• Crew
  • Cast
  • Director
  • Producer
  • Stage Manager
  • Wardrobe
Lyn Pierse — Director
Lyn has appeared in theatre, film, radio and television; Going Home SBS TV, The Women Of Lockerbie, All Saints, The Fabulous Punch and Judy Show, Tabloid Musical and The Jason Chin Project.

As her alter ego Sister Mary Leonard she has appeared on ABC TV's Big Gig, at comedy clubs; the Harold Park Comedy Hotel, the Cat and Fiddle and the Tokyo British Club.

She has directed countless Theatresports® extravaganzas at the Opera House, Enmore, Belvoir Street, in Japan, Romania, New Zealand and all across Australia.

Lyn teaches Improvisation at NIDA, Stand up comedy at the Actors Centre and directs the teaching program IMPRO 2009. She is guest teacher for schools, universities and teacher training instritutions and is the author of 'Improvisation: the Guide.'

James Sillence — Producer
James isn't the least bit funny. He certainly can't act and is about as spontaneous as an apology from the Liberal party. However, he can get things done and has the knack of being able to get something for nothing - very useful for the last 4 shows that he has produced for charity.

Much Ado About Impro as part of the Sydney Comedy Festival will be his fifth show, the first being the successful NAPCAN Theatresports® fundraiser in May 2007, Impro Tropicano in 2008, and the original Much Ado About Impro in 2009 all at the Parade Theatre @ NIDA. He was also Co-Producer for Impro Australia Inc's sell-out 2008 Celebrity Theatresports® at the Enmore Theatre.

By day, James works as a consultant for the sales organisation of a large US based IT company. How does that prepare you as a theatrical producer I hear you ask - well, James reckons he has to work with drama queens every day of his life so there is more in common than you might think.

Peter Lead — Stage Manager
Pete got his start in improv and theatre back in 1998 when he completed Lyn's Theatresports® course. He spent many years performing Theatresports in uni bars before finally moving on to Impro Australia's main stage Belvoir St Theatre shows in 2004. He has since produced, directed and performed in several Theatresports shows for Impro Australia, including at Belvoir St and Enmore Theatres.

Feeling that there must be more to improv than Theatresports®, Pete teamed up with a fellow-improviser and founded a new production company - Twisted Melon. Twisted Melon ventured into the world of longform improvisation, which was relatively obscure in Sydney at the time, and hosted an improv festival which brought improvisers from around the country to perform together and showcase new improv formats.

Pete has since produced, directed and performed in Twisted Melon shows around Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

He has only stage-managed once before, though, so keep your eyes open for falling sandbags and upturned rakes lying around the set.

Rae Hennessy — Wardrode
Rae has dressed some of the best in her 10 years of theatre, video and film. From the quick rip of impro velcro to NAPCAN Theatresports®, Rae has found, sewn and ironed costumes working behind the scenes for Theatresports productions Scared Scriptless, Mixed Doubles, Cranston Cup Grand Finals at Enmore and Belvoir Street.

Other productions include 'Pulp' '08, 'Sushi Xmas' and The Fabulous Punch and Judy Show.'

Presently enrolled with the 'Make-up & Special Effects Group' Rae is looking forward to the challenges of makeup on stage and screen.

  • Rob Carlton (Sat)
  • Daniel Cordeaux
  • Monique Dykstra
  • Murray Fahey
  • Michael Gregory
  • Jenny Hope
  • Josie O'Reilly
  • Jason Rushton
  • Berynn Schwerdt
  • Nigel Sutton
  • Simon Ward
Rob Carlton
Rob Carlton has been an actor since he was 15 years old. He is currently a lead in the 3rd series of Underbelly - The golden Mile. Rob also wrote, co-directed and stars in the critically acclaimed comedy series, Chandon Pictures, produced by his company Shadowfax TV. Rob won an AWGIE and has been nominated for three AFI awards and 2 Australian Directors Guild awards for his work on the series.

Rob won Tropfest in 2006 with his short film Carmichael and Shane. He has a long history in improvisation, having run Sydney University Theatresports® for 5 years.

Rob is a proud Ambassador for the Dymocks Childrens Charities.

Daniel Cordeaux
Daniel Cordeaux studied drama at the Australian Theatre for Young People and The Actors Centre. He started performing Theatresports® at the Belvoir St theatre in 1987. In 1989 he took part in the first International Improvisation Summer School with Keith Johnstone in Calgary, Canada. He performs regularly in the Theatresports® Cranston Cup at the Enmore Theatre. Daniel played on the Australian team that won the 2001 Improv World Cup at the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, Canada. He also represented Australia in a solo effort, at the World Domination Theatresports® tournament in Atlanta, USA.

