The Instructors

Montana (he/him), is the Educational Director of Instant Theatre Company and is based in Vancouver, is an improviser with a background in theatre, puppetry, and storytelling. He trained in improv at two notable studios and studied under several prominent instructors. Montana has been a cast member in various shows, showcasing his versatile improvisational skills. Besides performing, he also teaches improv, sharing his extensive experience and diverse training with new students. His dynamic presence makes him a significant figure in the Vancouver improv scene. Montana is part of the Board of Directors as the Educational Director of Instant Theatre.

Ivy Marie Clementine Padmos (she/they) is the Productions Director of Instant Theatre Company, is a queer multidisciplinary artisté hailing from the flattened lands of Calgary, Alberta. Plagued with years of improv experience, she one day woke up in a cold sweat and having broken through her feverish 'Yes And-ing', and faithfully pledged to put all of this knowledge to somewhat good use. Ivy loves to endow circumstances, mime windows, and frequently Lampoon's the Film Noir Genre with tasteless and wonderful homages to the likes of Citizen Kane. Now, armed with the learnéd ways of comedy houses far and wide, from the likes of The Improv Centre, to Spontaneous Shakespeare, to Tightrope Theatre, and finally, to her very own company, Espoused Productions, Ivy embarks on her most fearsome quest yet: Director of Production at Instant Theatre. Addled with the Improv contagion, and merciless in her ways of theatre, she welcomes you, dear reader, into the fray and into the fire. Come ye, and prov, all who enter here.

Jordan (he/him) is the Artistic Director of Instant Theatre Company and 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.

Tanaz (she/they) is the Marketing & Social Media Coordinator of Instant Theatre Company, 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.

Nikolai (he/him) is an actor and improviser based in Vancouver who has been improvising for 25 years. He has performed with multiple improv companies including Rapid Fire Theatre, Instant Theatre, The Improv Centre, and the Spontaneous Shakespeare Company. He graduated from the University of Alberta with a BFA in Acting in 2010, and has been in various Film & TV productions, including Deadpool 2, Riverdale, Superman & Lois, Yellowjackets, and many more. Nikolai has also been teaching improv and acting for the past 10 years, with a specific focus on both short and long-form improv, as well as scripted work in both scene studies and filmed projects.

Rachel (she/her) is a trained theatre actor and singer, with over 10 years experience in Improvised Comedy. She started out with “The 11 O’Clock Number!: The Improvised Musical” with Grindstone Theatre in Edmonton, Canada and is in her 3rd season with The Improv Center (formerly Vancouver Theatresports) on Granville Island, where she performs, coaches, and teaches weekly. She has trained at The Annoyance in Chicago, at Magnet Theatre in New York, and has led workshops as far away as Germany. Rachel’s passions are narrative long form, musical improv, and genre parody, but she loves showing people how to reconnect with their sense of play, remove their fear of failure, and take their skills to the next level.

Bryan (he/him), a proud Manitoban, began his improv journey on February 6, 2016. Since that transformative day, he has trained extensively across Vancouver and at renowned institutions such as The Annoyance, The Pack, UCB, Second City, iO, and BATS. Bryan is a member of the improv ensemble Embezzlement and frequently performs with Instant Theatre, as well as in other shows throughout the city.

Cari (she/her) began her improv journey 23 years ago. She was heavily involved with the Canadian Improv Games as a player, adjudicator, head referee, and national tournament referee, as well as both camper and counsellor at Improv Camp. She has excelled in “highly sought-after” professional improv institutions in Amsterdam, Vancouver, and at sea. These experiences honed her ability to adapt and connect to audiences of all sizes and demographics, and reaffirmed the importance she places on trust, transparency, and ethical leadership.

Zach (he/him) is an actor, improviser, and educator living on the traditional, unceded, and ancestral territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations (Vancouver). Zach has a BFA in acting and BEd from UBC. Zach has completed Canada’s national voice intensive, trained with Theatre for living, and studied clown with John Turner. Zach is a member of the Spontaneous Shakespeare company and Sin Peaks the improvised soap opera. Zach has been improvising actively since 2011 performing in improvised musicals, puppet shows, hip-hoperas, soap operas, and Shakespearean style plays.

Sacha (he/him) is a Vancouver born voice actor and improvisor. After graduating Simon Fraser University’s film program in 2015, Sacha would spend the next five years working in the Vancouver film, and visual effects industry. Early in the pandemic, Sacha decided to turn his full attention to one of his lifelong passions: voice acting. In 2021, he enrolled at On The Mic Training for their full time voice over program, the only accredited diploma of its kind in the English speaking world. Following graduation in 2022, Sacha began working immediately, picking up voice over jobs from his home setup, and soon after getting representation by a voice acting agent. To date, Sacha has picked up more than 500 voice over credits, mainly commercial work for clients like Reactine, Save-On Foods, Burger King, Jack Daniel’s, Live Nation, Specsavers, and hundreds more. Sacha believes that the relationship between voice work, and improv feed into one another, with breakthroughs and insights in one discipline often feeding into the other, ultimately contributing to greater depth in his characters and performances.

⁠Mary (she/they) is a Vancouver-based comedian. Her initial improv training was with Instant Theatre and UBCimprov, then later Blind Tiger Comedy. Now she can be regularly found performing as a Mainstage ensemble member at The Improv Centre, a co-creator and producer of WikiProv, and a member of Grad School Improv. Mary is passionate about using her over 10 years experience as a foundation for teaching others the skills they need to begin and expand their own improv journeys. She can be found teaching classes and House Teams at The Improv Centre, as well as younger students at the Canadian Improv Games’ Improvcamp. Mary is also a satirist, having published works via Reductress and the Beaverton, as well as a sketch comedian. Mary is stoked to be here and would do anything for you.

A veteran of stage, screen and mic, Bradley (he/him) has been performing for close to 30 years and has never stopped learning. He is excited to be deep diving his current obsession, musical improv, most notably studying at UCB, Magnet Theatre and Boom! Chicago. These days you can find him teaching at the voiceover school On the Mic, and co-directing Canon Fire: the Improvised Musical show!

Max (he/him) is a North American actor and entertainer. He trained at Toronto's Second City before joining their high school touring program Student Rule. After honing his stand-up skills and hosting live events, he transitioned to TV and film after then moved to Vancouver, where he studied at various schools. His passion for theatre and comedy brought him back to improv, where he was part of the rookie league at an improv theatre. With over 15 years of experience in the entertainment industry, Max is excited to share his knowledge with the Instant Theatre community.