-Iranian improvisor based in Vancouver, BC, with over 18 years of experience in improvisational theatre. As co-president of Instant, she has produced numerous shows that combine humour with social and cultural commentary. Del enjoys mentoring aspiring performers and she values the supportive community within improv. Her work continues to influence both audiences and fellow performers.
Artistic Coordinator & DEI
Tanaz Roudgar
Tanaz (she/they) is a queer Iranian actor, writer, filmmaker with professional training from Vancouver Film School, SFU and other amazing mentors. Her creations manifest as movement art, poetry, screenwriting, and playwriting. She is based in Vancouver BC, stolen lands of Coast salish peoples. She is commited to build a relationship with and honour and uplift the voices of the lands and coast salish peoples as a direct response to colonialism. Her work is centred around somatic awareness, activism, and play. As a director and instructor she works from a collaborative, non hierarchical and trauma informed lens. She is committed to bringing her diverse experience as a queer BIPOC immigrant to the process, dismantling systems of oppression like a warrior goddess.