Daniel is currently one of the core cast members in Channel Ten's hit comedy 'Thank God You're Here' - awarded the 2007 Logie for Most Outstanding Comedy. Daniel has also worked on the ABC TV series The Chaser Decides and CNNN, as well as Channel Sevens' Home & Away. Other TV and film credits include the children's series Winners and the feature film Dags.

His theatre credits include lead roles in A Midsummer Nights Dream, Twelfth Night, Romeo & Juliet, Accidental Death of an Anarchist and is currently touring with the Umbilical Brothers, Rehearsal Room. As a director of Open Stage Productions Daniel has been teaching and performing improvisational theatre in schools around Australia for over 15 years.

Monique Dykstra
Monique Dykstra is a champion improviser. She has won the Cranston Cup and has performed in and co-hosted many improvised comedy shows at the Belvoir St and Enmore Theatres.

Monique has performed extensively for stage and screen. Her theatre work includes productions of Two Gentlemen of Verona, A Midsummer Nights Dream and The Marriage Wreckers. You may have seen her on TV shows including The Chaser and All Saints and in the film Superman Returns. She starred in the sell-out show 160 Characters, which has toured nationally and internationally, playing the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Sydney Cracker Comedy Festival, Adelaide Festival and Singapore International Arts Festival.

Monique has travelled all across Australia performing and teaching at schools with her company Open Stage Productions. She has also worked for many years in the corporate world as a performer and trainer. Monique is also a regular performer at the National Gallery Canberra and the NSW Art Gallery Sydney.

Murray Fahey
Murray is a film-maker and Theatresports® champion. This jack-of-all-trades was writer/producer of the movie/TV show Dags, a 2DayFM personality, and eight time Cranston Cup Improv. champion. He has starred in countless improvised shows including the Melbourne Comedy Festival hit Cops on Heat and toured Three Radicals, Crash Boom Bang Theory and his solo show MF is Scared Scriptless to the Edinburgh Fringe festival. Murray has performed throughout Europe, UK and the USA.

Murray is one of the country's finest performers and revered in the improvised comedy world. He directed the feature films, Cubbyhouse, Encounters and Getaway Getaway and somehow finds the odd spare moment to renovate houses and work as a full time arts lawyer.

Michael Gregory
Michael is an actor, improviser, writer, teacher and director, and works extensively as a corporate trainer, role-player and performer.

He is a state and national Theatresports® champion, and has also won awards at international improvisation festivals in Australia and overseas. Michael is a former Artistic Director of Theatresports® Inc.

Michael is the creator and Creative Producer of This Is Your Laugh! which had theatrical seasons at the Belvoir St and Factory theatres in Sydney, as well as being produced as TV series for 7HD. He has performed in, and co-written and directed, numerous improvised comedy shows, including Hamlet Improvised, The Unspeakable Mockbeth, Completely Lost In Space, Bonds Have More Fun, Improzac and Impro Bzerko for the Sydney Comedy Festival.

His TV credits include The 50-Foot Show, Million Dollar Chance of A Lifetime, Candid Camera, Kideo, The Money Or The Gun, Denton, Just Kidding, The Midday Show, Roy & HG, Home & Away, the award-winning Topic of Cancer and Enough Rope with Andrew Denton. Michael appeared as an improviser in the Think Fresh Improv Challenge on the Comedy Channel.

Jenny Hope
Jenny has combined a successful career as an actor, director, television producer, comic improviser and teacher.

A champion Theatresports player, Jenny has been involved in many of Australia's ground breaking impro shows including Hamlet Improvised, The Unspeakable Mockbeth, Lost In Space, Bonds Have More Fun and Who Killed Santa?

Jenny has trained extensively in mime and physical comedy with the legendary Zora Semberova and in Paris at the Ecole de Magenta. Jenny choreographed the original Australian versions of Bouncers, Shakers and The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole and has collaborated with Glynn Nicholas on many physical theatre shows including Kissing Frogs, Leaves Falling At Midnight and Certified Male. Jenny's television credits include Leaving Liverpool, All Saints and Love My Way.

Behind the camera, Jenny was producer at Channel Ten for five years and has produced over seven television series including Nickelodeon's Double Dare.

