JOSEF ADDLEMAN
Josef moved to Toronto in 2006, and began performing improv comedy shortly thereafter. He studied and regularly performs and teaches with the Impatient Theatre Co., and has also learned a ton from Chicago's Annoyance Theater, Lee White, David Asher, Jill Bernard, and a heap of other lovely humans and animals. In his non-improv-time, Josef is an ESL teacher and performs Japanese drumming with the Arashido Taiko ensemble. Is he totally jazzed to be harmonizing and snapping and box-stepping with Opening Night Theatre? He is indeed.
CHRISTINE AZIZ
Originally from Mississauga, Christine wrote and performed ELLAmentary: A One Person Musical About Filling Out and Fitting In at the 2011 Toronto Fringe, The Best of Fringe, and at the Red Sandcastle Theatre. While studying Political Science and Theatre at McGill University, she performed in Plato's Symposium: The Musical (Montreal Fringe 2001), and Black Comedy (Moyse Hall, 2003). In Toronto, she played "Mae" in the Canadian Premiere of Reefer Madness: The Musical (Hart House), "Sarraghina" in UC Follies' Nine, "Domina" in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Hart House), and performed in two original Toronto Fringe Productions, velo-city, and Breadwinner. She also appeared on The Listener (CTV), Covert Affairs (USA) and the soon to be released Piece of Mind (Landed Entertaiments). A graduate of the Second City Conservatory Program and student of the Bad Dog Theatre Company, Christine has improvised with Lobstercats and in original productions Revolver Lounge and Beyond the Moors. She also performs with Showplace Dinner Theatre, hosting shows and portraying Cher and Barbra Streisand. She is delighted to be a part of Opening Night Theatre and to be playing with such a fun and talented bunch of people!
Photo by David Leyes
Photo by Fraser Page
JOSH BOWMAN
Josh is a professional fundraiser, story-teller, comedian, and blogger. Josh also runs and writes for tenthingsivelearned.com and The Huffington Post and improvises around Toronto, including regular shows as one of the Executive Producers of Smash Hit Musical, presented by Opening Night Theatre. He's known for his sharp teeth and dry wit.
STEPHEN COLE
Stephen is an Executive Producer of Opening Night Theatre. He grew up in Rothesay, New Brunswick, spent a year teaching (illegally) in South Korea, a year singing (legally) on a cruise ship, and then ended up in Toronto. He studied improv at Impatient Theatre Co. and learned from some amazing individuals. Here's an ordered list (chronological) of the things that have excited his passion from childhood until now: fire, girls, robots, music, boardgames, travel, improv, robots.
Photo by Fraser Page
Photo by Tim Leyes
NADINE DJOURY
Nadine began studying improv at NYC’s Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in 2008. She has since performed around NYC with her improv troupe Macaroni Rascals and completed The Magnet Theater’s Musical Improv program. Originally from Montreal, Nadine is happy to be back in Canada as a current member of the Second City Conservatory Program in Toronto.
MICHAEL GRAHAM
Michael is a Toronto-based writer, improviser, and musician, and a Musical Director at Opening Night Theatre. He performs on the ITC incubator team Wolf Apocalypse, and was a writer/actor on the former ITC sketch team Kobayashi Maru. He has had the good fortune to study with many of Toronto's finest improv and sketch instructors, including Kevin Patrick Robbins, Kate Ashby, Annie Bankes, Sean Magee, Kevin Williams, Rochelle Wilson, David Shoore and Bruce Hunter. When not improvising, Michael procrastinates revising his sketches. When not procrastinating, Michael plays keyboards in the indy-prog-pop-alternative band Tempus Fugit, and writes cute little ditties about pudding, atheism and zombies.
ADRIANNE GAGNON
Adrianne studied at the ITC Training Centre with Kevin Patrick Robbins, is a graduate of The Second City Toronto Training Centre conservatory program and studied at Chicago's iO Theater with many improv luminaries. Her illustrious stage career began with a turn as the Wicked Witch of the West when she was eight years old. Her love of improv began a little later in life when she started taking classes at the Second City Training Centre. One thing let to another and she is now ingratiated in Toronto's thriving improv community. Adrianne performs at the ITC with Harold team Karma Pool. She is a freelance makeup artist specializing in headshots, bridal, film, TV and special F/X. She loves creating improv magic and hopes to continue to do so for many years to come!
ROBERT ARISS HILLS
Robert Ariss Hills, born Robert Hills, born February 23rd 1984, born in Smithville, birthed in Hamilton, has spent his life in the most natural of ways. There's nothing you can be taught that you haven't known all along.
Photo by Fraser Page
STEPHANIE SHERI
Stephanie Sheri is an Executive Producer and Musical Director of Opening Night Theatre. Her love of musical improv has been culminating through years of study and performance; pianist, choirster, class clown, jobbing singer, actress, rockstar, recording artist and improvisor. She has studied acting with David Rotenberg, John Riven, Michael Caruana and improv with Annie Bankes and Kevin Patrick Robbins of Impatient Theatre Co., as well as Bill Arnett, Dave Asher and Liz Allen of iO Chicago. Founding Opening Night Theatre has enabled Stephanie to bring together her 3 favourite things in the whole wide world: music, acting and silliness.
JEREMY VOLTZ
Though Jeremy's performance experience has come mostly in the form of music, and he has been on many stages as a drummer, guitarist, and singer, his time with ITC has shaped him into a much more competent performer overall. Jeremy performs currently with Shiva Star, Impatient Theatre Co.'s powerful new Harold team coached by the remarkable Kevin Patrick Robbins, and has been instructed or coached by the likes of Jess Grant, Kevin Williams, Matt Folliott, Sean Magee, and Annie Banks. Jeremy also just recently attended the Annoyance Theatre intensive in Chicago, instructed by Mick Napier, Susan Messing, Mark Sutton, and Rebecca and Rich Sohn. He has also been dipping his feet into the musical improv arena, recently attending a workshop with iO's musical director Dave Asher. Jeremy hails from Cleveland, Ohio and is pursuing a PhD in mathematics at the University of Toronto. He also enjoys no-nonsense bios that exactly describe his background and performance experience without any jokes or shenanigans. He's very professional.