Jenny works regularly as an actor/director on the corporate circuit throughout Australia. In 2005 Jenny created the role of Ivana Popavalium for the Seimens Mobile Road Show, a national corporate event that won a prestigious industrial award. More recently Jenny directed two theatre pieces for corporate clients Railcorp and Sanofi-Aventis.

Josie O'Reilly
Josie O'Reilly is now based back in Australia after writing and performing for eight years all over the world with the Irish comedy trio, the Nualas and the American premier comedy company, Boom Chicago.

Jo is a Theatresports® Cranston Cup champion. She has performed at six Edinburgh comedy festivals, the Melbourne and Sydney comedy festivals and recorded a radio series for BBC Radio 4. Jo has performed sell out seasons in London, New York, and this May, at the Parade Theatre.

Jason Rushton — Musician
Jason is a 21-year-old journalism student at UTS. He has graced the improvised comedy stage as an improvising pianist since 2007.

He enjoys bushwalks, Australian Story, waking up early and having his hair ruffled by Lyn Pierse (The Director).

Berynn Schwerdt
Berynn has worked in the theatre industry as an actor, director and choreographer performing in 'The Crucible' and 'Much ado about Nothing' with the Sydney Theatre Company, 'Bloody Poetry' at Crossroads Theatre, 'The Imaginary Invalid' and 'Macbeth' for the NIDA company, Kim Carpenter's 'Hansel and Gretel', 'Strictly Cinders' and 'Snow White and the Seventh Dwarf' for the Tilbury Hotel, 'The New Rocky Horror Show' (subbing for Frankenfurter), 'Certified Male' with Glynn Nicholas, 'Five Stories High' with State of Play, the one-man show, 'Homage' by Tobsha Learner, 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead' with Pork Chop, 'Cargo' for the Riverina Theatre Company, in 'Terminus' by Daniel Keene, 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and 'Twelfth Night' with Nightsky Productions, 'Defiance' at Qstation, 'As Bees in Honey Drown' for Darlinghurst Theatre and 'The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)' around Australia and in seven countries, and in many other productions in Australia and abroad.

He has appeared in numerous short films and features including 'Dead Heart' by Nick Parsons, and in television shows such as 'A Difficult Woman', 'Wild Side', 'Denton', 'Twisted Tales', A Country Practice', 'Comedy Inc' and 'Young Lions'.

Nigel Sutton
Nigel's career as an actor and writer has taken him all over the world working in Corporate Entertainment, Television, Film and Stage. His comedic talents are well known in Sydney from his involvement with Theatresports® both as a player and host. Nigel is the creative Director of NDS productions a company dedicated to delivering innovative theater to cultural institutions.

Nigel's recent credits include, Getting away with Murder, Sydney Observatory (Actor/writer). Krispin K - Ornament is Crime, Sydney Design Festival (Actor/Writer). PULP, Factory Theatre Sydney (Actor). Canberra Impro Theatre Challenge (Host). The Dora Fay Davenport Show, NSW Seniors Week 2009 (Actor/writer). Cogs and the Dragon, Power House Museum, Sydney (Director)

Simon Ward
Simon is a graduate of Improcorp's Improvisation courses, has worked as a child and adolescent Clinical Psychologist and has completed Directing and Music Theatre training at NIDA.

He has appeared in Chess, Grease, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Gondoliers, Trial by Jury, The Mikado, the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Sydney G & S Singfests (2000-2005). He played Capt. Corcoran HMS Pinafore with EUCMS and with Rockdale Opera Company as the Duke of Plaza-Toro in The Gondoliers, Jack Point in The Yeomen of the Guard, Major-General Stanley Pirates of Penzance, Mr Goldbury in Utopia Limited and Wally Wilkins in Merrie England.

Simon came 1st in the Singer/Songwriter and Musical Theatre sections in the 2008 City of Sydney Eisteddfod, and 3rd in the Music theatre/Operetta section. He directed Ruddigore in 2008; wrote/directed/performed in a live broadcast for 2MBS FM, is currently directing his first opera Old Maid & the Thief, and performed in the Short Sweet & Song Festival in 2008.

He has had the privilege of working with MDs such as Ingrid Sakurovs, Sharolyn Kimmorley, Michael Huxley, Bev Kennedy, and John Martin. Simon had sell-out seasons of his one-man cabaret show in 2005, 2006; at the Seymour Centre in 2008, 2009 & at BarMe in 2009, and will return later in the year. He will perform as part of Twos a Cabaret's season at BarMe and in the Imagine Festival at the Cleveland St Theatre. Simon is verily thrilled to be part of this exciting project.